Maintaining your home is very important, and a key part of your home is your garage. As you might expect, the part of your garage that will most frequently need to be replaced is the door. Deciding to replace your garage door system can have a significant impact on how your garage looks and offer you a number of benefits. Below are 10 good reasons to consider replacing the door on your garage.
Home Value
Replacing your garage door can significantly increase the market value of your home. If you currently have a tired old garage door, putting up something new and modern will certainly help to impress any potential buyers. In addition, buyers are always pleased if you have put up a quality low maintenance door. You only have to ask any real estate agent to know that homes always sell more quickly when the attached garage is in good shape.
Appearance
A new garage door can significantly improve your home’s appearance. Modern garage doors come in a variety of colors, finishes and styles. With all of these options available, you can transform how your home looks to your neighbors. This is particularly the case if the previous door was worn out and out of date.
Cooling and Heating Costs
If your garage has living spaces above it or is being used as a work area, then you can significantly reduce your cooling and heating costs by installing a garage door with an R-16 insulation rating. This insulated garage door will act to keep the cool air in during the summer and the cold air out during the winter, and as a consequence will quickly help to pay for itself in savings.
Time and Maintenance
Another benefit to installing a new garage door system is that you should be able to significantly reduce the amount of maintenance you have to perform. Once you choose your prefinished garage door color, you will find that most of metal doors are extremely low maintenance. You will often have to do little more than use a little water and soap to clean them occasionally. The regular ritual of scraping off flaking paint and repainting your garage door will become a thing of the past.
Safe Storage
Having a new garage door installed also helps to protect your belongings from bad weather. Most people use the extra space in their garage to store the personal items that they don’t have room for in the house. However, in the garage with a poorly fitted or poorly insulated door, these items can suffer damage from extreme weather conditions. By selecting a new garage door with insulation and a barrier that prevents moisture and air from getting inside, you can help protect your valuables. You may also want to add double-fin rubber weather-stripping.
Increased Utility
One of the great things about adding a new garage door system is that you will get greater use out of your garage. Thanks to the fact that your new door will be well insulated and sealed, the space inside your garage will be a much more comfortable and enjoyable place to work in. As a result, you might decide to use your garage as a playroom for your children, a studio, and a workshop or simply as an air-conditioned storage area.
Storage Security
Another important benefit that you will get by upgrading your garage door is that you will improve the security of anything that you store inside your garage. Older garage doors that are made out of wood or metal that has no insulation are much easier for criminals to either simply break through for drill through than are modern metal insulated doors. While not absolute protection, they make it much more difficult for a potential thief to get into your garage, and as a consequence he is more likely to move on to the next house.
Limit Home Access
In addition to providing better security for your garage itself, adding a new garage door system also improves the security for your home as a whole. One of the easiest ways for thieves to break into your home is through a garage door. Many modern garage doors use new sophisticated coding systems that make it almost impossible for thief to generate the code that will open the door.
Personal Safety
A new garage door can also help minimize the risk of personal injury. Most new garage doors come with photoelectric detectors which sense when someone or something is attempting to come into or out of the garage while the door is in motion. At the moment that the sensor detects that the beam has been broken, the door will automatically go into reverse and open in order to prevent any potential injury or damage. It will also frequently be designed to turn on a light so that you can see what you are doing in dark conditions.
Insurance Benefits
Thanks to the fact that you will have improved the safety and security of both your garage and your home by adding a new garage door, you may be able to get insurance benefits as well, such as a reduction in your payments. Inform your insurer that you have done this so that you can get the maximum possible benefit.
Automatic garage doors are a true convenience when they work properly, but when they don’t, they become a frustrating hassle. Like all mechanical devices, garage doors and their openers are prone to faults that can prevent them from opening and closing like they’re supposed to. Here are some of the reasons why this might happen.
Lack of Lubrication
Your garage door’s track and the opener’s chain both require sufficient lubrication in order to do their jobs. If either one is under-lubed, the door can become stuck when opening or closing. To fix this problem, you will need to add more lubrication to both parts. You can use a standard machine oil either in a spray can or a bottle. However, the spray option will be much simpler to use, especially at odd angles.
