Most Popular Residential Garage Doors

Choosing the right type of garage door can be challenging. If you’re not familiar with the various types of residential doors it can be even more challenging. When you’re in the market for a new garage door, it will help to know which type of options you have and what you should look for when you’re in the market for a new garage door. At Pro East Cobb Garage Door in East Cobb, Georgia, we always consult with our clients prior to installing their new garage door. One of the things that we explain to our clients is the need to make sure that their garage door is a good fit for the style of home they have. When you have a door installed, it is best if the door represents the style of home that you have. Your lovely house could go unnoticed if you have an unattractive or unkept garage door. When you are looking for a new garage door, make sure that it meets your needs. There are some specific factors that you should keep in mind, which will be discussed with you prior to installation. However before we even discuss your needs and preferences, we feel that it is important to know the type of residential garage doors that are available to you.

When selecting a garage door, you should keep in mind certain factors, such as, cost, weather and maintenance. With so many doors to choose from, we thought we’d start by telling you the most popular types of residential garage doors that we install:

Fiberglass Doors

This type of door is popular due to its resistance to most extreme temperatures. The fiberglass garage door is the most durable of the various types of residential garage doors that are available to you. It is well insulated and helps to lower your heating and cooling bills. These types of doors tend to last longer and come in a variety of styles and designs.

Wood Doors

Wood doors are popular but they can also be very expensive. The material is costly and it takes great skill to work with wood. Despite the higher price tag of a wood door, many people feel that it is well worth the added expense to have a wood door. The wood door will certainly stand out because it is also the most attractive of all of the various types of residential doors; this alone could push up the price tag. Wood doors also provide homeowners with a more modern looking garage door.

Metal Doors

These types of doors are generally used in areas where there is high wind. This is because they are durable doors that are not easily damaged by the weather. It is one of the more practical options of garage doors.

Aluminum Doors

Compared to the steel door, aluminums doors are often much lighter in weight, which makes the opening feature easier. Since the opening mechanism lasts longer, you don’t have to spend as much on the maintenance of an aluminum garage door. One of the biggest advantages of an aluminum door is the fact that they are recyclable.

You may not know what you can expect when you buy a specific type of garage door but since we’ve outlined some of the benefits of the most popular garage doors, at least you now you know what you can expect. We would always suggest that you familiarize yourself with as many of the garage door types as possible before making a final decision. Just consider that fact that a garage door is a major investment for most homeowners. It isn’t something that you want to turn around and replace 2 years from now or even 5. This is why we would suggest that you take your time to gather enough information about the various types of residential garage doors. Doing so will enable you to make a well-informed decision about the type of garage door to have installed.

Why Have Your Door Replaced

The most common reasons people replace their garage doors is due to the appearance of their existing door and damages that it may have incurred. The door may be dated, rusted, scratched, warped, cracked and just unappealing due to the age of the door. If the home is detracting from the appearance of your house, it is a good idea to go ahead and invest in a new garage door. If you have backed into your garage one too many times, you may experience problems with your rollers, springs, track, opener and other equipment that helps to operate the door of your garage. When you experience damage to your door, you also put yourself in harms way. The door can then become a serious safety hazard. You should definitely seek the services of a professional garage door service to have a new garage door installed if there is serious damage to your door. Continuing to have one problem after the next fixed and patched is only prolonging the inevitable, the need to purchase a new garage door.

Don’t take unnecessary chances with the safety and security of your family. Instead, start doing your research and make sure you know what is most important to you in terms of what your garage door can offer to you. The worst thing you can do is base your needs on that of someone else. Just because you’ve noticed a neighbor with a certain type of door doesn’t mean that this is the same type of door that you should have. What might be important to them might not be important to you and vice-versa. You may notice a neighbor with a very attractive door and think that it would look nice on your home. However, what we would suggest that you do is find out what type of door it is and consult with us further to determine if this type of door will be best suited for your needs. You can get exactly what you want with a little forethought before having your new garage door installed.

Aricle source here: Most Popular Residential Garage Doors

HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT GARAGE DOOR SERVICE COMPANY

Are you encountering difficulties with your garage door? If your garage door has been acting up, there are numerous reasons you could be having trouble. Some issues you can probably handle yourself, and others will require an expert. Since your garage door is a major part of your property’s value and curb appeal, it’s essential to hire only an expert you can completely trust. Find a consummate professional who will tell you the truth about your garage door ~ whether repairs are required; if so, what’s genuinely needed; or, if you ought to purchase an entirely new garage door instead; and, if so, what type is best for you.

