Enhancing Home Security with Modern Garage Doors
When addressing security, most homeowners think of their doors and windows, overlooking the importance of their garage door. If your property currently has an outdated garage door system or lacks modern features, you can make various upgrades to combat unauthorized access and keep your home safer.
Garage door security is crucial — in addition to basic safety tips, like not sharing your keypad code and ensuring the system shuts fully before driving away, advanced technologies can supercharge your property and add greater protection for your family.
Following a few home security tips and making some garage door enhancements can help you increase safety and achieve greater peace of mind.
1. Upgrading Your Locking Mechanism
The locking mechanism is crucial to your garage door’s overall security. Advanced options, like smart locks, are a convenient option that works with your mobile phone or smart home system. You can get greater control over who can access your home through the garage and several mobile credentials rather than needing traditional keys or codes.
Automatic deadbolts can also enhance home security by immediately engaging when your garage door closes, so your family won’t have to worry about whether they remembered to lock it when coming or going. These solutions are resistant to forced entry and stronger than standard locks.
Another great option is an electronic keypad that leverages rolling codes. These systems regularly generate new security codes, so your household is not reusing the same numbers or letters, making it easy for unwanted personnel to guess or steal. Instead, the system works with your smart device to activate the garage door with a unique access code every time you open the door.
You can always consult a garage door expert to determine which locking mechanisms are best for your home.
2. Installing Security Cameras
Installing security cameras around your garage door is a great way to deter crime and enhance property surveillance. A camera system can proactively alert you of trespassers, help you take action quickly during an attempted break-in, capture valuable visual evidence and make you feel safer in your home.
Some features to look for when buying security cameras for your garage door include:
- High-definition images and videos to make it easier to identify vehicles and images involved in security incidents.
- Night vision to capture clear and detailed video and images even in insufficient lighting.
- Two-way audio to allow communication with anyone in the immediate area.
- Weather resistance to allow installation outside the garage.
- Cloud storage to facilitate offsite storage of large video and audio files.
- Wide area coverage to ensure more comprehensive footage of your garage door entrance and the surrounding areas.
You can also upgrade to a smart garage door opener with a camera to capture activity in and out of the garage.
3. Utilizing Motion Sensors
Automatic garage door motion sensors can detect movement around your garage and send instant alerts to your phone.
Some motion sensors also trigger an alarm or lights if an intruder comes near the garage door, helping deter crime. The best motion detection sensors come with adjustable sensitivity to prevent false alarms. Some models integrate with your property’s security systems, seamlessly sending alerts to your smart device and helping you monitor activity with greater precision.
In addition to deterring criminals, motion detection lighting can also provide illumination to help your family see in the dark, combating potential tripping hazards and preventing accidents.
4. Integrating Smart Garage Door Openers
Replacing your traditional openers with modern garage door openers enhances your home’s security with numerous features. Smart garage door openers allow you to monitor and control your garage doors remotely from your tablet or smartphone. They also provide you with real time alerts in case your door opens unexpectedly, and you can open and close it from anywhere.
The advanced control system grants customized access permission to family members, friends or service providers. They often offer detailed activity logs for advanced monitoring. Modern garage door openers easily integrate with other smart home systems, like door locks, security cameras, home lights and smoke detectors. Get more convenience and control by getting a smart garage door opener that’s compatible with voice assistants like Alexa, Amazon or Apple Homekit.
You can reap many benefits from a smart garage door opener from LiftMaster® with additional security features like battery backups, Wi-Fi compatibility, cameras and LED lighting.
5. Investing in a Battery Backup
Power outages can be a significant security threat, especially if you have a smart home system. It leaves your home vulnerable to intruders and burglars whenever the electricity is out. It can also make entering and exiting your garage complicated.
Some garage door openers come with a battery backup feature that ensures you can operate your garage door even during power outages. Battery backups can help your family open and close the door manually or automatically.
Advanced options, such as the LiftMaster® backup batteries for garage door openers, typically last for dozens of cycles before requiring recharging. They provide greater convenience and reliability by allowing access to your garage during emergencies like blackouts.
6. Upgrading Your Garage Door
Another leading way to enhance home security is to upgrade your garage door with a modern option. Choose a door made using superior materials to enhance durability and reliability.