Damage to the Track
Most garage doors sit in a track made from aluminum, which is highly susceptible to warping and bending. Impacts from tools, ladders, cars or other objects can bend the track in such a way that the door is unable to open or close fully. Similarly, the freezing and thawing process of winter weather can cause the frame to become distorted and make the door jam. Depending on the location and severity of the damage, you may be able to repair the track without professional assistance or a new installation. Try using a hammer to pop out any dents.
Sensor Problems
All modern electric garage door openers are required by law to come equipped with sensors for safety purposes. These are typically located on either side of the garage door near the ground. If something gets in the way, like a child or a pet, the sensors will prevent the door from opening or closing. While this feature is indisputably beneficial, it is unable discriminate between living things and inanimate objects. If your door is becoming stuck, make sure that there are no leaves or other debris piled in front of the sensors and keep the items stored in your garage clear of them.
Faulty Sensor Alignment
In order to work as intended, the sensors on either side of your garage door must be properly aligned. If the infrared beams fail to make contact with one another, the door will refuse to budge. However, it can be very tricky to tell whether or not they are aligned correctly. If you suspect that this is your problem, it is strongly recommended that you have a professional garage door technician determine if it is the case and make adjustments as necessary.
Most homeowners never pay much attention to the garage door until a repair is needed. With regular maintenance, you can avoid the need for expensive or emergency repairs. You can perform an annual inspection and tune up for your garage door and opener by following these simple steps:
- Begin with the appearance of the garage door. If the door is made of wood, carefully inspect any areas or joints that may have water damage; these will need immediate repair. Note any areas of peeling paint; this will need to be scraped, sanded and repainted. For steel doors, note any rust spots; these need to be sanded, primed and painted. Once all repairs have been made, wash the door with the appropriate cleaner. An all-purpose cleaner made for metal, vinyl or wood is advisable. Thoroughly rinse and allow the door to dry.
- The rollers that allow the door to open and close should be inspected. Any damaged or cracked rollers should be replaced. Lubricate the rollers with the appropriate lubricant; WD-40 works well on metal rollers but will damage rubber or vinyl ones.
- Inspect the hinges and tighten any loose bolts. Inspect the bolts on the roller hinges as well. You can clean the bearings inside the hinges by soaking the item in mineral spirits. Clean one at a time to avoid problems with the door.
- Inspect the tracks and use a level to ensure they are plumb or straight up and down. If they are not, you can adjust them by following the manufacturer’s instructions or find them online. Do not adjust the tracks more than a half inch; let a professional take care of this as it will affect the other door components.
- Inspect the cables and door springs, if your door has them. Never attempt to adjust overhead door springs yourself; the high amount of tension is dangerous. If the metal appears stressed, rusted or pitted, call for service. You can lightly lubricate it by spraying it with a silicone-based spray.
- Lift the garage door all the way up and inspect the weather stripping to ensure it is in good shape. If it is not, or the door does not have stripping, measure the width and length of the door. Purchase the appropriate sized weather stripping at your local Overhead Door Company.
- Lift the garage door halfway and let it go. It should stay at that level; if it continues to rise or falls to the ground, you need to call for service. Adjusting the springs and cables of a garage door should only be performed by a trained professional.
Top Reasons For A Loud Garage Door
The modern garage door is a complex piece of machinery, full of moving parts. Each part is an opportunity to make noise, especially when those parts are metal moving against other metal parts. When your garage door makes noise, there are many more possible reasons than you might think. Here are a few common causes of garage door noise:
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- Garage Door Opener Type: There are multiple types of garage door openers and each makes a different level of noise. The least expensive, chain-drive garage door opener, is sturdy and reliable in any climate, but by nature it produces noise. The belt-drive garage door opener produces the least amount of noise.
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- Worn Parts: Garage doors have several rollers along each side that carry the door along its guide rail. These rollers wear down over time and will significantly increase the noise the door will make when worn. Another potential source of noise is the hinges that hold the panels of the garage door together. Hinges can be easily lubricated or replaced if needed. Also check that all bolts and nuts along the track hardware are snug and have not shaken loose.
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- Door Balance: An unbalanced garage door can also cause a lot of noise. Checking for door balance is easy. Disconnect the door from the drive (usually by pulling the red emergency cord hanging down) and raise it manually. If it falls, your door is likely unbalanced. This repair is best left to a professional garage door technician.
