Maintaining Your Garage Door

Garage doors tend to grow louder and creakier with age. While in some cases these symptoms point to the need for a new garage door, in others they simply indicate that some basic maintenance efforts are required. If you would like to learn more about how to keep your garage door in good working order, read on. This article will discuss two of the most important strategies to employ.

Keep your rollers lubricated 

Your garage door moves up and down along two parallel metal tracks. Running inside of these tracks are bar-mounted roller wheels whose opposite ends are attached to the door itself. Over time, the rollers tend to accumulate gunk, dirt, and debris that impede their movement. This often causes the door to become much noisier when it is opened and closed.

Fortunately, you can do wonders to restore smooth functioning to your garage door simply by lubricating the rollers. First, however, it is vital that you remove as much grime as possible using a clean rag. Then carefully apply a small amount of silicone-based lubricant to each of the rollers. Try not to get any on the tracks, as this could lead to the door slipping.

Tighten loose hinge bolts 

The chains and pulleys of a garage door opener tend to produce a lot of vibrations. As time goes on, these vibrations often act to loosen the bolts that hold the roller hinges to the door. Thus it is a good idea to inspect and tighten these bolts using an appropriately sized wrench. This will help to cut down on annoying clattering and other unwanted noises.

For more information on how to maintain your garage door and to ensure that yours is in good working order, give us a call today! 

3 Garage Door Facts You Should Be Aware Of

People often don’t think of their garage door specifically when thinking about their garage, but your door does a lot to keep your garage, vehicles and family same. Here are a few facts about your garage door that you might not know about your garage door.

1. It Can Help To Increase Your Home's Value 

Especially when your garage door faces the front of your property, it's not just an average door. The right garage door can add increase your curb appeal and make it more appealing to potential buyers. Even if you aren’t currently trying to sell your home, it’s still something to consider for the future in case anything changes. If you use your garage as an entry way to your home, it’s even more important that you keep it in good shape to prevent any potential safety hazards or break ins. Because this door is going to be used so much, installing a new door before you sell your home increases your home's value.

 

2. It Can Be A Design Statement

 

Because garage doors can take up as much as 1/3 of the front of the house, they can be used to make a statement. Especially when you are thinking of upgrading the exterior of your home, you shouldn't forget your garage door. There are all kinds of design options to choose from, from various materials, colors and paneling. So many options will allow you to pick a door that allows you to express your style, find one that matches the exterior of your home and provides you with the right amount of durability and other features within your price range.

 

 3. It Adds Energy Efficiency To Your Home

 

Garage doors, especially those that are insulated, can help to reduce heating and cooling costs. A strong and well insulated garage door can help to keep it warm in the winter and cool in the summer. With winter approaching, you want to make sure that your garage door will help to keep that space of your home a comfortable temperature, especially if you park your car inside your garage or use the space for other activities.

Garage doors as an important component of your garage and your home overall. Make sure that your garage door is in good working order and makes the right statement about your property. If you have any questions about your garage door options, give us a call today!

How the Cold of Winter Affects Your Garage Door Opener

Anyone who owns a car in places with cold winters knows from firsthand experience that extreme cold causes mechanical problems. Therefore, it shouldn't come as a surprise that your garage door opener may not function as it should when the temperature drops.

These problems come down to how the cold causes the metal components of your garage door opener to shrink. When moving parts shrink, they don't quite fit together as they should, which can cause them to seize. The tendency to contract also stresses and may warp the garage door tracks, which increases the likelihood of the rollers getting stuck. Furthermore, the cold causes grease to thicken, and moving parts already affected by the cold are also held back by thick, hard grease.

Low temperatures make the metal in your garage door springs "want to contract." They can't do this because they are held in place. This stresses the metal. In addition, the metal becomes brittle in the cold. What happens to your stressed and brittle springs when they are near the end of their service life? They break.

Here's what you can do to prevent cold weather issues:

Insulate Your Garage 

Since cold temperatures are at the heart of the above problems, it makes sense to keep the cold out of your garage as much as possible. Insulate the door, the walls and ceiling of your garage. Make sure the seal at the door bottom makes full contact with the floor. Insulation also saves on heating costs in the winter, and air conditioning costs in the summer.

Have Your Old Springs Checked 

Weak and old springs tend to break in the winter because of the reasons discussed previously. Contact a garage door serviceman to evaluate the condition of your springs. If they're on the verge of breaking, the serviceman will be able to determine this.

Clean out the Grease and Apply a Silicone-Based Lubricant 

Use a solvent to clear out old grease and then use a cloth to wipe away the solvent. Lubricate the parts with a silicone-based lubricant. Apply lubricant to all moving parts including those not caked up in grease. This will make them less likely to seize in cold conditions.

Check the Alignment of Your Tracks 

If your garage door opener tracks are slightly misaligned in warmer weather, the cold can worsen the problem. Have a garage door professional check the alignment and make the necessary adjustments.

Other Winter Problems 

Whenever an ice storm coats your door with ice, don't try to open the door because the door bottom will be iced to the floor. Furthermore, the ice coating is weighing down the door and lifting the extra weight will stress and possibly damage your garage door motor. Remove ice from the entire door including its bottom. You should manually check to see if the door freely opens before using the garage door opener. Also clear out any snow buildup at the floor below the door because it may trigger the safety reverse mechanism when closing the door.

If your garage door opener needs a winter tune up, give us a call today.