Today’s top garage doors are made using sturdy materials like high-quality aluminum, reinforced steel and premium fiberglass. The strong frames and hardware make it more difficult to breach and force entry into your door. They’re also less susceptible to damage and corrosion.
Garage door upgrades can also improve the comfort and safety inside your garage. Insulated options can drive energy efficiency and help maintain optimal indoor temperatures all year round — this can help reduce monthly utility bills and boost long-term savings.
Get High-Quality Garage Door Products and Services from Whitby Garage Doors
Whitby Garage Doors is a full-service garage door company located in Whitby, Ontario. We are a top choice for homeowners and businesses in the surrounding regions because we prioritize quality. Our team can help you find the right garage door and opener for your space, enhancing home security and giving your family greater peace of mind.
We partner with leading manufacturers to provide our clients with lasting and reliable garage door solutions. You can count on us for upgrades, accessories, installation, service and repairs to help you maintain secure garage doors. We specialize in modern solutions and are a proud Clopay® and LiftMaster® authorized dealer.
Contact us today to learn more about our quality garage door solutions, or get started today by requesting a new door estimate.
5 Ways to Spot Garage Door Scams
Whether you’re dealing with a broken garage door or you’ve just had a so-called repair person show up on your doorstep offering free estimates, you should always be alert to scams in this industry. Unfortunately, scams are common because the garage door installation industry is unregulated. Anyone can claim they have the experience and training necessary to work on your garage door — even if they don’t actually have it. Sometimes, scammers even have professional-looking websites and vehicles, making it harder to spot the lie.
The more you’re aware of common tactics and techniques used on unsuspecting homeowners, the easier it will be to avoid garage door scams. Check out five of the most common types of garage door scams.
1. Generic Companies
A trustworthy garage door company will clearly and consistently promote its name and brand. Most legitimate garage door businesses have branded vehicles, clothing and paperwork so that you can easily identify them. Scammers may use generic business names and not have a website or physical address. Their communication style may also be generic and inconsistent.
Even if a company’s truck and website look good, be sure to check that the business branding is consistent throughout all its materials and communications. Some scammers could create a realistic appearance, but upon closer inspection, you may find their website missing key information like customer reviews and a secure payment process. You might not even be able to find them on online directories like the HomeStars.
2. Low Estimates
While garage door installation and repair prices vary, an extremely low quote should raise a red flag. Quality garage doors and professional installation cost a certain amount. If you get an estimate that is significantly lower than industry averages, you’ll want to do some research into the company and whether they are legitimate.
You’ll especially want to be on guard if the company requests fees and payments upfront before actually inspecting your door or providing a repair service.
3. Lifetime Guarantees
Some scammers may offer promising benefits like a lifetime guarantee. This may sound great, but scammers could use low-quality parts that aren’t meant to last. Scammers will do this so that you’ll have to call them out for a repair not long after your new parts or garage door has been installed.
Then, when you reach out for replacement parts, they’ll bring more low-quality parts and charge an extensive labour or installation fee that wasn’t listed in the fine print. This is their way of ensuring you have to call them several times throughout the life span of your garage door.
4. Rebuild or Hardware Schemes
This is one of the most common garage door repair scams. When a professional comes out for maintenance or repair work, they’ll inform you that other parts of your garage door system need to be repaired or replaced. Your technician may falsely explain that other elements, ranging from springs, tracks, and brackets to the entire door, are either broken or damaged beyond repair, which will drive up the original service estimate. There may also be additional installation charges added to your bill that you weren’t expecting.
What you originally thought would be a quick and simple issue then turns into an extensive — and expensive — repair job.
At Whitby Garage Doors, we only suggest the parts that need to be replaced and provide a quote before doing any of the work. We will also recommend parts that could prolong the life of your garage door to save on future service visits.
5. Unidentified or Not Local to Your Community
If a technician shows up at your doorstep and doesn’t share many details about their company or experience, you should be a little suspicious. Some scams involve sending out unidentified independent contractors who may not have any license or in-depth experience installing and repairing garage doors. Because they are unidentified, you might not be able to reach them if you have any questions or experience any issues.
