Keep garage cool
By Ridgeline Overhead Garage Door General Information 0 Comments

Ways to Keep Your Garage Cool During a Texas Summer

Garages tend to be the least ventilated places in a home, and thus, during summer, they become extremely hot and moist, risking the items stored there. The best way to cool your garage during summer is to improve the airflow or block hot air from getting in. Hot garages during a Texas summer can be bothersome and challenging to control, and that is why we have provided you with this guide indicating methods you can use to cool your storage space. Below you will find a selection of techniques to keep your garage door cool during a Texas summer.

 Insulate your garage door

The garage door is the largest opening of the home, and if it is not insulated, it will allow too much hot air into the garage. When the concrete floor absorbs the heat, it makes the garage too hot. An insulated garage door should be able to maintain the garage temperature at 20-30⁰ C. This is perfect as it helps protect your car and other equipment such as lawnmowers.

The garage door insulation is a bonus as it adds a soundproof effect to your garage, blocking the excessive noise from the outside. You can also continue with your hobby if you like practicing it in your garage as the hotness will not hinder you.

 Open the garage door

This is not the best option for everyone, but if you are within your home compound or working from your garage, you can always leave the door open. This facilitates air circulation as hot air in the garage is replaced by the cooler air from the outside. If your garage has windows, open them to allow warm trapped air to get out and the cool breeze inside.

In case you are much concerned with privacy, you can open the garage door halfway to prevent nosy neighbors from peeping. It would help if you were cautious to ensure animals or thieves don’t sneak into your garage without you noticing.

 Repainting the garage door

Dull colors are always known to absorb heat, thus increasing the garage temperature. If you had previously painted yours with such colors to prevent heat loss during winter, you now need to change. It would be best if you repainted your garage door using bright colors such as white or cream as they will reflect heat rather than absorbing it and thus maintaining your garage cooler.

Cool your car outside before parking

When driving a car, it heats up, and if you park it immediately in your garage, it will warm up the air inside, causing a temperature rise. When you close the door, it leaves the warm air trapped inside, making the place too warm and uncomfortable. Instead of parking your car in the garage right away, leave it under a shade for about an hour so that it can cool down, then park it in. If the sun is too hot, you can pour cold water on it to fasten the cooling process.

Install ceiling fans

This is the best way to keep your garage cool. Install several fans to cover your area and distance them at regular intervals. Install a fan window to enable drawing in of cool air and expelling hot air. Note that you should only install ceiling fans if your ceiling is at least 8 feet high. A fan that is not strategically installed may affect the door’s opening/ closing pathway and long cars’ parking.

Remove clutter

Too many garage items can increase the temperature since they hinder airflow and absorb heat from the floor. Spend some free time to remove the extra old junk packed in your garage. Removing the trash also increases the space in your garage, and hence you can organize your items better, giving more room for air circulation. Remove any item packed in front of the door or the window to improve air circulation.

Plant a tree or install an awning

You can invest in a roll-away awning and put it on the garage door during a Texas summer to help block the sun from reaching the garage door. This helps maintain the garage door at low temperatures, eventually extending the cooling effect to the inside.

Another inexpensive permanent method is to plant a deciduous tree to block the sunlight from reaching the garage door. Deciduous trees are full of leaves during hot summers and hence will be perfect for this role. They include walnut, oak, and ash.

Weather-strip

This is the process of sealing openings at the garage door’s bottom, preventing hot air in and preventing the cool air out of the garage.

Summer garage basic maintenance practices

Summer garage upkeep activities that maintain the space in shape and functional for a long time include the following:

  • Inspection

Inspect all the garage aspects from the door and its component, fans, windows, and ceiling to ensure that they are functional and in good shape. If any of them is not in good condition, get a professional for further checkup and repair.

  • Painting

Fresh paint is needed to improve the garage interior and the door appearance and protect every exposed component from exterior conditions.

  • Washing

Wash the garage and the garage door to remove dust and debris which have accumulated during winter.

  • Lubricate hardware

Lubricate the garage door to ensure it opens and closes smoothly during summer and throughout the winter. Lubrication helps get rid of extra noise created by the garage door.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you now have effective ways you can leverage to cool your garage during a Texas summer. Open the garage door and window, remove the clutter and install a fan to improve air circulation. Reduce the entry of hot air by insulating the garage door, repainting the garage door, weather stripping and planting a tree, or installing an awning. You can use any of the methods or combine several for better results.

