The All Purposeful Garage Door

Your garage door serves many purposes. It keeps your garage secure. It provides aesthetic appeal for your home. It also can be an energy efficiency product to help lower your energy bills.

You can get so much from a garage door that when it comes time to buy a replacement, you should shop smart. Make sure that the new one will be even better than the last. Do not settle for just any door. Shop around and be sure the model you get will serve all your purposes perfectly.

There are many considerations to make when choosing a new garage door. You should consider how you use the garage when making your choice. In some homes the garage is a playroom or a workshop in addition to keeping vehicles in out of the elements. How you use the garage will play into your final choice on a door.

You also need to make sure you get the right size of door. The wrong size of door will not serve any purpose. Take measurements carefully. Get help if you need it. Many retailers will offer help with taking measurements.

The appearance is also important. There are a range of styles, so you should try to figure out what you want before you go shopping. Common styles include flush panels which are flat and slightly textured. Flat panel styles blend nicely in with your home’s exterior.

There are also doors with raised panels that are long. This style is very dimensional. It provides depth to the look of the door and accents the home’s appearance.

There are short raised panels that add depth, too. They are really intricate in style and are perfect for homes of Victorian style or Tudor style homes.

Besides the style, many different colors are available. You can get almost any color or even pattern of colors you want. Along the same lines, you can also choose from different materials, like wood or steel. Some are more durable than others and some require less care and maintenance than others.

You can also choose to have windows added in the doors to really customize and change the look. You really have many choices when it comes to the look of the door you choose.

The last consideration you should make is energy efficiency. Most today come with the option of being energy efficient. If you are concerned about energy loss through the garage then you must look for energy efficiency properties in your new garage door. Try to find a door with good insulating qualities.

Make sure there are weather seals between the door sections. Additionally, look for a bottom seal. If one is not built into the door, then they are simple to add, so keep that in mind.

Buying the right garage door is not too difficult. You just have to know what your needs are and do some shopping around to find the door that is a perfect fit for you and your garage. With all the great options on the market, you can be sure you will find that perfect door.

Garage Doors & Home Security

The garage is an easy entry for unwanted people in our homes making garage security essential to protect yourself and your belongings. They are a popular target for criminals to get into your home and for obvious reasons. Some of our most expensive belongings are placed in there besides your car including bikes, lawnmower and power tools.

There are a few tips that you can use to ensure the safety of your family and home. Make sure that you invest in a good garage door and door opener. Some new openers, like the Liftmaster brand, have automatic locking feature on some models that make it much more difficult for any stranger to open. On a side note, when you have a new garage door opener installed, make sure the combination is reset, as the factory set combination is a familiar one to criminals.

It is important to understand the different security features that garage doors have. Most people aren’t aware how easy it is to simply open up a garage door. If you don’t have a proper garage door lock in place, for example, you will find that most doors are very easy to open.

Always try and look for a good system that will help to give you the best results possible. Finding the right door lock for you is important because it will help you secure your garage. Having a garage door that isn’t properly secured can be an easy opportunity for potential thieves.

Criminals already know that many of us overlook securing the garage door in the same way we bolt our front door. As the door that leads to the house from your garage is an interior door this misleads to thinking that it is secure. This is not the case. If the garage door can be broken into easily then it is equally easy for burglars to get into the house.

A common mistake made by people is to leave the garage door open during the day especially if they think that they will be back in a few minutes. This leaves everything in the garage to be seen by intruders who now know what they can get from there. In some cases, they can even attempt to hide in the normal clutter of a garage and wait for the right moment to run away with your valuables.

Home security is a comprehensive thing that you should take time to analyze. Securing your garage door should be a big part of that.

Garage Door Safety Needs To Be A Priority

Many families use the garage door more than the front door. Armfuls of groceries and the kid’s bikes and toys all go in through the garage door. The potential for an accident is high with so much activity swirling around. That is why garage door safety needs to be a priority in every household.

The first question homeowners need to ask is how old is the garage door and opener? A garage door over 10 years old is due for an inspection by a qualified garage door specialist. The specialist will test the springs for any weakness, inspect the opener, and track system for any signs of wear and tear. The homeowner should never attempt to adjust the springs or tension devices. The components are under a great deal of tension, and serious injury can occur.

As a homeowner, there are tests that can be conducted to test the safety of the garage door. First off, if the garage door does not have a reversing feature it is recommended that the door be replaced. New safety regulations require all new installations have this feature. To test the feature place a block of wood under the door as it closes. The door should bump the wood and immediately reverse its self. This feature prevents anyone from being crushed under the door. If your garage door has reversing sensors, the way to test them is to pass something in front of the sensor as the door closes. The door should immediately reverse itself. These sensors prevent someone from ducking under the door as it closes, preventing personal injury. It is recommended that sensors be installed if the door does not have them. Sensors can be installed after the initial installation.

