Garage Door RepairElectric Garage Doors Repair | Garage Door Springs Replace

The garage door opener is often taken for granted but is one invention that most of us couldn't live without.  Being able to open the door without getting out of the car is a godsend on those freezing winter mornings!  It's also much safer to drive back in at night without having to get out of the car.  That way you are not at risk of a criminal attacking you or trying to jack the car.  Of all the different garage door parts that belong to your garage, the silly door opener is starting to look even better now, isn't it?

There are three basic types of garage door openers on the market today.  The screw-drive system is powerful and requires the least maintenance due to having fewer moving parts.  A chain-drive system is a little more complicated but are the most common type used.  These are the least expensive but they do tend to make more noise.  The third system we're just starting to see is the computer-controlled drive that doesn't have the mechanical pieces, making it smaller and quieter.

When deciding what type of garage door opener is best for you, keep in mind that the higher end models tend to be smoother operating and open quite a bit faster than those on the lower end.  They won't close faster, however, as federal law regulates closing speed as a safety measure.  Another safety measure required by law is that if the door hits something on the way down, it will stop and go back up.  Also, if a person or object is in the path of the door closing, it will also reverse automatically and retract itself. This last feature works well and  is due to garage door sensors being installed that will identify anything in the way.  A beam of light shines between two sensors and if something breaks that transmit and receive signal, the sensor trips a notification to the garage door opener to not allow it to close.  Its a great idea for pets, children, or even those of us who move a little slower than others

The best way to learn more about the various types of garage door openers and which would work best for your garage is to go online and read up on them.  Simply do a search and you will find several manufacturers' and specialty websites with more information.

If you need additional security for the doors on your premises then exterior metal doors are probably the best solution. If the existing doors are timber type without any glazing you could probably up grade. This would involve placing extra locks on the doors. The frame is usually the weakest point with a timber door. More often than most, the frame will break first if forced. So in addition to the extra locks you will need to strengthen the frame. This can be achieved by fixing a steel strip on the inside of the frame in front of the lock keepers. The strip should be bolted right through the frame and held with anti tamper bolts. In addition to this “dog” bolts should be fitted to the hinge side of the door. Dog bolts are small, steel stubs, about ¾” long that will protrude into receivers in the frame when the door is closed. These will prevent an attacker having a go at the hinged side of the door. 

If upgrading the existing door will not meet the new security needs, then replacing the existing door and frame with a new security door set is the best solution. These doors are constructed with a steel inner frame and wrapped in a steel sheet. The joints of the steel sheet are either welded or folded. The whole unit is hot dipped galvanised to protect against corrosion. The door frame is also made from folded steel and is security fixed into the structural opening at a minimum of 8 points. These doors are quite heavy about 40 – 50 kg/m² so it is vitally important the surrounding walls are strong enough to carry the load.  

The door core can be solid wood for additional security or another filling such as honeycomb material making the door lighter. 

Vision panels are possible in a security type door. This consists of many layers of laminated glass held in position by a purpose made steel surround frame and bolted straight through the door using anti tamper bolts. 

Obviously, with a security door the locking system is very important. Multi point locking will make the door very secure. These systems will lock the door along the leading edge of the door and in addition, shooting bolts will project from the top and bottom of the door, engaging with the frame. Dog bolts on the hinged side will also be necessary.

With the rise of home ownership not only in the United States but also in the rest of the world, most homes now find themselves with garage doors which are either manually opened or remotely operated. When we talk of garage doors, most people visualize automatic garage doors which are almost in most cases other famous overhead garage door type of doors. Today, there is a shift to garage doors that are more automatic in nature largely due to their convenience and safety. What makes these garage doors convenient is the fact that the doors can be operated remotely operated by a device that can either sit in the car or be handled by someone in the security of your vehicle.

The technology to achieve this is pretty simple and has been in use elsewhere especially in our homes. When a car approaches the garage door, the drive, who is presumed to be the homeowner, pushes a button either inside the car or on a keyring device and the garage door automatically opens. This device can even be disabled and the owner can get out his or her car and open the garage door manually.

Automatic garage doors extremely convenient. Imagine coming home in pouring rain and have to get out of the car and get yourself soaking wet when opening the garage door. This is also applies to extreme cold or heat or when you have small children and do not want to open the car door while it is raining.

Garage doors are also ideal when you have to carry heavy items into the house. It can get extremely discomforting when you come home and you want to carry something heavy into the house but you have to set it down in order to fumble with the garage door. If there is a remote controlled garage door then there is the added convenience of simply opening it and carrying the item in.

While remote-controlled garage door openers have great advantages, there are some notable downsides especially with a garage door opener. The garage door opener is battery-controlled and therefore will not work if the battery power is low or dead. Another downside is when your remote-controlled garage door is very close to that of your neighbor, the garage door opener can activate both garage doors inadvertently.

But all in all garage doors another great safety feature. A good garage door should possess an automatic stop feature built in it. This acts as a safety measure to stop the automatic garage doors from coming down on top of the automobile, or on someone especially a toddler. Some newer garage doors even have a panic stop button that prevents further damage to vehicles or other objects obstructing the path of the garage door in the event that the garage door comes down when there is an object in its path.

Its add overall safety and security to the entire home and also protect the cars against adverse weather and even burglary. Garage doors as well as garage floor ideas come in many colors, patterns, and textures so the options to find just what you want are really numerous.