Garage Door Sensor Replacement
By Ridgeline Overhead Garage Door General Information 0 Comments

How to know when to replace garage door sensors

The garage is another entrance into your home. Therefore, it makes sense to ensure that the garage doors are functioning correctly at all times. The sensors make sure the door shuts safely, and the garage door remains closed once it comes into contact with the ground.

With that said, garage door sensors break down and stop functioning correctly after time. When this happens, these sensors either need replacing or servicing. Also be sure to learn with our latest article, when should I replace my Wayne Dalton garage door cables.

How Do Garage Door Sensors Work?

Before knowing when it’s time to replace the garage door sensors, you need first to understand how they work. Sensors are usually positioned near the floor, on the wall, or the door’s edge. These sensors communicate with each other as they all produce a light beam. This completes the automatic opening system circuit, thereby enabling the garage door closes perfectly.

If there’s an issue with the sensors, the garage door stops working immediately or functions in the opposite direction. This can be dangerous because sensors also act as a safety feature for the garage doors. They do this by reversing their direction while moving should they sense an item is lying in the garage door’s path.

How Can You test Garage Door Sensors?

Fortunately, figuring this out is relatively straightforward.

When testing the garage door sensors, all you need is a common item such as a cardboard box. Place this box in the sensor’s line and see whether the garage door will close. If it doesn’t after sensing the obstruction, then it’s clear it’s working as expected. But if it still closes even with the cardboard in its path, this is a clear sign the sensors need to be replaced.

The next thing to do after the garage door closes is to check for signs that can help you better understand the underlying issue.

Damaged Wires

Like any other electrical gadget, garage door sensors eventually wear out after being used for a while. Therefore, you need to check whether the wires connecting the garage door sensors have worn out due to the weather, regular use, or pests. By doing this, you’ll find issues such as chew marks, water damage, or any other destruction.

Light Indicators

You can also tell if the garage sensors need to be replaced by inspecting the exterior LED light’s blinking to gauge their alignment while the garage door is closing. If a green light shows, this shows that the sensors are functioning correctly. However, if the LED lights blink red, this is proof of sensor misalignment.

You can repair this issue by first checking the bracket or fastening the screw on the flashing sensor. If this issue gets resolved, the light will start blinking green, and the garage door will begin opening and closing correctly.

Dirty Lenses

You can get your garage doors to start working again by simply cleaning them with a cloth in some cases. This is because the malfunction is usually brought about by spider webs or dirt that over time accumulates and blocks it from having a clear view of the garage door as it opens and closes. After cleaning all the dirt from the lenses, they’ll resume working as expected. To avoid this, make a point of regularly cleaning these lenses to ensure their normal function is maintained.

You should never overlook the importance of correctly working garage door sensors. Otherwise, you risk possible injury to your pets or family or damage to your valuables and make your home prone to break in. But after reading this in-depth post, you now know about warning signs that show it’s time you replace the garage door sensors. Knowing this, you’ll be able to ensure the garage door is working correctly at all times.

By Ridgeline Overhead Garage Door General Information 0 Comments

How Do I Seal My Garage Door to Keep Out Rodents?

Rodents are notorious pests, and no one would want them close to their valuable items in the garage. These pests love the cluttered nature of a garage, and no matter how clean you have kept this space, they may still sneak in when your garage doors are not entirely sealed or when the bottom of your doors are bent. You may be wondering how do you fix a bent garage door bottom, but don’t worry because we have dedicated this post to teach you how you can seal your garage door instead to keep out the rodents.

How to seal your garage doors to keep out rodents

Here are the main approaches you can use to achieve this:

Garage door rodent seals

A garage door rodent seal is a rubber strip installed on the bottom of your garage door to block the opening while reducing the friction between the door and the ground beneath. Since this is the most common space where rodents will try to chew their way in, the rodent seals help bar this from happening.

Most garage door rodent seals are made of a mixture of fabric and metal and are designed to form a rigid strip for the rodents to chew. Note that the rodent block seals also provide weather insulation, which keeps the temperatures inside at the required level. This can help reduce the money you spend on energy bills.

The most perking feature of garage door rodent seals is that they are compatible with both roll-up and overhead garage doors and are not limited in their usability.