Additionally, if a garage door company tells you their office is far away from where you live — say you live in Whitby, and they claim to have an office in Barrie — you’ll want to think twice. The company you work with should have a relatively close office that you can visit. Most legitimate companies will have a limited service area in their community so they can promptly respond and meet homeowner needs.
How to Avoid a Garage Door Scam
While garage door scams can happen anywhere and to anyone, there are several things you can do to avoid falling victim to one:
- Research the technician and company: If someone shows up without branded clothing or an identifiable vehicle, think twice before you trust what they say. Take the time to thoroughly research the garage door company. Check to see if they have a website, address, phone number and social media accounts. See if you can find any reviews or customer feedback on their website or on the HomeStars. You can also research their name followed by words like “complaint” or “scam” to see if anything comes up on Google.
- Get a second opinion: If you get a price that seems too good to be true — or a list of extensive repairs — then get a second opinion from another company. You may find that your original estimate is hiding some fees or that you really don’t need as much repair work as the technician claimed.
- Request your repair estimate and guarantees in writing: When you have key communication in writing, you’ll have proof if the company ever tries to make unexpected changes. You’ll also be able to read through any fine print before you authorize their work.
- Ask for recommendations: Your friends and family members can be a great resource for finding reputable garage door companies in your area. At some point, they most likely have had a technician come out to repair or install a garage door. Asking them for recommendations can help you avoid scammers.
How to Report a Garage Door Scam
If you’ve recently experienced a garage door scam or a suspected scammer has shown up at your doorstep, you can report the individual or company to prevent others from falling victim. While the industry is unregulated, a scammer could face criminal charges for what they’ve done.
You can report the incident to your local authorities and use the BBB Scam Tracker. This free tool is designed to collect suspected scams and warn others so they don’t experience the same repair scam or fraudulent activity.
Contact Whitby Garage Doors for Reliable Garage Door Service
If you sense that something doesn’t seem right about a garage door company, your suspicions should encourage you to double-check their legitimacy. If you’re a homeowner in the Whitby, Ontario, area, you can turn to Whitby Garage Doors. As a proud authorized dealer of Clopay® and LiftMaster® products, we specialize in high-quality garage door services.
Since our founding in 1988, we’ve served our community with same-day service and competitive prices. Contact us today to request a quote or schedule a service.
Best Ways to Select Garage Door Colours
Choosing a colour for your garage door is an excellent opportunity to enhance your property’s curb appeal. This selection process can be exciting for new homeowners and those who are replacing their current garage doors and looking for ways to increase their property’s visual aesthetics.
With an endless selection of colours, you may wonder how to select the correct tones for your garage door. What colour you should paint your garage door depends on the exterior colour of your home, the roof, front door and shutters. Consider the following tips to find the best colour palette for your garage door.
Consider Your Home’s Exterior Colours
If you want your garage door to enhance your home’s exterior, consider choosing a colour that coordinates with other outdoor elements. Depending on your home’s colour palette, you can begin exploring the colour wheel to pick potential matches that fit your visual aesthetic.
As you browse your options, think of your garage door as a blank canvas to create more vibrant colours for the rest of your home. For this reason, your garage door should rarely contain brighter colours than your home’s exterior unless your house is white or black.
Consider the following garage door colours based on your current exterior tone.
- White or black: These classic colours allow you to explore a more comprehensive selection. If you want an elegant or minimalistic style for your home, black, white, gray and brown garage doors are the best choice. Yellow and orange garage doors can provide a cozy ambiance to your home. Rustic reds and browns can add warm tones to your exterior if you live in a sunnier climate. For a vibrant finish to your home, green, blue and purple can provide bright elements to your exterior.
- Warm tones: If your home’s exterior has warm tones — red, orange, yellow, beige or brown — you have a few selections to make your house stand out. Stay consistent with your current exterior hues by painting your garage door light or dark brown, tan or white. You can also play it safe by achieving a monochromatic look, where your garage door and exterior elements share the same colour. This simple choice creates a consistent design throughout your house.
- Cool tones: If your home’s exterior has cool tones — blue, green or gray — you have a few options for enhancing these calming colours. Cool tones match neutral and other relaxing colours best. Most homeowners choose black, white, faded blue, light green, gray or a subtle beige colour for their garage doors.