Before you hire a garage door technician in East Cobb, is there anything you can do yourself? There are indeed a good number of things you can try before you hire someone to service your garage door.

1       The garage door won’t close? The photo eyes might be out of alignment. The garage door has a photo eye on each side, and between them is an invisible beam, which prevents your garage door from shutting when broken. See if they’re misaligned or grimy.

2       The garage door won’t open? The transmitter batteries could be low. Perhaps if you replace them, your garage door will open.

3       The garage door opener runs, yet the garage door still won’t move? In a power failure, your garage door opener comes with a disconnect switch, which allows you to manually open or shut your garage door. This switch, typically attached to a rope or knob, can come undone inadvertently. What you can do: First, open or shut the garage door all the way. Next, securely reattach the hook. Finally, using the transmitter, you can try opening or shutting the garage door again, and it ought to function now.

4       Does the garage door opener run a few seconds, then turn off? If the garage door still won’t move, this can occur while it’s shut and the motor tries to lift it, yet it won’t move. What you should do is check the springs first. Then, look at the track to see if there are any obstacles. Now, see if the garage door has a built-in lock that’s engaging by mistake. This frequently happens with older garage doors.

5       Does the garage door go down all the way, but then open again? It’s likely that the open-and-close limit settings of your garage door opener are on the blink. The settings tell the garage door opener how far to move before it’s fully shut. If set too high, the garage door will touch the ground before the opener estimates it should, assuming it’s hitting something in its path. If so, it will reverse so it won’t smash the object. Your operator’s manual contains instructions on how to set the open-and-close limits yourself.

6       Does the garage door open and shut at random? If the garage door opens or closes by itself, even while you’re gone, that’s more than an annoyance; that’s a security risk. But here’s what you can do: First, you can look at the transmitters to be sure they’re not stuck under an object that’s unintentionally pushing down on the control mechanism. For example, the transmitters may be underneath some forgotten items in your car, or something else close by. Otherwise, test the frequency of the transmitters. A nearby neighbor may have your same frequency.

7       If your garage door still doesn’t go up, or if it shuts quickly with a bang, then professional attention is required.

Unless you’re already an engineer, YOU SHOULD NOT TRY to repair it yourself! Be sure you know what you’re getting into. Repairing a garage door or hanging a new one ~ and ensuring that every track, cable, and wire is installed correctly with the greatest safety, is definitely not an easy undertaking. Torsion springs, found on many garage doors, can actually cause serious bodily injury, and even death, if not dealt with properly.

Therefore, if anything more serious is happening with your garage door, it’s time to hire a garage door expert! Now what do you do?

First, ask friends, family, and colleagues for their recommendations. Word of mouth from a satisfied customer is always your best bet. If you don’t get anywhere, then you’ll have to do your homework.

Do your research. Look for garage door companies located in your area. Check your local phone book and the Internet. For each one, note the phone number and address. If there’s a street address listed, verify that the address belongs to that company so you can confirm that it’s really a local business. Using the Web, you can match addresses with telephone numbers. When you call each place, if the person answering the phone won’t tell you the full business name and its physical address, cross that one off your list and go on to the next one.

Once you have a list of potentially superior garage door companies, investigate each one scrupulously. Ask colleagues and friends if they know anything about any of the companies on your list. The Website of each company will provide you with plenty of information that’s bound to sway you one way or the other ~ or at least to give you a first impression. You can also consult the Better Business Bureau to check to see if there are complaints on file. You can also look to your local consumer protection agency as well as your state’s attorney general’s office.

When you have narrowed it all down to at least three, consult thoroughly with each one, asking for advice on your specific garage door issues, and see what each one tells you. It’s important that you feel comfortable with the person you choose to repair or replace your garage door and/or its components.

It’s highly favorable if the garage door repair company you choose offers you a free consultation and a free written estimate before any work begins. Moreover, the people on staff ought to have in-depth experience and knowledge of the garage door industry, as well as possess exceptional skill, and be the utmost integrity. Each staff professional ought to be trained at length, properly field-tested, and suitably certified.

After you’ve obtained three formal quotes, analyze them closely. Look at the specifics and check references, and conduct any further research necessary. Finally, compare prices, and remember that you always get what you pay for. If you’re in East Cobb, Georgia, you may want to consider a local reputable company such as Pro East Cobb Garage Repair. Whatever you do, go with your gut, and you’ll eventually narrow it down to the one garage door repair company you know you can totally count on. If you follow all these guidelines, you’ll soon have a better-functioning garage door.