Installation is relatively easy as most of the bottom seals you will get in any local shop slide easily into the metal piece at the bottom of the door. If there is friction, you can lubricate the metal surface with soapy water or cooking spray.

Stainless steel door jamb seals

The other highly effective way to keep rodents out of your garage is reinforcing the rubber seals with stainless steel door jamb seals. These seals will make your garage doors completely impenetrable and sealed up.

The steel door jamb seals come with a surface that can adhere to any side seals installed on your garage doors. This means that installing them is as simple as sticking the steel strip onto the back of your already installed rubber seals. If you are tired of seeing holes in your rubber seals, consider investing in steel seals.

Monitoring/Replacing a garage door bottom seal

While installing bottom seals is crucial, monitoring and replacing them when the need arises is paramount. First, you should understand that rodents do not give up easily and will still chew up rubber until they get a space they can squeeze in. If you are not careful, you will still find a rat wandering in your garage even when there are seals on the garage door bottom. So how do you inspect the garage bottom rubber seal to know the right time to replace it?

The best way to identify if your garage seal needs replacement is to slip your fingers underneath the door seal and feel if there is an opening that a rat or mouse can squeeze in. If you find even one hole, then you need to replace the entire strip.

Qualities of a good garage door bottom seal

If you don’t want to keep replacing the garage door bottom seal, acquire seals that meet the following criteria:

• High-temperature rating- If your garage is situated in an area that receives direct sunlight, you need to buy a garage bottom seal made of excellent heat-resistant material. This will at least give you an assurance that it will not melt when the temperature rises and be soft for the rodents to chew their way easily into the garage.

• Tooth proof- Pick a material that the rodents cannot chew easily. Please avoid seals made of foam or vinyl materials, as rats and mice will easily chew them.

• Multi-layers- A good garage bottom seal should be made of several layers of sturdy materials. You can, for example, pick a seal with a sturdy rubber outer layer, a strong fabric as the inner layer, and a strip of stainless steel as the middle layer.

Preventative measures to keep your garage rodents free

To supplement the garage door sealing practices discussed above and keep rodents entirely out of your garage, you need to do the following:

• Patch up any access points- The pipes, vents, ducts, and drains installed in your home are potential access points where rodents can get in and out of your garage. If any of these access points is not operational, you should find a way to patch them up.

• Seal any entryways to your garage- If there are holes on the perimeter of your garage, you should seal them as leaving them open while shutting your garage doors will not make any difference.

• Tidy up your garage- As mentioned above, rodents naturally love cluttered environments, so if things are untidy in your garage, these pests will still find their way in and hide among the clutter. Use garage organizers and pile up everything nicely so that any rodent that manages to get in will find the space uncomfortable to inhabit.

• Remove any food materials- If there are any food remains in your garage, it may be hard for the rodents to leave the space as they will keep coming back to search for more. Clean up any food leftovers and dispose of them appropriately.

Conclusion

Sealing your garage doors is one of the easiest ways to keep rodents out of your garage. Consider the approaches discussed above to seal up your garage doors, and you will say goodbye to rodents in your garage. Don’t forget to pick the correct bottom seals for your garage doors and keep in mind the related preventative measures to keep rodents at bay altogether.

By Ridgeline Overhead Garage Door General Information 0 Comments

Top 5 Benefits Of Modern Glass Garage Doors

The garage door is one of the most vital elements of a home. It can intensify the security of property. Also, it plays a huge role in enhancing the aesthetic appeal of a home. Several material options, including wood, wood mimics, glass, steel, and many more, you can select from for your garage door. Every product has a varying price and particular advantages and disadvantages’ varying according to different circumstances.

So, when selecting a new garage door, choose the building material that best complements your lifestyle, home, budget, and location. Bear in mind that regional weather conditions, special city or neighborhood HOA regulations may also affect your decision.

Nevertheless, most homeowners are leaning towards glass garage doors. Not only do they have a nicer curb appeal, but you don’t have to worry about having a bent garage door with glass. Would you rather be worrying about can a bent garage door be repaired or how appealing will this glass garage door look to others? And you can as well go for this option. Before that, in this article, let’s take a look at the top 5 benefits of modern glass garage doors. Without further ado, let’s get cracking!