- Brick and stone: Since brick and stone exteriors include orange, brown and red hues, we advise sticking to neutral colours for your garage doors. Brick and stone use gorgeous colours and textures to bring your home to life. With this added personality, neutral colours such as white, gray or beige can make your exterior stand out even more. Brick or stone houses with black garage doors are a sophisticated choice for those who enjoy a luxurious spin on their home’s style.
Top Trending Garage Door Colours
In recent years, homeowners have begun exploring earth tones for their homes to create a balance between the surrounding nature and their exterior colours. This colour palette provides a modern twist on early 1970s home decor that captures that classic, calm ambiance.
You can incorporate earth tones — faded brown, green, yellow, gray, beige or pink — into your home’s exterior by using one of these colours as a base for your garage door. These tones pair well with muted colours or white sidings, so your home can capture a relaxing feel from the colour palette alone.
Another trend that takes on the opposite effect of earth tones is using minimalistic, vibrant colours. This look uses neutral shades such as white, gray or black and adds a hint of rich colour to the garage door trim to gain subtle visual appeal without the colours taking over the entire exterior. If you enjoy having your home stand out, consider using bright purple, blue, orange, red or green around your garage door’s trim or windows.
Understanding the Ambiance You Want for Your Home
With a simple paint job on your garage door, you can completely transform your home’s style to fit your visual aesthetic. If you currently reside in a colonial, coastal, farmhouse, Cape Cod, Mediterranean or traditional-style home, your choice of garage door colours can either enhance the current aesthetic or change the feel of the house.
- Sophisticated colours: To create a refined aesthetic for your home’s exterior, consider painting your garage door black, white, brown or gray. These neutral, bold tones create an unmistakable modern elegance for your property.
- Relaxed colours: If you incorporate calming shades in your home’s exterior, you can paint your garage door faded colours that you would see in nature. Blues, greens, yellows and oranges match the sky and plants, creating a relaxing atmosphere for you and your neighbors to admire.
- Bold colours: If you like to stand out among the rest, bold colours are your go-to style choice for your garage door. You can benefit from bright hues of any rainbow colour to create higher energy for your home’s exterior. Many homeowners choose a vibrant red, green or blue to match their siding.
Modern Garage Styles
In the past few years, homeowners have begun admiring modern takes on their homes’ exteriors. Contemporary styles consist of neutral colours like beige, black, white and brown, paired with sleek finishes to make the property stand out. With this aesthetic, less is more. When painting your garage door, you can even experiment with negative space to enhance specific design elements of your home’s exterior for an artistic approach. To accomplish this, you can install black garage doors.
Homes with black garage doors are becoming increasingly popular among those who strive to achieve a modern-style property. Modern-style homes also use clean lines and faux natural materials as design elements to create a consistent minimalistic, sleek look.
You can choose a modern wood or steel garage door with unique gray, brown, white and black colours to create a stylish finish for your home’s exterior. This simple choice is ideal for homeowners who embrace modern minimalist aesthetics for a timeless ambiance.
Browse Whitby Garage Doors
Let Whitby Garage Doors lend you a hand if you are still asking yourself what colour you should paint your garage door. With the largest selection of residential garage doors in the Whitby, Ontario, area, you can rest assured that you can find the right colour and materials to make your house stand out.
To see our selection of garage door colours, visit our in-person showrooms, where you can explore numerous options to fit your vision. Our expert staff can offer professional opinions to find the right door to fit your home’s needs. We can work with you through our free estimate services to meet your budget and styling preferences as closely as possible.
Call us today at 905-665-8668 with questions, or contact us through our online form to visit our showrooms.
Here’s How to Avoid Garage Door Repairs
Let’s see. It is huge, heavy and it moves completely out of the way, every day, twice. But when’s the last time you had garage door repairs? Chances are you either have never needed to repair your garage door, or you can’t remember the last time you did.
But that doesn’t mean that you won’t ever need a door repair. Very often, the door should be fixed, but we go on living with it as it is. Maybe it doesn’t quite close all the way, or it wakes up the neighbors every time you use it.
In any case, there are ways for you to keep your garage door working the way you expect it to work for a very long time.
1. Keep Stuff Away from the Door
One of the best ways to increase your chances of having to get your garage door fixed is to store things inside your garage right next to the door.
