Thursday, March 08, 2007
Garage Door Springs Provide Lifting Help
Every once in a while it may become necessary to replace your garage door springs, as they will become weak over time and fail to provide adequate help in raising the garage door. A garage door usually is not light and the springs can save your back if you have a manual lift door or the electric opener.
There are two main types of garage door springs, the torsion spring and the extension spring. A torsion springs are the one that are wound onto a steel bar and are located justr above the door, one on each side. These are the ones that you will want to call a professional to replace. Numerous injuries and a few deaths have been caused by untrained people attempting to replace this type garage door springs.
However, two companies, Clopay and Wayne-Dalton have designed a torsion garage door springs that can be adjusted with an electric drill and are safer for the do-it-yourselfer to install, but to avoid any risk of injury it may still be advisable to have an experienced professional do the work. At an average price range of $75 to $150, depending on the locale, it's a small price to pay for not having a broken bone.
Extension garage door springs are the ones that hang from the top of the door and are anchored near the back of the upper tracks. These are safer for the do-it-yourself person, but there is still danger and before attempting this project, proper safety precautions are needed.
Inspect Springs For Weakness Before They Snap
Usually when garage door springs break, they do so when the door is in the down position. That's because that is when they hold the most tension. It's also a good thing because if they break when the door is in the raised position, the door could come slamming down with all its weight. That's why it's recommended to never stand under a garage door when it's opening or closing.
Visually inspect the garage door springs for signs of wear or kinks, especially in extension springs. Additionally, if one spring breaks it's a good idea to replace them both. The second one will most likely be close to breaking as well and it can save the cost of a service call in the near future. Whether you decide to risk doing the job yourself or hire a professional, once the springs are in place, spray on a light coat of oil to protect them from rust. That is the biggest contributor to broken garage door springs.
Learn more about garage door springs at http://www.GarageBasics.com
There are two main types of garage door springs, the torsion spring and the extension spring. A torsion springs are the one that are wound onto a steel bar and are located justr above the door, one on each side. These are the ones that you will want to call a professional to replace. Numerous injuries and a few deaths have been caused by untrained people attempting to replace this type garage door springs.
However, two companies, Clopay and Wayne-Dalton have designed a torsion garage door springs that can be adjusted with an electric drill and are safer for the do-it-yourselfer to install, but to avoid any risk of injury it may still be advisable to have an experienced professional do the work. At an average price range of $75 to $150, depending on the locale, it's a small price to pay for not having a broken bone.
Extension garage door springs are the ones that hang from the top of the door and are anchored near the back of the upper tracks. These are safer for the do-it-yourself person, but there is still danger and before attempting this project, proper safety precautions are needed.
Inspect Springs For Weakness Before They Snap
Usually when garage door springs break, they do so when the door is in the down position. That's because that is when they hold the most tension. It's also a good thing because if they break when the door is in the raised position, the door could come slamming down with all its weight. That's why it's recommended to never stand under a garage door when it's opening or closing.
Visually inspect the garage door springs for signs of wear or kinks, especially in extension springs. Additionally, if one spring breaks it's a good idea to replace them both. The second one will most likely be close to breaking as well and it can save the cost of a service call in the near future. Whether you decide to risk doing the job yourself or hire a professional, once the springs are in place, spray on a light coat of oil to protect them from rust. That is the biggest contributor to broken garage door springs.
Learn more about garage door springs at http://www.GarageBasics.com
# posted by Scott Fromherz @ 8:15 AM
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Install A Garage Door Seal: Save On Energy Costs
Many people with garages don't realize that their garage door can actually make your energy costs go up. Especially if you don't have a garage door seal, if your garage is attached to your house, when you open your back door, the heat can escape out of your garage door. This makes your air conditioner or heater work overtime. If you have a garage door seal, the heat or air conditioning gets trapped in your garage. It will save you money in the long run and that alone makes it a great investment.
Garage door sealant can be found at any hardware or home improvement store. Most of them are easy to apply and you can even apply them yourself. If you want to ensure that the job is done correctly, however, hire someone to do the job for you. Garage door sealant will seal up your garage door so that there's no space between the door and the ground. This not only traps the air, it also has other benefits.
Keep Unwanted Pests Out
A garage door seal can even keep pests out of your garage. Rodents, such as mice and rats, only need about a half inch space to be able to enter your garage. Rodents can eat through your sheetrock and they can do even worse damage than that. Garage door seals can keep bats out, too. Anyone who's been attacked by a bat in their garage knows the value of a good garage door seal.
With energy costs rising so much nowadays, people are looking for any way possible to keep them as low as possible. For this reason, more and more people are paying to have garage door seals installed on their garages. Especially in the winter time, a heated garage is like no other place on earth for gathering with friends or working on your latest hobby or project. Likewise, in the summer time, there's nothing like a cool garage to work on your car or whatever else you do in your garage.