The Top 5 Benefits Of Modern Glass Garage Doors

Generally speaking, these doors have an aesthetic appeal, but there are also many other benefits. These include:

• Allow In Natural Light

The most evident benefit of modern glass garage doors is their ability to allow in natural light. It’s proven that exposure to natural light is essential to human productivity, happiness, and overall health. Even if you are just in and out of your garage in the morning and evening, that extra boost of positivity can significantly impact your day. Although you may argue that cut-out window panels on other doors allow in some light, a full glass garage door outstands them all.

Do you reside in an area surrounded by beautiful structures? Why distract the view when you can use clear glass doors for your garage? By this, you can enjoy a complete view of your surroundings and enhance your home’s security at the same time.

If you seek more privacy, consider frosted opaque glass panels, which allow plenty of natural light while protecting your garage view from onlookers. Either way, modern glass garage doors change your surrounding environment by flooding it with energy-enhancing natural light. Besides, they save you money that you could have otherwise spent on lighting up the garage using electricity in the daytime.

• Improves Your Curb Appeal

Are you thinking of putting your home up for purchase? A clear glass garage door improves your home’s façade. Typically, the garage door is the second-largest feature on most homes (after the roof), and having a modernized one can help attract more buyers.

According to the Cost versus Value Report by Remodeling Magazine in 2016, new garage doors are among the top 5 investments for a considerable return in resale price or value. As a matter of fact, on average, most homeowners should expect to realize over 90% return on their investments with a new garage door. With a modern and distinctive glass garage door, this figure might be even much higher.

• Great Value

Modern glass garage doors tend to be long-lasting and require minimal maintenance. As a rule of thumb, glass garage door sections are framed using strong aluminum, which is highly resistant to corrosion and rust from the elements.

The glass panels are also relatively easy to clean and maintain, simply rinsing them with soap and water. Besides, these doors are energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. They are designed in sustainable materials, which will remain functional for years to come.

Letting in natural light means you need less energy lighting up your garage. Furthermore, you can use weatherproofing techniques to control your energy bill by hoarding your desired temperature, even in your garage space. So, by getting yourself a modern glass garage door, you’ll be adding significant value to your garage and home in general.

• Colors To Match Any Style

The design of your garage door talks much about your flair. For instance, you can have a garage door, which features a country, traditional, ranch, or modern style. The variety in designs and styles of contemporary glass garage doors makes it quite challenging for one to decide what style suits them well.

Modern glass garage doors don’t always come in black and white. You can select a bright and light style with all opaque and aluminum glass panels, a dark and gothic style with blacks and greys, or a unique and creative look with colorful alternatives, such as wood grain finish or powder coatings. Whatever the case, modern glass garage doors offer you the option of blending sustainability and aesthetic appeal for your practical needs.

• Maximizing Living Space

Sectional glass garage doors are specially designed for space efficiency, as the seams of horizontal panels are flexible on hinges. Thus, the door can slide open, suspended from the ceiling, without taking up extra space.

With all the space-efficient design and natural light, your garage transforms into a new room in your home, instead of just storage space. You can remodel all or a section of your garage into a workstation, gym, recreation space, or anything else you prefer. Why spend a hefty sum of expanding your home while you can modify your garage for a fraction of the cost using modern glass garage doors.

In conclusion, we hope you now have a clear insight into the benefits of glass garage doors. Are you looking to transform the style and function of your garage? For a contemporary aesthetic look, modern glass garage doors are the way to go.

By Ridgeline Overhead Garage Door General Information 0 Comments

Safety Tips When Working On Your Garage Door

Garages have become one of the essential parts of homes, and in this era, it is hard to do without them – it is where we keep our cars and excess items. Nevertheless, garage doors present several potential dangers when operating them, and even though they have shifted from manual to automatic, risks are still there. Always perform regular safety checkups and be very careful when working on your garage door to safeguard yourself from potential dangers. If your garage door is bent and you’re wondering what causes a garage door to bend in the middle so you can fix it yourself, don’t hesitate to ask one of our professionals instead so you don’t injure yourself trying to fix it.

Without further ado, this article will discuss several safety tips to protect you and your family from getting injuries when working on garage doors.

Test the reversing mechanism

Automatic garage doors are installed with the reverse mechanism to ensure that if anyone is in the door’s pathway when closing, they won’t get hurt. In some cases, people still get hurt either due to malfunctions or damage after a long time of using the garage doors. To prevent this, you should test the reverse mechanism at least once per month. Place an object such as a roll of toilet paper on the garage door pathway when closing and check if the garage door will sense the obstruction. If it doesn’t reverse, then know it is not functional and get a technician to fix it immediately.