All garage doors have a manual feature to disengage the door from the tracks if the door opener malfunctions, the door can be disengaged and operated manually. Homeowners can use this feature if they feel there may be a problem with the door opener. The button to operate the garage door from inside the garage should be mounted high enough to prevent small children from operating it. Five foot up from floor level is the recommended height for most situations. Make sure the door opener button is not mounted near steps where children can use the steps to access the button. The button to operate the door should be within sight of the garage door. It is important anyone operating the door is able to see if any pets or children are playing near the door.

To insure garage door safety do not leave the garage door remote where children have access. Many homeowners have a keypad installed doing away with the need for a remote control. Homeowners should properly secure remote controls that are no longer needed.  Homeowners need to remember that the garage door is the biggest door in their home, and many times the most used entrance and exit.

Check the garage door manual to see if the garage door opener has rolling codes. In other words, is the code random every time the garage door is activated? If the code is fixed the code can be captured by certain devices, and used to operate the door. Codes can be changed or upgrade the door opener and or remote control.

Remotes left in a vehicle can be stolen along with the vehicle giving someone access to the home. Homeowners that expect to be away for any extended period should unplug their door opener; this removes any possibility of the door being opened. Make sure your garage door can be locked if the door is manually operated.

Remember safety this summer

Winter and spring lockdown has finally released us from the confines of cool weather. Homeowners are into the swing of summer. We wait all year for good weather summer holidays and travel.

Let’s face it, we all feel a little more relaxed during the summer months. Neighbors come out of hibernation to reacquaint themselves, barbeques are fired up and family get-togethers become common practice. We throw open windows and doors and invite the long awaited summer breeze into our homes. It’s also the time of year when we’re not as vigilant about our home security. Burglars breeze in and out of homes at record levels as well during the summer because of sloppy home security practices.

Unfortunately summer brings with it a relaxed mindset when it comes to home security. Homeowners tend to leave doors unlocked during the summer months more than any other time of year. It’s a time when unsupervised overhead garage doors are left open for extenuating periods of time. You also see more ladders and tools left outside often until summer projects are complete.

We also spend more time in our backyards relaxing in lawn chairs worshipping the sun enjoying quite breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Burglars tend to capitalize on “backyard livers” by breaking into the front of the house, so make sure you have your garage door secured as well as all windows and doors at the front of your home when you’re entertaining in your backyard this summer.

We often don’t have a schedule during the summer months. Daytime family outings are more prevalent and often pop up unexpectedly creating a security risk as well. Homeowners often decide at the last minute to head to the beach or water park with little time given to securing their home. Often in their rush they forget to secure their home properly and may discover a few things missing upon their return.

If you keep your home security radar switched on this summer, you should have a crime free season. So make sure your home’s exterior doors, garage doors and sheds are secured with deadbolts and all valuables are locked up and secured and out of view of windows.

If you take the opportunity away, you can reduce crime tremendously. So keep your wits about you this summer and always keep your home security top of mind.

A door that opens at the touch of a button

At the end of a long day of work, you want to get home as quickly as possible. Imagine how much easier it would be to come home to a door that opens at the touch of a button.

An automatic garage door opener also enhances your home’s safety, providing secure access and lighting to your garage. Lowe’s can help you find the right garage door opener for your unique needs.

When deciding on a garage door opener, there are several factors to take into consideration.

A belt-drive system is the fastest-growing drive type because it’s very quiet in its operation and is the smoothest drive type available. A belt-drive system is as strong as a steel-belted tire and can lift the heaviest garage doors. It’s the perfect choice for replacing a noisy garage door opener and for homes with living space above or adjacent to the garage.

A screw-drive system uses a lifting mechanism that moves along a threaded steel rod. These units are powerful, and they require the least maintenance because they have few moving parts.

A chain-drive system uses a metal chain to lift the door up and down along its tracks. Chain-drive systems are the most common and usually the least expensive, but they sometimes make more noise than screw-drive or belt-drive units.

At least one manufacturer now offers a computer-controlled drive mechanism that uses no chain or screw. Unlike the other three drive systems, the body of this unit sits directly above the door, rather than in the middle of the ceiling. This is particularly helpful in garages that have limited headroom, and it leaves more garage ceiling space open for storage.

Choose a motor with power adequate to lift your door. If you have double doors, look for at least a half horsepower motor. Even on a single door, a larger motor is likely to last longer.

Also look for a unit with soft starting and stopping that operates more quietly, with less wear and tear on the door.

Higher-end openers operate more quickly, reducing the time you have to wait in the driveway. For safety’s sake, the faster-opening models still close at a standard, slower speed.