It’s a spot that can seem clear and handy, but the cables used to support the door and keep it level need the space to operate. When you store something in the space near the cables, they can end up being stretched, or even disconnect or snap. Now you’ve done it.
2. Look & Listen
One of the best ways to ward off repairs is to simply look at and listen to the door as it opens and closes. Any unusual noises or during operation can mean a repair is in the near future. Every now and then, disconnect your garage door opener and try to open the door manually (please don’t strain yourself). If you can’t manage to move the door, or it’s overly difficult, you should find out why.
3. Put ‘Garage Door Maintenance’ on Your To-Do List
Instead of checking your garage for signs of repair just one time after reading this post, put ‘inspect the garage door’ on your to-do list at least once a year.
Don’t Do DIY Repairs
Your garage door is very heavy, it is under tension to make it easy to operate and it can severely harm you. Leave your garage door repairs to professionals. Call us at 905-665-8668 for safe and reliable garage door repairs.
Why A Cheap Garage Door Won’t Offer Much Value
We all want the best deal, even when it comes to getting a new garage door. But, using the lowest price to choose a new garage door as the only way to determine the best deal can backfire. This doesn’t mean you can’t get a good garage door at low prices. In fact, most of the great garage door brands we represent here at Whitby Garage Doors offer good, low-priced, entry-level doors.
The Lifetime Value of a New Garage Door
Homeowners looking for the absolute lowest price on a new garage door often don’t look at one crucial factor of the total cost. Sure, if they spend less on the door, they save money on the initial cost.
But what about the costs incurred later on. Garage doors have a number of costs associated with them. In many cases, a better quality garage door will mean those later costs can be lower. In other words, the lifetime value, or overall cost of ownership, of a better quality garage door can be lower than for a lower quality door.
Here are just a few ways that can happen:
1. The Energy Efficiency of Your Home
Many lower-priced doors don’t have insulation. If your garage is attached to your home, poor garage insulation can affect the energy efficiency of the entire house. So that lower-priced door can cost you more in heating and air conditioning costs for the entire time you own the door.
2. A Dirtier, Noisier garage
An insulated door doesn’t just keep out heat and cold. It’s better at preventing pollution, debris and even noise from getting into the garage. With many garages serving as storage spaces, it means anything you keep in your garage will be dirtier and more difficult to clean. And, with more people using their garages for working or living space, quieter is better.
3. Greater Durability
One more thing that insulation does beyond insulating is it helps support the structure of the door. That added stability, coupled with better materials and construction of a higher-quality door, means it will be more likely to last longer than a less expensive door. So you won’t have to spend money on another new door as soon.
Whatever type of garage door you would like to install, contact us here at Whitby Garage Doors, we have the one you’re looking for.
Why Check Out the Gallery on a Garage Door Website
If you’re in the market for a new garage door, you’ll probably be visiting more than a few garage door websites.
While websites are basically online advertisements for a business, you can still tell a lot about a company from them. One quick way to get a bit of real background is to look for ‘credibility symbols’. These are logos of industry associations or awards from review sites like Homestars. If they are authentic, they can and some measure of credibility to a company you haven’t dealt with before, or even heard of. You can simply visit the sites or call the associations that the logos represent to verify if the company is indeed associated with them or if they were the award recipients they claim to be.
A company blog is another way to find out a lot about a company. But, again, you need to have a way to verify what you see. Just the existence of a blog is not enough to confirm that this is a good garage door company to work with.
Take a look at what they blog about. If they have posts with titles like “How to Spot the Best Garage Door Companies”, the information might be useful. But you can bet that the company that wrote the post fits all the criteria for being a great garage door company according to what’s written in the post.
How to Use the Website’s Photo Gallery to Spot a Good Garage Door Company
Not every garage door installer’s website will have a photo gallery. But if it does make sure you visit the page and look for the following:
1. Professional Photography
If every photo in the gallery looks like it could be in an architectural magazine, with perfect lighting and what looks like a custom-designed home, beware. You’re probably going to choose a local garage door installer, so the houses and doors should look familiar. And don’t be afraid to ask the company where the homes are in the photograph.