How to Maximize Home Security Revolving Around Your Garage Door

For homes with an attached garage, the space becomes a large portion of the home itself. While it should be standard to visually inspect your garage door every once in a while to make sure it is in good condition, you can invest in other methods to maximize home security regarding your garage and garage door.

Invest in a Deadbolt Lock for the Door Entering Your Home

With an attached garage, you will have a door that goes from the garage to inside your home. Although you might think that your garage provides you with enough of a safety net to prevent break-ins, you cannot be overly safe. It is best to invest in a deadbolt lock for this door, which you can use to minimize the chance that a criminal is able to get through your garage and into your home successfully.

Hide Your Garage Door Opener in Your Vehicle

It is not uncommon for homeowners to keep their garage door opener in their car, especially out in the open. While it might be easy to have it attached to the visor in the driver seat, you should think about safety first, which means the greatest solution is to hide it where it is not easily found.

Check the Garage Door Before Going to Sleep

Whether you live by yourself or have a family, you should make sure that your garage door is closed before going to sleep. It is a process that takes only a few seconds and it can drastically improve the safety of your home. One of your family members may have forgotten to close the door when they left or after coming inside, and you can prevent this from being an issue with a nightly inspection.

Maximizing security with your garage does not have to be a tough task. If you ever have any questions about your garage or garage door, give our experts a call at (517) 332-1133. Or visit our website!

Garage Door Service Experts Discuss Safety Tips for Parents of Younger Children

The garage door is probably the largest moving piece of your home. Even though your child spends time with you inside or in the backyard, there are times when the youngster will be around when the door opens or closes. Our garage door service experts offer you some tips that help keep the kids safe.

• Talk about garage door safety. You would be surprised to learn how many parents do not tell their children to stand away from the door when it opens or closes. Show the child how the door operates and point out areas where touching may cause pinched fingers. 
• Repair broken down doors quickly. If your door works with coil springs, fix any broken pieces quickly; these doors are hefty without functioning springs and may cause severe injuries. Automatic doors with iffy openers can also create problems. As soon as you notice a hitch, call an expert to handle the repairs. 
• Lead by example. Show your child how to enter and exit the garage safely. We always recommend waiting until an automatic door has come to a complete stop. Then enter or exit. When your child sees you doing so, s/he is much more likely to comply. 
• Keep openers away from children. Because garage door openers are so easy to operate, children delight in making a door go up and down. We suggest putting the garage door openers out of reach of young children. Train older children how to use the opener and to follow your rules of garage access. 

Contact the Overhead Door Company of Lansing today for answers to additional questions about child safety procedures around garage doors or to schedule a repair appointment to fix broken parts.

Discover How a New Garage Door Increases a Home's Sale Price

In the past, we have written about how a new garage door increases curb appeal when selling your home. In a competitive real estate market, you want your home to stand out in the crowd. Buyers have a lot of homes to choose from and even something like an old garage door will have buyers moving on. The question many homeowners have is, "Is the cost of a new garage door worth the investment?"

We all know we must make repairs, improvements and upgrades for the purpose of maintaining our home. We also know many of these projects don't really increase the value. Nonetheless, if you take the time to educate yourself, you will find there are some projects worth doing before placing your home on the market. Two separate reports identify a new garage door as one of the top projects for creating value, increasing a home's resale price.

The first is the Remodeling Impact Report created by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry and the National Association of Realtors. The study ranked a new garage door No. 3 for both exterior projects adding value to a home at resale, and No. 3 for having the most appeal to buyers. They report that with an estimated job cost of $2,300, a new garage door recovers $2,000 at the time of a sale. This is an 87 percent return on investment.

Moreover, Remodeling magazine's 2016 Cost vs. Value report discovered similar results. This study is more focused on the cost of the project rather than the increase in home sale price. However, they found a "midscale garage door replacement" received a 91.5 percent return on investment, and ranked it as their No. 3 overall home improvement for cost vs. value. They also ranked an "upscale garage door" at No. 5 with a 90.1 percent cost vs. value ratio.

Overall, a new garage door is a small investment with a big return. This is especially true if your old one is causing buyers to take a pass. If you would like to talk more about a new garage door, or would like a free estimate, give us a call today! 

New Construction? A Garage Door Contractor Can Get the Project Done!

Building a new house is exciting! As well as scary, stressful, overwhelming, and a lot more emotions than you ever thought possible. After choosing all the finishes for the house, being in constant communication with the general contractor, dealing with delays and roadblocks, most homeowners get to a point where they just can't wait to get the project done. That's understandable, so if you're looking for someone to finish off the garage, a garage door contractor can get the job done quickly.

If you're feeling overwhelmed with all the decisions for the house, take a minute to focus on the garage. While it can be tempting to just choose a boring, inexpensive door, you may regret it in the long run. Your garage door is usually the first thing people see from the street, and it says a lot about the character of your house. So take some time and find a door you love. Maybe it's a standard panel door, or maybe you want to go old school with a solid wood door. You can choose doors made of aluminum, steel, or vinyl too. If you really want to convey a classy and unique look, some carriage doors might be in order.

The good news, is, once you choose your doors, you don't have to think about it again. Installation will be done by professionals who are experts in the field. We can add automatic openers so once you start moving in, you can easily access your garage with the touch of a button.

When you're building a house, it feels like it takes forever, but you will look back and be glad you took the time to pick out garage doors that fit the look of your house, and add to its character.

As a reputable, professional garage door contractor, Overhead Door Co. of Lansing can handle the installation so it's one less thing you have to think about as you finish your dream home. Contact us today to learn about our garage door options and schedule an appointment!