It’s safe to say that we often end up taking our home’s doors for granted: whether it’s the front door or the garage door, during the rush to get to work in the morning, all you want to do is get out of the house and get on the road. Similarly, at the end of the day, all you want to do is drive your car into the garage and get in out of the weather. Because of this, it’s easy to overlook the different ways that our homes benefit from our garage doors.

GARAGE DOORS AND HOME SECURITY

This is the garage door’s function at its most basic. Like any other door, it provides access to the entrances and exits of our homes. Our cars are an important part of our daily lives, and it makes sense to make sure they are properly secured. Garage doors provide a safe haven not only for our cars, but also for everyone who lives in the house, serving to keep out the unwanted.

GARAGE DOORS AND AESTHETICS

Garage doors generally cover a large area. Because of this, they contribute a great deal to your home’s aesthetic and curb appeal. This can be both positive and negative: an ill-maintained, or badly-designed garage door can be an eyesore that detracts from your home’s overall look and feel. Conversely, a garage door that fits and harmonizes with your home can improve your home’s look greatly.

PART I: YOUR GARAGE DOOR AND YOU

GARAGE DOORS AND HOME VALUE

Garage doors consistently score in the top of Remodeling Magazine’s yearly Cost vs Value report, with returns of over 80% of the garage door’s value on a home’s resale. You might not be in the market to sell your home, but it’s good to know that any improvements you might make on your garage door will carry over in the event that you do end up putting your home on the market.

Just as your front door can come in many styles and types, there’s a garage door out there that’s just perfect for you. More on this in part II.

PART I: YOUR GARAGE DOOR AND YOU

While the style and look of your garage door contributes greatly to your home’s aesthetics, how the garage door works is just as important, if not more so. Form and function go hand in hand; with the many visual styles available for garage doors, the choice of which garage door to buy often falls on what kind of mechanism the garage door uses.

Garage doors by mechanism fall into one of four types: they either swing outwards, like a barn door, swing up on a hinge, roll up into the ceiling on a track, or slide sideways on a rail.

SECTIONAL ROLL-UP DOORS

A sectional roll-up door typically consists of four or more horizontal sections that provide the basic structure of the door. These sections slide on a track up into a retracted position overhead inside the garage eliminating the need for clearance when opening the door. Because of the ease with which these doors can be motorized, automated, and made to work with a remote door opener, they remain the most popular garage door choice in America.

SWING-OUT CARRIAGE-STYLE DOORS

These types of garage doors swing outwards from the garage on a hinge, much like the doors of a barn do, and can come in single- or double-door designs. While this type of door requires a clear area beyond the garage to operate properly, they are nevertheless a popular choice for their look and aesthetic appeal, and are available in many styles to suit just about any home.

PART 2: GARAGE DOOR MECHANISMS: WHAT’S IN A GARAGE DOOR?

TILT-UP GARAGE DOORS

Tilt-up doors swing up from the garage opening on a pivoting hinge. Though commonly made from steel, tilt-up doors made from fiberglass are a popular choice due to the light weight of the material and the ease with which such a door can be operated. Tilt-up doors come in two main types: tilt-up canopy doors, where part of the door juts out from the garage when the door is open, forming a canopy of sorts; and tilt-up retractable doors, where the door slides all the way into the garage’s overhead area, eliminating the need for clearance in front of the door.

SLIDING GARAGE DOORS

Possibly the least common type of garage door in the United States, sliding garage doors open by sliding sideways on a track or rail. This rail can be located at the bottom, much like sliding doors in a home, or the door can hang from an overhead rail. Because the doors are typically mounted on the exterior of the garage, they tend to accumulate dust and debris, and require regular maintenance to operate properly.

If you want to get the most out of your garage doors, it’s important to keep them operating properly. More on this in Part III.

PART 2: GARAGE DOOR MECHANISMS: WHAT’S IN A GARAGE DOOR?

Like any other gadget or appliance, your garage door requires regular maintenance to keep working properly. Failing to provide the proper maintenance is may result in a malfunctioning door. If you can’t quite find the time, then you should call a professional to perform routine maintenance.

MAINTENANCE TIPS

These tests should be several times a year, and are recommended to be done in the order listed.

Visual inspection – stand inside the garage with the door closed and check the door mechanisms for damage and signs of wear. Pay special attention to the door springs, cables, rollers, pulleys, and mounting hardware. Inspect cables for signs of wear or fraying. Check the mountings to see if they’re coming loose. If anything seems off or doesn’t quite look right, contact a qualified technician immediately.

Balance test – close the door and disconnect any automated door mechanism you might have and attempt to open the door manually. Check that the door lifts easily and opens smoothly with little resistance, and that it is capable of remaining fully open. Any difficulty opening the door, or having the door stay open, may indicate a door balance problem and a qualified technician should be contacted.

PART 3: MAINTENANCE: KEEPING YOUR GARAGE DOORS ROLLING

AUTOMATED MECHANISM MAINTENANCE

After the visual inspection and the balance test, if your door has an automated opening system, the following tests should be done.

Reversing mechanism test – with the door fully open, place a small piece of wood, such as a 2x4, or some other similar item where the door would normally come in contact with the floor, and then activate the mechanism to close the door. If the door mechanism does not automatically reverse on contact with the wood, the door should be serviced.

Photo eye test – open the door and trigger the mechanism to close it. As it is closing, wave a long item, such as a broomstick, in front of one of the photo eyes. If the door does not reverse, clean the eyes and try again. If the door still closes, the door will require servicing.

Force setting test – open the door and trigger the mechanism to close it. While it is closing, hold up the bottom of the door with your hands stiff and outstretched. If the door continues to close, let go immediately and contact a technician; the door is closing with excessive force.

PART 3: MAINTENANCE: KEEPING YOUR GARAGE DOORS ROLLING

Automatic GarageDoor Company

8648 State Route 14 Streetsboro,OH 44241

(330) 626-3311

AutomaticGarageDoorCompany.com