2. Variety of Doors
So you establish that the photos are of actual installations the company has done. But if they all look annoyingly the same, with maybe a few different colours on similar designs, then that’s another reason to be aware. It means the company may have a deal with a single supplier, even for a single model of a door, and your options will be limited.
3. Look for How the Door Affects the Curb Appeal of the Home
Every new garage door will look good. But does it fit with and even enhance the overall curb appeal of the home. If you can’t tell from the photos, ask the garage door company for a list of their installations that are near your home and take a look yourself. A good garage door installer will be more likely to look for and recommend a certain style or type of door that will not only look great on your home but fit your needs too.
You could just skip the whole website and gallery thing and take our word for it. We are the best garage door installation company in Whitby! Contact us online or call 905-665-8668 today.
5 Ways to Get Your Garage Door Ready for Winter
As we write this post, new record high temperatures are being set for Whitby and the GTA in early September. The long range forecast doesn’t show any daytime temperatures below 20 degrees. It feels more like June than September.
But September it undeniably is. The beginning of autumn and cooler temperatures. The precursor to winter.
It may not seem like a time to prepare anything for the onslaught of ice and snow, but it’s better to prepare your garage door for winter now than when the ice and snow actually arrive.
5 Steps to Prepare Your Garage Door for Winter
The last thing you need is for your garage door to stop working at the height of a blizzard. The following steps will help keep it in peak working condition throughout the winter.
1. Check the Operation of the Door
This one’s easy, unless there’s a problem. Whether it’s manual or you have a garage door opener, open and close the door. As you do check to make sure it moves up and down evenly, with it’s bottom edge remaining parallel to the garage floor. Also listen for unusual squeaks and sounds, particularly grinding noises from your garage door opener.
2. Tighten Connections
The panels of your garage door are connected to each other by bolted hinges. And the door is connected to it’s tracks through the rollers on each side. Check and tighten all bolts in these connections.
3. Lubricate the Weather Seals
The rubber seals between each panel, along the bottom of the door and around the door frame should be lubricated to keep them from sticking, freezing together and cracking.
4. Lubricate Moving Metal Parts
The garage door’s hinges, cables, springs and rollers should all be lubricated to keep them running smoothly.
5. Test the Safety Systems
You should do this at least twice a year and the autumn is as good a time as any. If you have a garage door opener, it has two safety systems. One will reverse the door if the door strikes anything as it closes. The other will reverse the door if anything crosses its path while it is closing.
To test the first safety system, place a 2X4 on the garage floor where the door meets the floor. Close the door. It should stop and reverse when it hits the 2X4. To test the second system, use a stick to push an empty cardboard box into the path of the door as it closes, while you remain well away from the door’s path. The door should stop and reverse as the cardboard box moves between the two photo eyes on either side of the door opening.
To learn more about keeping your garage door and opener it tip-top working condition, call Whitby Garage Doors at 905-665-8668.
3 Questions About Garage Doors that We Hear a Lot
Is there anything you’d like to know about your garage door? Really, we mean anything. We love to answer questions about garage doors.
But, if you can’t think of anything off the top of your head, we understand. The interesting thing is that most homeowners don’t give a second thought to their door. It opens and closes on demand, every day, week after week, year in, year out, no matter the season. And you don’t get that kind of faithful, predictable outcome from everything in your life! So you have more important things to worry about.
Until you garage door stops working. Or it makes a loud noise when it does. Or it closes on one side and not the other.
Then, suddenly, the garage door is on your mind in a big way – especially if you can’t get your car out, or close the door after you leave.
When problems happen with a garage door, that’s when we get all the questions we like to answer. In case you’re in the market for a new garage door, here are few questions we hear very often, and their answers.
1. Can my door be repaired or do I need a new one?
Of course, we’ll need to take a look to find out the exact problem before we can say what the best solution would be. But, if your door isn’t opening and closing smoothly, or if it does so unevenly, it’s usually a problem with the door’s spring, which balances to door to make it easy to open and close, even by hand. Springs can usually be repaired or replaced without installing a new door.
2. Can I paint the door?
Garage doors form a large part of the look of your home, so keeping them looking good keeps your home looking good too. Yes, you can paint your door and, in the case of wooden doors, you can refinish them. But garage doors can be made of steel, aluminum, fibreglass, vinyl or wood, so you’ll need to use the best painting practices for whatever material your door is made of.
