The Garage Door and the Broken Spring

If you think you have a garage door broken spring you should know for certain because generally when a garage door broken spring happens you may have to open you garage door manually.

Hopefully you know where the manual override is located so you can open you garage door manually.

If your garage door broken spring happens you may also have other problems with your garage door. This is a good time to call your garage door service company and schedule an inspection of your garage doors and also have them repair the broken spring. They may have to replace both springs. Just because one garage door spring breaks it doesn’t necessarily mean the other one is bad but since they have both been on there for the same length of time it is probable that the other spring has fatigue and may break soon. You don’t need to take that chance. Just have both garage door springs replaced or however many garage doors you have and then only pay for one service call.

A garage door itself can last for a long time. If it is metal it can be repainted if it begins to look tired. A wood garage door may have problems sooner because the weather will make a wood door swell and shrink unlike a metal garage door. But a metal garage door can also encounter problems. A metal garage door has working metal parts. When metal works and is used and has strain on it and has to carry weight thousands of times then the garage door parts may start to wear out. So having your garage doors inspected once in a while by a garage door service company is a good idea.

When a garage door service company checks out your garage door they may look at the hinges that make the garage door roll up. They will check out the light sensors to make sure they are working properly. They will also check how easily your garage door rolls up or operates. If it is uneven they will make the necessary repairs. This may be as simple as oiling the bearings or adjusting the chain pulley if the door has one. They will also check out your garage door openers and may even replace the batteries in them if they can.

At some point you may decide to freshen up the outside of your home. You can do this by calling your local garage door company and looking at replacing your garage door. Since you have a lot of choices for styles and looks of garage doors you can really change how the outside of your home looks for very little money as compared to remodeling your entire home.

A properly operating garage door is a safe operating garage door. If a garage door spring or tension bar breaks it only takes a second or two for it to come crashing to the ground. So an annual or bi-annual inspection is a good idea.

Garage Door. Garage Door Springs.

Tax Credit for Buying Energy Efficient Garage Doors

According to a report by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, 40 percent of the current housing stock was built prior to the availability of energy-efficient options.

The Energy Tax Credit for Replacement Windows and Doors (Section 25C of the International Energy Conservation Code) offers a tax credit to homeowners who remodel their home to make it more energy-efficient. The tax credit is given for such improvements as vinyl replacement windows, solar powered water heaters, and energy efficient garage doors. The tax credit covers 30 percent of the first $5,000 spent on qualified home improvements. That’s $1,500 back into your pocket. You can only claim it once in a two year period, so spend your money wisely in 2010 you can claim your tax credit on your federal income tax return.

When selecting your garage doors, you need to be sure that they are qualified for the tax credit. There are many varieties of garage door that qualify so you can shop around and select the one that best suits your needs. The tax credit generated by the stimulus legislation expires on Dec. 31, 2010.

In your selection process, there are some things you need to know about deciding on your new garage door. The R-value or U-factor, are measurements of the thermal efficiency of a door’s insulation. The higher the R-value or the lower the U-factor which means the more energy efficient the insulation. The tax credit is only available for garage doors with a minimum factor of 0.30 installed on a homeowner’s primary residence. You’ll get the most out of your insulated door by purchasing a garage door with a high R-value and low U-factor.

The garage door must also be attached to your primary home residence, be expected to remain in service for at least five years, the door perimeter must be able to control air infiltration, the door must be an insulated residential garage door installed on an insulated garage, and the door must be purchased and installed between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2010. The manufacturer of the garage door will be able to provide you with a copy of the Manufacturer’s Certification, which is a certificate qualifying your door for the tax credit.

Replacing your garage door with an insulated door can reduce significant energy loss. Attached garages share one or two walls with the house, so in the winter it could be unnecessarily increasing your heating cost, and in the summer it could be increasing your air conditioning cost. An insulated garage door helps stabilize temperatures and avoid fluctuations from sharing common walls.

Company Employees Join Race for the Cure

Raising funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer

First United Door Technologies employees are teaming up to share the experience and fundraise for the fight against breast cancer.

 

The “United for the Cure” team will be participating in the 16th Annual Komen Phoenix Race for the Cure^® on Sunday, October 12^th. This is the second year of participation in the annual event.

 
The Komen Phoenix Race for the Cure^® raises significant funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer, celebrates breast cancer survivorship, and honors those who have lost their battle with the disease. Since 1993, the Affiliate has raised over $13 million to fight breast cancer for research and the local STEP grant program (Screening, Treatment and Education Program). Last year’s event had 37,000 participants and raised $1.9 million.

 

The Phoenix Affiliate is one of 125 Affiliates around the world. Since starting the breast cancer movement 25 years ago, Susan G. Komen for the Cure has transformed the clinic and the culture – how the world talks about and treats this devastating disease – and helped turn millions of breast cancer patients into breast cancer survivors. By the end of 2008, Komen will have invested over $1 billion in breast cancer research and community outreach programs, becoming the world’s largest source of nonprofit funds fighting the disease.