Watch your fingers

Be careful when operating the garage door to protect your fingers from being hurt. Under no circumstances should you put your fingers on the garage door pathway. Refrain from adjusting the garage door parts as you may end up hurting your fingers, leave this to professionals.

Learn how to operate manually

In some instances, the garage door may not operate on automatic mode due to factors such as power outages, storms, or damages. Times like this leave you with no other options but to open your door manually. With the guidance of your garage door manual, you can learn how to operate it manually so that you are ready in case of any misfortune. If you are caught up in such a situation, unready, you may end up hurting yourself as you’ll operate it in a rush and with tension.

Teach your kids garage door safety

To prevent your youngsters from getting hurt operating the garage doors, you should teach them these two simple rules and practice one primary precautionary measure.

• Teach them that garage doors are not toys and hence they should shun from playing with them.

• Instruct them that they should never stand in the way of a closing garage door.

• Keep the openers and remotes out of their reach.

Carry out visual inspections

You may get hurt when operating the garage door when it is faulty, and thus, you should have a routine checkup to ensure everything is in good condition. Inspect your garage door monthly by looking for signs of wear and tear on the springs, rollers, pulleys, bolts, and cables and use the manual to see if these parts are functioning correctly. If any of these components is damaged, contact a professional for further inspection and repair. It would help if you did not involve yourself in the repair as components such as cables and springs may cause serious injuries when they snap.

Free and clear

If you are not careful, you may hurt your pet or child when closing the garage door. Check and remove them if they are in the garage door pathway. Also, check to remove other items which may break on encountering a closing door.

Don’t leave the garage door partially open

Most people leave their garages partially open to allow cooling or movement of pets in and out of the garage. However, this poses potential harm since, once activated, it may travel downwards and hurt anything that may be on its path. Leaving your door half-open may give a chance to pests to get in as they search for food and water, and they may end up harming you or damaging your items. Also, burglars may get a chance to access your home through the garage.

Don’t take the garage door safety lightly

Garage doors are working machines with fueled parts, and you should treat them with precaution like other machines. Ignorance can lead to severe injuries, and hence you should treat yours with caution and care. Always ensure they are functional to prevent any harm when using them and if they are not, get them repaired.

Garage door security tips

Keep the garage code a secret

You should never share your entry passwords since when many people know them, the less effective they are, and burglars can easily access your home from the garage.

Hide your opener

You should not keep your opener in an exposed area since it can be stolen and make it easy for thieves to get access into your garage. Similarly, don’t leave the remote control with the parking attendant or in the car.

Use a vacation lock

When going for an extended vacation, use the vacation lock on the wall console switch or unplug the garage door opener unit.

Purchase openers with rolling code technology

This enables changing of access codes each time the opener is used, thus preventing code grabbing.

Conclusion

Safety is crucial when operating garage doors, and you need to use the above-discussed tips to protect you and your family members. Purchase garage doors with safety measures such as automatic reversal system, infrared motion detector, and emergency manual release. Ensure regular maintenance practices are adhered to and keep garage doors up to standards. If you need repair, contact a professional and never do it yourself as chances of injuries are increased.

Keeping your Garage Doors secure
By Ridgeline Overhead Garage Door General Information 0 Comments

How to make your garage door more secure

According to Nationwide Insurance, at least one out of every ten criminals will enter a home through the garage door.

Are your garage doors secure enough to prevent criminals from accessing your property? Are your garage doors cables loose and therefore making it easy for thefts to tamper with your doors and gain access to your property? You can either wonder when should I replace my garage door cables or keep reading for other tips on making your garage doors more secure.

Install a Home Security System

You’d be surprised by the number of people who exclude their garage from a home security system installation.

These days, there are advanced security systems that can secure your garage doors and offer you conveniences.

You can even operate some by using your smartphone. You can employ these methods to ensure that you don’t leave your garage doors vulnerable to easy break-ins.

Use Lighting to Your Advantage

You also need to install efficient lighting in your garage as a measure of preventing night-time break-ins. Criminals thrive in the dark hours because it gives them easy access to other people’s properties.

But if you install motion-activated floodlights, then you might have done enough to scare them away. With motion-sensing lights on your garage, criminals will be discouraged when trying to access your garage. This is especially helpful if you have a garage that’s detached from your home.