3. What’s the strongest material for garage doors?
Heavy-duty, 24-gauge steel garage doors are the strongest that are commonly available. Wood composite doors are also very strong, followed by wood fibreglass and aluminum doors. One way to strengthen an older door is to insulate it.
OK. That was fun, wasn’t it?! If you have any other questions that we can answer, please get in touch with us here at Whitby Garage Doors – we have answers.
What Makes Up Your Garage Door Support System?
Sounds like an easy question to answer. The tracks that hang from the garage ceiling hold your garage door up. That’s true, but it doesn’t tell the whole story of your garage door support system. If only the roller track were responsible for supporting a garage door, then it would be a ‘hot mess’ after just a couple cycles of opening and closing.
In fact, without an entire garage door support system, the garage door might get so out of balance and alignment that the roller tracks might not be able to properly support it at all.
A garage door support system lets it go from being a wall, to tucking neatly out of place under the ceiling, quickly and consistently with very little effort, either from you or your garage door opener.
Your Garage Door Support System
Without these devices, your garage door wouldn’t be able to do everything it does for you.
Springs
There are two types of springs that can support your door. The horizontal coil-shaped spring runs parallel to the top of the door, just inside the garage. Extension springs located above the horizontal tracks help keep the door level from side to side.
Hinges
Your garage door probably has four horizontal panels connected by hinges. It’s the hinges that articulate to allow the door to go from a vertical to horizontal position, and back, in just a few seconds.
Rollers
Extending off either side of each door panel, usually near the top of the panel, steel or nylon rollers sit inside the roller tracks. They keep the door upright when it’s closed and aloft when it’s open. And they make it possible for the door to move smoothly between the two positions.
Lifting Cables
Located on either side of the door, the lifting cables are connected by pulleys to the torsion spring. They help support the weight of the door and keep it balanced, throughout every opening and closing of the door.
Roller Tracks
The roller tracks guide and support the rollers and, in turn, the door itself. They are positioned on either side of the door through its entire travel path from vertical to horizontal.
Weather Stripping
While the weather stripping doesn’t physically support the weight or motion of the door, it does help the door do its job of keeping everything inside your garage protected from the elements outside.
A garage door system is far more complex than most of us realize. To learn more about your garage door, how it works and how to keep it working, contact us at Whitby Garage Doors.
4 Tips to Tuneup Your Garage Door this Spring – Part 2
In Part 1 of 4 Tips to Tuneup Your Garage Door this Spring, we talked about the importance of keeping your garage door and door opener operating smoothly and safely, and we looked how to inspect both for problems.
Here are three more tips to keep your garage door operating at peak efficiency this summer.
1. Check that The Door’s Safety Systems are Working
Your garage door is probably equipped with two safety systems. One stops the door and reverses it if the door strikes anything while it is closing. The other, the safety sensors, stops and reverses the door if anything interrupts the signal between the photo eyes located on either side of the door frame.
To check the garage door’s safety sensors, get an empty cardboard box that you do not need. Put the box on the driveway just outside the open garage door. Stand on the side of the box away from the door with a stick or something to push the box. Start the door closing and push the box between the photo eyes. When you do, the door should stop in its path and reverse.
To check the system that reverses if the door strikes anything while closing, with the door open, place a short 2 x 4 piece of wood on the garage floor where the door touches the floor when it’s closed. Stand away from the path of the door. Use the remote control for the garage door opener to close the door. The door should stop and reverse when it hits the 2 x 4.
2. Inspect the Door’s Seals
Your garage door has weather seals between each panel, along the bottom of the door and around the outside frame of the door. They should all be in place and undamaged to keep your garage well-insulated.
3. Lubricate the Door
Like an oil and lube for your car, this will keep your door running like a well-oiled (lubricated!) machine.
For metal on metal moving parts, like the hinges (never the surface of the rollers in the roller tracks) use a petroleum-based lubricant.
For weather seals and stripping between the door panels and all around the door, use a silicone-based lubricant.
Good luck with your garage door tuneup! If you spot anything that doesn’t seem right, or you need any other help or garage door services, call us at 905-665-8668.