Install a garage door seal on your garage door today and see what a different it makes in your energy costs and you'll love how it keeps unwanted pests away. If you have a garage with a garage door, then you'll want a garage door seal. No garage should be without one.
Learn more about garage door seals at http://www.GarageBasics.com
Garage door sealant can be found at any hardware or home improvement store. Most of them are easy to apply and you can even apply them yourself. If you want to ensure that the job is done correctly, however, hire someone to do the job for you. Garage door sealant will seal up your garage door so that there's no space between the door and the ground. This not only traps the air, it also has other benefits.
Keep Unwanted Pests Out
A garage door seal can even keep pests out of your garage. Rodents, such as mice and rats, only need about a half inch space to be able to enter your garage. Rodents can eat through your sheetrock and they can do even worse damage than that. Garage door seals can keep bats out, too. Anyone who's been attacked by a bat in their garage knows the value of a good garage door seal.
With energy costs rising so much nowadays, people are looking for any way possible to keep them as low as possible. For this reason, more and more people are paying to have garage door seals installed on their garages. Especially in the winter time, a heated garage is like no other place on earth for gathering with friends or working on your latest hobby or project. Likewise, in the summer time, there's nothing like a cool garage to work on your car or whatever else you do in your garage.
Install a garage door seal on your garage door today and see what a different it makes in your energy costs and you'll love how it keeps unwanted pests away. If you have a garage with a garage door, then you'll want a garage door seal. No garage should be without one.
Learn more about garage door seals at http://www.GarageBasics.com
# posted by Scott Fromherz @ 8:49 AM
Monday, March 05, 2007
Where To Shop For A Garage Door Parts
Some garage door repairs must be done by a professional, but some simple things can be done at home, especially replacing or adding garage door parts.
The simplest garage door part to replace is the remote. Whether you would like a smaller remote control to replace an old clunky one or give a supplementary one to kids or guests, the only thing to do is search for replacements made by your garage door manufacturer. Replacement garage door remotes usually cost between $15 and $35.
When kids or pets are part of the household, many homeowners like to have a safety beam – an invisible beam that will cause the door to freeze if it detects anything in the doorway. This saves squished toys at the very least. If your garage door opener is equipped to hook up to a beam, this is a simple garage door part for any homeowner to add or replace. Generally, beams do not have to be made by the same manufacturer as the garage door machinery. Expect to pay less than $40 for a whole set.
Shopping Around
Because garage door parts are so specialized, it is unusual to be able to go to a local home store and just pick up parts. Before the internet, the best bet was shopping in a professionals' catalog, but buying just one part might not have been possible. But the internet has revolutionized shopping for everything, including garage door parts.
Internet retailers and auction sites offer probably every garage door part anyone could need, in a way that makes it easy to search and compare prices. An internet search will bring up many retailers and auctioneers.
When shopping for garage door parts online, use the same good judgment you would buying anything else. Before ordering from a site, check out shipping costs, applicable taxes, and return policies. Look for retailers that have high ratings on independent sites like epinions.com or yahoo shopping. Ask and make sure that the parts you order are brand new with a warranty, not refurbished.
More advanced DIY enthusiasts can fix most parts of a garage door opener: gears, carriages and circuit boards. However, hiring a licensed, bonded professional is a perfectly good idea too. Working with electricity and machinery can be dangerous, or at least problematic, so plenty of people bring in a professional to do garage door work.
Learn more about garage door parts at http://www.GarageBasics.com
The simplest garage door part to replace is the remote. Whether you would like a smaller remote control to replace an old clunky one or give a supplementary one to kids or guests, the only thing to do is search for replacements made by your garage door manufacturer. Replacement garage door remotes usually cost between $15 and $35.
When kids or pets are part of the household, many homeowners like to have a safety beam – an invisible beam that will cause the door to freeze if it detects anything in the doorway. This saves squished toys at the very least. If your garage door opener is equipped to hook up to a beam, this is a simple garage door part for any homeowner to add or replace. Generally, beams do not have to be made by the same manufacturer as the garage door machinery. Expect to pay less than $40 for a whole set.
Shopping Around
Because garage door parts are so specialized, it is unusual to be able to go to a local home store and just pick up parts. Before the internet, the best bet was shopping in a professionals' catalog, but buying just one part might not have been possible. But the internet has revolutionized shopping for everything, including garage door parts.
Internet retailers and auction sites offer probably every garage door part anyone could need, in a way that makes it easy to search and compare prices. An internet search will bring up many retailers and auctioneers.
When shopping for garage door parts online, use the same good judgment you would buying anything else. Before ordering from a site, check out shipping costs, applicable taxes, and return policies. Look for retailers that have high ratings on independent sites like epinions.com or yahoo shopping. Ask and make sure that the parts you order are brand new with a warranty, not refurbished.