Secure Your Interior Garage Door

Securing your interior garage door is as vital as securing your home’s front or back entrance because the interior garage door gives you access to the main house where you and your family reside.

If a criminal can access the garage, they might also try entering the main house through the garage door. And if the door is less secure, this gives the criminal a better chance of breaking in.

Ensure that your interior garage door is heavily secure. You can do this by improving the insulation or installing a heavy-duty deadbolt mechanism.

This way, you’ll have safe garage doors on either end to discourage criminals from reaching your properties.

Landscaping

Criminals will often case your property during daylight to see where they can hide at night while trying to enter your garage. And if you haven’t landscaped your premises well, then criminals might find an excellent spot to hide as they plan to break in.

They can easily hide in bushes or against a tree. Clear all bushes that could provide cover for a criminal to hide.

Both you and your neighbors will see your entry points clearly, giving criminals no chances of creeping up into your home.

Don’t Leave the Garage Door Remote Inside the Car

If your garage door remote gets stolen, then your whole garage door security system will be of no use. Someone with your remote can now easily access your garage and the rest of your home.

You shouldn’t leave your garage remote in your car because you might be running an errand and suddenly forget to lock your vehicle.

It’s advisable to be highly cautious of your garage door remote and treat it like your car or house keys.

Final Thoughts

Like most parts of your home, employing better security measures for your garage keeps you secure from criminals accessing your property. Whenever you have concerns about your garage door’s mechanical operations, you must consult with a professional who can fix the issue effectively.

By Ridgeline Overhead Garage Door General Information 0 Comments

How to Know When It’s Time to Replace Your Garage Door

The garage door plays a crucial role in keeping your car and other equipment stored in your garage safe. As the largest door in your house, the garage door also provides curb appeal and increases the value of your property. When your garage door breaks down, you might need a repair professional and ask yourself how much does it cost to fix a garage door? But if the cost of repair and maintenance has become too much, it is better to replace the garage door with a new one. This article will discuss 5 signs indicating it is time to replace your old garage door.

Frequent weird noise

Frequent weird noises are a clear sign that something is not right. If the noise doesn’t seem to go away despite frequent repairs, you should think of replacing the garage door. Garage doors should operate pretty quietly. Suppose the weird noise keeps coming back despite constant maintenance. In that case, it is an indication that crucial components in your garage door, including springs, tubes, door opener, weather seals, brackets, rollers, and hinges, are damaged beyond repair.

Frequent repair

If the repairs have become too much, it is wise to replace your old garage door with a new, more efficient one. The garage door usually breaks down with time and needs repair for smooth operation. Frequent repair is a sign that the garage door has outlived its time and needs replacement. Instead of spending thousands of dollars each year fixing the old garage door, it makes more sense to invest that money in a new model. It might cost you a significant amount of money upfront, but it will save you a lot of money in the long run.

Difficult to close and open

If your garage door is getting harder and harder to open and close by the day, it is better to buy a replacement despite numerous attempts to fix it. Unless your garage door is relatively new, you should not waste your time repairing a garage door that is difficult to close and open. Instead, upgrade to a new garage door that operates smoothly and efficiently.

Old, outdated design

If your garage door has been around for more than 20 years and you feel that its old design is affecting your home’s overall appearance, you should consider replacing it with a brand new one that is modern and more efficient. Old garage doors not only have an outdated design, but they are also more susceptible to damage.

An old-designed garage door can also affect your home’s curb appeal and make your home look old and neglected. Remember that the garage door is the largest and the most visible in your house. If it is old and outdated, everybody in your neighborhood, including your visitors, will notice its defect. If you are thinking of selling your house or just want to improve its appearance and make it more attractive, stylish, and modern, you should replace your old garage door with a new one.

Security issues

The primary goal of your garage door is to protect your garage and home. Its security features should be intact to prevent an unauthorized person from gaining access to your garage. Most of us store costly items in the garage, including bikes, cars, yard equipment, and more. If the garage door security is compromised and beyond repair, you should not think twice about replacing the door with a new one equipped with excellent security features.

Your garage door is not energy efficient

A good garage door is supposed to be well insulated to prevent heat loss, especially during the cold winter season. If your garage door is not energy efficient, you will incur a sizable energy bill that could cost you thousands of dollars in the long run. So, if your garage door has faulty bottom seals, weather strips, sealing joints, and more that allow wind in, you should consider replacing it with a brand new door that will ensure proper insulation.