Aricle source here: HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT GARAGE DOOR SERVICE COMPANY

Door closure problems

Don’t you hate it when your garage door gets a mind of its own? For instance, you try leaving for a job interview. You really want this employment opportunity and the job itself is a “dream come true.” Not only are you qualified for the position, but you’ve now been called for a chance to show why you deserve it. You are dressed to the hilt, and you’ve practiced all of your possible interview questions. You start the car and back out of the garage, when it happens; the garage door won’t close! It started to, but then it went back up. What do you do now? You NEED to leave but your garage is loaded with tools, bicycles and other items of value so you just can’t leave it open!

Don’t panic!

Garage door closure problems are more common than many realize. That’s why Pro East Cobb Garage Repair offers these handy and simple tips; we want to help relieve some of the stress and panic that a non-closing garage door can cause. Read this post and you might just save yourself a lot of stress (not to mention a service call!) later on!

Here’s your problem…

When a garage door doesn’t close, it is usually due to one of two problems. 1) Your garage door sensor beam got interrupted, or 2) your garage door met with some kind of resistance. Here in East Cobb, GA you can call our shop for help or any of the many other licensed, bonded and insured garage door repair firms in the area. Or, you can take a look and see if you can spot any of these issues and simply fix the problem yourself (for free!).

Check your sensor beam

By sensor beam, we mean your photoelectric safety eyes. These sensors should be pointing directly at each other at all times. One light should be shining (the transmitter) at the other sensor which is the receiver. If for some reason they are not aligned, your garage door won’t close properly and will go right back up. What could cause your sensors to not be aligned properly? A simple bump or nudge is all that it takes. Try adjusting them manually so that they aim right at each other. Also, look for frayed or cut wires as rodents can chew them and sharp objects can cut them or pull them out of place.

It’s always a good idea to remove objects near your sensors so that they don’t interfere with the signals or bump the safety eyes out of place. These items could be bicycles, wheelbarrows, garden tools, skateboards, shovels, rakes, boxes, trash cans, bags of dog food, etc.

Check for dirty sensor lenses and clean yours if needed. Use a soft, dry cloth and wipe the lens carefully as you would a camera lens. Just like it’s hard to see through dirty eye glasses, it’s equally hard for dirty sensors to transmit proper signals to each other. Also, look for spider webs on or near your safety eyes and remove them gently with a stick if found. Insects love our humid and moist East Cobb, GA weather and they thrive in dark and remote corners of our garages.

Garage door resistance

When your garage door encounters any kind of resistance, it is designed to go back up. This is actually a smart safety feature and is usually one that is welcomed. On the downside however, resistance can prevent your home or business garage door from closing when you want it to. Your job is to simply find where the resistance is coming from. Take this easy resistance test. Close your garage door and find the red handle at the end of the emergency release latch. This will disconnect your garage door from the opener system. Try and lift your garage door manually and test the resistance. Was it easy to open or not? If it wasn’t, you may have a broken wheel, a bent track, or a damaged spring. Unfortunately, these are not easy do-it-yourself fixes (like the safety eye misalignment). They ARE easy for a professional to repair and not expensive so feel free to call our Pro East Cobb Garage Repair shop or your favorite East Cobb, GA garage door repair shop for help getting these done.

What else?

Other factors that can contribute to garage door resistance include dirty tracks and broken cables and tension springs. Check your tracks regularly and clean out any dirt, lint, gum, small rocks and other debris. It doesn’t take much of it to stop your garage door from closing and to return it to the open position. This is because the garage door is designed to roll forward on the rollers (in the tracks) and if they are even slightly blocked; it won’t. Keeping your tracks clean and unobstructed can potentially save you a garage door repair service call down the road so keep an eye out for any blockage that might interfere!

Tension springs and cables

Lastly we want to bring these to your attention. Your cables and tension springs are designed to help lower your garage door slowly and safely. After all, your wood or metal garage door weighs in at several hundred pounds! You don’t want THAT giant wall to come crashing down on you when it closes! If one or both of your springs were to break, it would put undue pressure on your cables causing them to snap with a loud and unpleasant noise. If this happens, stay out of the way and call for help. Cable repair and torsion or extension spring service is NOT recommended for non-professionals to attempt.

Final thoughts

Please keep your garage door (and all of its parts) clean and well maintained and it will last you longer and serve you better. For best results, be sure to keep the telephone number to a local East Cobb, GA garage door repair shop in your smart phone for time saving and convenient access to professionals whenever needed!

Aricle source here: Door closure problems