More advanced DIY enthusiasts can fix most parts of a garage door opener: gears, carriages and circuit boards. However, hiring a licensed, bonded professional is a perfectly good idea too. Working with electricity and machinery can be dangerous, or at least problematic, so plenty of people bring in a professional to do garage door work.
Learn more about garage door parts at http://www.GarageBasics.com
# posted by Scott Fromherz @ 7:54 AM
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Adjusting A Garage Door Opener
There is nothing like coming home from a hard day's work and having your garage door open automatically for you. While still some distance away from your home, at the press of a button, a radio beam is sent that activates the garage door opener. This allows for you to simply pull into your garage, close the garage door by hitting the same switch, getting out of your car and walking into your home. This convenience is especially useful during inclement weather.
Not only is a garage door opener a modern day convenience that is handy to have, but can also serve as a safety measure for the family. Imagine that no one is home and a member of the family arrives at the house during the hours of darkness. What a relief it is to know that the opener will allow for easy and safe access of that family member. Once safely inside the garage, the garage door can be shut safely by that member of the family while still secure in the vehicle. Once the door has been shut then they may safely embarked into the home.
In addition, there are certain convenient features. These features include remote controls, keyless entry pads and switches that are keyed.
When installing a garage door opener or using an opener for a period of time there may be certain adjustments that need to be made. Those adjustments include adjusting the limits of the garage door opener, adjusting the force and adjusting the safety feature.
Adjusting Limits
Sometimes the garage door opener does not allow for the garage door to fully close or open. If this is the case it may require that the limits be adjusted.
On the main panel of the garage door opener there are a number of adjusting screws. The adjusting limit screw can be turned to compensate for the garage door's lack of closing securely or not opening to the proper height.
Simply turn the adjustment screw in a clockwise direction to fully open the limits of the garage door or the opposite direction to allow for complete closure.
Adjusting The Force
Another adjustment that may need to be made with the garage door opener is adjusting the force. The force of the garage door opener needs to be adjusted if the door, while closing, does not reverse its direction when pressure. This pressure can be applied by holding onto the door. Also, if the door reverses on its own the same adjustment in force needs to occur.
The forced applied by the garage door opener needs to be decreased if the garage door does not stop its movement when held as it is opening.
Adjust The Safety Feature
The garage door openers of today have a built in reverse direction system. The safety feature is engaged when the door touches an object as it is being closed. This object could be your car, member of the family, etc. A simple test to determine the sensitivity of this feature can be accomplished by deliberately placing an object in the closing door's path. If the door stops its motion downward, but does not automatically return, simply turn the down limit screw clockwise and retest.
Continue this process till the safety feature of the garage door opener is functioning properly.
Learn more about garage door openers at http://www.GarageBasics.com
Not only is a garage door opener a modern day convenience that is handy to have, but can also serve as a safety measure for the family. Imagine that no one is home and a member of the family arrives at the house during the hours of darkness. What a relief it is to know that the opener will allow for easy and safe access of that family member. Once safely inside the garage, the garage door can be shut safely by that member of the family while still secure in the vehicle. Once the door has been shut then they may safely embarked into the home.
In addition, there are certain convenient features. These features include remote controls, keyless entry pads and switches that are keyed.
When installing a garage door opener or using an opener for a period of time there may be certain adjustments that need to be made. Those adjustments include adjusting the limits of the garage door opener, adjusting the force and adjusting the safety feature.
Adjusting Limits
Sometimes the garage door opener does not allow for the garage door to fully close or open. If this is the case it may require that the limits be adjusted.
On the main panel of the garage door opener there are a number of adjusting screws. The adjusting limit screw can be turned to compensate for the garage door's lack of closing securely or not opening to the proper height.
Simply turn the adjustment screw in a clockwise direction to fully open the limits of the garage door or the opposite direction to allow for complete closure.
Adjusting The Force
Another adjustment that may need to be made with the garage door opener is adjusting the force. The force of the garage door opener needs to be adjusted if the door, while closing, does not reverse its direction when pressure. This pressure can be applied by holding onto the door. Also, if the door reverses on its own the same adjustment in force needs to occur.
The forced applied by the garage door opener needs to be decreased if the garage door does not stop its movement when held as it is opening.
Adjust The Safety Feature
The garage door openers of today have a built in reverse direction system. The safety feature is engaged when the door touches an object as it is being closed. This object could be your car, member of the family, etc. A simple test to determine the sensitivity of this feature can be accomplished by deliberately placing an object in the closing door's path. If the door stops its motion downward, but does not automatically return, simply turn the down limit screw clockwise and retest.
Continue this process till the safety feature of the garage door opener is functioning properly.
Learn more about garage door openers at http://www.GarageBasics.com
# posted by Scott Fromherz @ 11:52 PM