Federal law mandates that all garage door openers include features that prevent the doors from crushing objects in their paths. In most cases, this is controlled by an electronic beam. When the beam is broken by a person or object, it triggers the safety mechanism, causing the doors to reverse direction.

A computer-controlled system monitors the operating speed of the door and can compensate for changing conditions — such as a door closing too quickly or making contact with an obstruction.

All garage door openers produced today use rolling codes for the greatest security. Each time the door is opened, a new, random code is generated. This prevents code theft and ensures that a neighbor’s remote control will not open your garage.

All models also include a manual release that will allow you to open the door if the power is out. Some higher-end models include a function that opens the door only high enough so the cat or dog can get out. Some garage door openers use a one-button remote, while other models include a remote with two or more buttons that can control multiple openers. Multiple buttons are useful if you have more than one garage bay, each with a separate door.

Some brands even offer mini-remotes that are small enough to fit on a keychain. Doorbell-like buttons or keypads can be mounted to the wall — interior or exterior — near the door to allow it to be opened without a remote. Look for this as an accessory if it does not come as part of the standard opener kit.

Some keypads allow you to lock the door electronically for a specific amount of time, such as when you are going to be away on vacation. Another popular function is delayed closing — a pause between the time the button is pushed and the door is closed. You have plenty of time to exit through the door on foot instead of running through, dodging the lowering door and the electronic beams.

Most openers include a security light that comes on as you activate the system and stays on long enough for you to get out of the car and go into the house. Many remotes include buttons that turn on the light without activating the door.

Childproofing Your Garage Door

Most new parents make the effort to create a safe environment for their children in the house, but often they don’t extend that effort into the garage.

That’s a mistake, because it’s hard to keep kids away from the garage, and what they can find there could very dangerous indeed. Here are some tips to reduce any threats posed to children in your garage.

• Check the sensitivity of the “contact reverse” feature of your electric garage door opener several times per year. Place a 2×4 (wood) flat in the doorway. Close the door with the wall control. If the door does not reverse (that is, start to open) after contacting the 2×4, decrease the “close” force on the opener and try again.
• Make sure the wall control for the garage door opener is installed high enough that it can’t be reached by young children.
• Put a lock on the door from the house to the garage to keep children from wandering into the garage without your knowledge.
• Store toxic and flammable substances (including matches), power tools and sharp hand tools well out of a child’s reach, preferably in a locked cabinet.

Childproofing your home is not that easy. You need to consider countless of things and think of unexpected scenarios that are possible to happen. Since this is your children’s safety involved, you can never be too sure. You should go through extreme lengths to keep them secure and well protected against possible harms such as those found in your garage.

Let the Sun Shine In!

Did you know that it’s easier than you think to transform your existing garage door from bland to beautiful?

Most homeowners don’t give their garage doors a second thought, but just adding a set of windows can change the whole look of the front of your house. If you’re looking for an exterior remodeling project that gives a real bang for a few investment, maybe it’s time to give your local garage door specialist a call.

Here’s a quick overview.

What installation involves:

You don’t have to get an all-new door to enjoy the many benefits of having windows. In most cases, your local garage door dealer simply removes the top section of your door and adds a set of decorative glass panels. There are several designs to choose from: one of which is just right for your house’s unique style.

Why adding windows is a great idea:

1. It greatly enhances the curb appeal of your house: instead of just having a large blank surface that looks like everyone else’s on your block, the door becomes part of your home’s exterior aesthetic. Doors with windows are a lot classier looking than their plain counterparts. If you are trying to sell your home in this tough housing market, every little improvement helps.

2. It adds natural light to your garage’s interior: If you keep a workshop in a corner of your garage, having extra windows is a real bonus. You don’t have to turn on lights during the day every time you enter the room.

3. Plenty of styles to choose from. There are lots of different styles to suit everyone’s tastes.

Concerned about privacy or security? There are various types of glass that are available that can obscure the ability to look thru the glass including tinted or seedie glass. There’s also the options of using double-strength glass or clear Lexan^® for strength and durability. Solar and insulated glass are great options for improved protection against solar heat gain.

If you’re ready to add a touch of class to the front of your home, adding door windows is a simple and cost-effective way to make a real difference. Contact your local licensed and insured dealer and see how easy it is to transform you door from dull to dramatic.

“Take my car, not my garage door!”

Theft statistics are ever present, and no matter how strongly someone feels that it would never happen to them, car theft happens all the time.

It is important that you have your vehicle safely guarded so that it cannot be stolen. Most comprehensive motor insurance policies will stipulate that your vehicle needs to be kept in a locked garage at night in order for the premium to be cheaper.

People may not consider the importance of garage doors, but the fact is that your door will be the number one barrier between your vehicle and a thief. Garage doors can be locked, which is an excellent deterrent for thieves, and is far superior in protecting your vehicle than if you keep it in a covered parking overnight without any walls or doors. Automation is a key component in garage door security. An automatic garage door opener not only adds convenience to your life, but it also increases your safety.