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- More Complicated Problems: Other, more complex issues that might cause noise are possibilities like problems inside the drive unit with gears or sprockets, spring coils grinding, or roller bearings worn down. The complexity and danger involved in these repairs requires a professional to repair them. Do not attempt these repairs by yourself.
Schedule Garage Door Tune-Up Today!
As with any home repair, make an honest assessment of your abilities before beginning any of these repairs. Don’t hesitate to call a professional if you’re unsure about what to do. Garage doors do have some parts under tension that can be very dangerous if not handled properly.
The opener for your garage door is a straightforward device that can often last upwards of 20 years. However, even if yours is still functioning properly, there are a number of reasons that you may want to consider replacing it.
If it Was Made Before 1993
It wasn’t until 1993 that garage door openers were required by law to come with safety reversal features. To achieve this, a pair of sensors are mounted about six inches from the floor on either side of the garage door. Should a pet, child or object get in the way of these sensors, the door will stop closing and reverse its movement. If your opener lacks this critical safety feature or if it’s no longer functioning the way it should, it should be replaced as soon as possible.
Minimize Noise
When your garage door opener is old or poorly maintained, the noise it makes can disturb your neighbors or the other people in your household. In cases like these, a replacement may be due. The most common type of garage door opener utilizes a chain drive, much like a bicycle, to open and close the door. However, these tend to become very loud with time. You may wish to consider replacing it with a either a belt-driven or screw-driven model. You may also find an updated chain-driven model to be quieter than your current one.
Improved Security
If you have an older model of opener, your home may be an ideal target for burglars. Remotes for these earlier models use a static code, which can be easily cracked by someone sitting outside of your home with a special device. It’s also not unheard of for one person’s remote to open many different garage doors. Such a security flaw gives thieves easy entryway into your home through your garage. These days, however, garage door openers come with a dynamic code that changes each time the remote is used, helping to prevent unauthorized entry.
Keyless Entry
Older models of garage door openers didn’t come with a keypad that could be installed on the outside of the garage. This convenient tool enables you to punch in a code in order to enter your garage, eliminating the need for keys that can be copied, lost or stolen. If you can’t install an aftermarket keypad for your opener, you may want to update it. Many new keypads don’t even require you to memorize a code and work instead by fingerprint recognition.
One of the main benefits of an aluminum garage door is that it does not require all of the maintenance that wooden doors require. While it is maintenance-free, that does not mean that it is resistant to dents. In fact, aluminum garage doors and even steel doors can dent rather easily if you even tap them with your car, your bike, or any other recreational vehicle. While it might be tempting to replace the door entirely, there are inexpensive ways to get rid of the dents. Read on and learn a dent removal technique that will save you not only money, but time as well.
Things You Will Need for the Project
Most of the tools you are going to need to make your garage door dent-free can be found around your home. Here is a checklist that you should review before you start the process:
- Medium-sized bucket
- Dish soap
- Outdoor hose
- Heavy-duty sponge
- High-grade aluminum foil
- Standard lighter
- Compressed air
If you do not have any of these items, make sure you take a trip to the store before you start. Not having what you will need will affect the project.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Use the bucket, fill it with water, and add dish soap. Thoroughly wash the dented area with a sponge and remove all of the dirt. Make sure the area and clean and dry before you move on.
- Unroll enough foil to cover the dent and to give you room to hold the foil at each end. Cut the piece of foil from the roll and keep it within reach.
- Make sure you have your lighter and your can of air handy. Lay the piece of aluminum foil flat and cover the dent. Keep the foil flat against the door with your hand near the corner and away from the dent.
- Pick up your lighter and move the lit flame back and forth over the dent for 60 seconds. Make sure you use a consistent motion so that the flame hits the aluminum foil wherever the stubborn dent is. Once you are done, remove the foil and hold your air can upside down. Spray the can while it is upside down over the dent for at least 30 seconds. You must hold the can upside down because the carbon dioxide in the can in the secret ingredient.
The aluminum will go back into place because of the drastic change in temperatures. Watch your dent pop back and disappear within two minutes.
As you can see, removing your garage door dent does not require any special skills or equipment. Try these steps and tackle the problem without spending any money.