If you can open your garage door without having to exit your vehicle, you are not leaving your vehicle open as an exposed target, and you are also able to ensure there are no suspicious persons lurking nearby. One of the main places where hijackings occur is in a person’s driveway. If you have an automated door, you will be able to ensure your safety.

Another important reason to have a garage door is for aesthetic appeal. This may seem to be a shallow thing to say but it must not be seen as such. A door will make your home look complete and greatly adds to the value of your house. There is something that looks wrong about a garage that does not have a door. Furthermore, the right kind of garage door can make your home look much better!

Installing a Garage Door Lock

Most homes built in or after the 1980s have garages attached to them. Before then, the garage was often a freestanding building. With the arrival of the attached garage, many new conveniences were introduced. The homeowner could park his car close the door and not have to step foot into the sweltering heat of a summer day or the frigid cold of a winter evening. In addition, a connected garage door was mildly climate controlled receiving some of the heat or air conditioning that escaped through the house walls. In return, it provided better insulation for much of the house. However, these garages also introduced a few new problems, the greatest being the security risk.

Because most people viewed a closed garage door as a barrier between their home and the outside world, few worried about locking the interior door that led to the garage. Unfortunately, burglars took advantage of this oversight by breaking and entering through the exterior garage door. Few people understand the ease of breaking into a garage door that does not have a protective locking mechanism. For anyone who has had his home broken into through the garage, the need for a lock is apparent. Luckily, it is an easy do it yourself project, at a minimum cost.

There are two styles of garage door lock that can be installed. The first is a manual system with key and latch prevention. This style of garage door locking requires a manual entry garage door and will not be effective with mechanical garage door openers. It is also the simpler of the two styles to install.

Most hardware stores will carry a manual lock. The most popular style is the Plain T Handle set. To install this a person will need a screwdriver, measuring tape, drill and drill bit of the appropriate diameter. The instructions for the kit will be in the packaging. The first step is to measure out where to drill the holes in the garage door. You will need to find the center of the door and mark it with an “x”. Place the handle over the “x” and pilot two holes through the screw settings where the screws will fasten the handle in place. At this point make sure the lock handle is open parallel to the ground.

Set the screws on the outside and put the washers in place. Two metal arms should be included in the packaging. Place the arms on the screws after the washers, being sure to set the smaller diameter holes facing away from the handle. Place a second washer over those arms and place a nut tightly over the assembly, then place the locking rollers in the garage track and screw the arms into the rollers.

At this point lock the garage handle by twisting it perpendicular to the ground. The rollers should set and be unable to slide. Many door locks have different set ups, so be sure to read the instructions carefully. Still, most garages today incorporate a mechanical garage door security lock. These garage door locks take more time to install but have a few additional benefits.

A full garage door lock kit for mechanical systems will be significantly more work to install, however they can also provide a significantly higher level of security. It is not uncommon to have alarm systems in place with a garage door lock of this style as well as a secondary lockdown mechanism. Some are included in the mechanical opener itself and have manual release systems for when you go on longer vacations, making the door as impregnable as a brick wall.

The garage door: The new ways thieves are getting into homes

The idea of someone breaking into your home and stealing your possessions, or worse, threatening your family, is a terrifying notion.

Unfortunately, over the years, criminals expand their repertoires of techniques to get inside homes. The good news is you can make your home more secure. Thieves are clever, but, armed with the right knowledge you can be smarter than they are.

Your garage is filled with valuable items, and for those who have attached garages it’s a gateway to the rest of your home, so it’s important to protect it as well. Garage doors are increasingly a target of burglars who have devised many ways of getting in. One technique involves inserting a wedge at the top of garage doors that have glass that allows them to see inside. Through the opening created by the wedge, a thief can use a wire (even something as rudimentary as a straightened coat hanger will work) to pull the emergency release on the door. It can take as little as a few seconds to disable the garage door and get in.

While it’s difficult to guard against every deviously creative thought that burglars have, putting a little time and energy into protecting your home will go a long way. You don’t need to spend much to get a big benefit, either. In addition to steps like installing motion-sensing lights around doors and putting locks on windows, it’s possible to have a home alarm system installed by one of the top alarm monitoring companies. Some security companies are even offering a free wireless security system, worth $850, with the purchase of an alarm monitoring package and a nominal installation fee.

Home security systems are one of the most effective tools you can have in your deterrence arsenal. If a burglar sees a sign outside your home that indicates that you have alarm system monitoring, he will be more likely to move on to an easier target. If he doesn’t see the sign and gets into your home, an alarm system will make him leave faster. After the system is in place, you’ll just need to pay for monitoring – a small cost when weighed against the damage that could be done by a burglar.