Conclusion

If your garage door has become too expensive to repair or its old age affects its performance, it is better to replace it with a brand new one. If your energy bill has skyrocketed due to poor insulation or the old design makes your house less appealing, you should replace it. Buying a new garage door may be a significant investment, but it is worth it because repair and maintenance costs will drop significantly.

By Ridgeline Overhead Garage Door General Information 0 Comments

How Do I Measure My Garage Door?

The garage door is one of the crucial home components you should pay a lot of attention to when purchasing one. One critical often ignored parameter regarding garage doors is the size. Without knowing the correct size of the garage door you need, there will always be issues during installation.

Whether you need to install a new garage door or replace an existing one, you need to know how to measure all its size details to make a sound decision on the unit to acquire. Even if you engage professionals in the process, you can still take the measurements yourself to have a rough idea of where theirs will fall. Even better, you will know what the correct quote for your new garage door will be.

In this guide, we discuss an excellent approach that you can use to measure your garage door’s correct size. We have also included tips to help you with the same. Follow through if you want to gain this kind of knowledge.

Five easy steps to measure the size of your garage door

Use a tape measure to take these measurements and have somewhere to record the figures and other important details.

1. Measure the width

For a garage door, the width is the distance between the left and right sides of the finished opening. Note that the opening in all these measurements will be treated to be equivalent to the size of the garage door you require. To have the correct value, you should take this measurement from the broadest part of the opening. Look for any significant irregularities such as jambs and record them along with this measurement. While recording this measurement, also consider that the garage door will have to be framed by at least 2”×6” frames.

2. Measure the height

The height is the up and down measurement of the finished opening. Start by taking this measurement from the floor, going up to where the finished opening ends. Here, it would be best if you paid attention to any irregularities on the floor.

3. Measure the side room

The side room is the space between the left and right sides of the opening and the inner walls. Since the vertical frame will have to be insulated, consider leaving around 5” on both sides for this. For the case of a double door, you should also factor in the space taken by the center post, which should not be less than 10” wide. Important details to note here are obstructions such as wires that could compromise the installation.

4. Measure the headroom

This is the area between the end of the garage door opening and the ceiling. The headroom you will need depends on the requirements of the garage door type you will choose. Even with these, you will have to leave enough space to install the door’s hardware. You need to, for example, leave around 10” for a standard extension spring and 12” for a typical torsion spring. If the door height extends past the finished opening, you need to adjust the headroom measurements accordingly. Don’t forget to leave the space to install the door opener and again follow the recommendation of the opener you will buy.

5. Measure the backroom

Sometimes some of the hardware above may be installed in the back room, which is the space between the garage door opening and the garage’s back wall. Here, you need to note if there are any irregularities.

The above five measurements are all you need to know the right garage door size you require. Since you can’t find custom-made garage doors to fit in all garage openings, having a copy of your garage opening can help a great deal.

Tips to follow when measuring the size of your garage door

• Round off the measurements to the closest fraction of an inch. This will reduce errors that come with recording non-uniform data. This also eliminates the uncertainty in the measurements.

• For each of the above measurements, consider repeating the procedure in several spots and settle for the average measurement or the figure that appears several times in a row. This way, you will be assured that the final size will be the most accurate one.

• Record measurements starting by width then height-As a rule of thumb, you should always record your measurement starting with the width followed by height. If you intend to present this data to other people, you will be at peace knowing that they will interpret it the right way.

• Source help from a family member, friend, or neighbor as some measurements are impractical to take on our own. With a helper, you will, for example, not struggle using a tape measure and simultaneously record the figures you get.

Conclusion

Don’t work with garage door size estimates as they, in most cases, cause material wastage and poor value for your money. As seen above, the process of measuring the size of your garage door is not complicated, and you only need to follow the proper procedure. If the guide’s approach still overwhelms you, or if you don’t have time to perform this task, many professionals can help you out. Regardless of the path you will follow to acquire the measurements of your garage door, it should always be done before you start your garage door project.

Garage door insulation
By Ridgeline Overhead Garage Door General Information 0 Comments

3 Reasons to Insulate Your Garage Doors

It is evident that in most homesteads, garages serve more than just closing in tools and cars. Most of these are entrance points to our houses, and other people work on their hobbies in their garages and therefore might need a good working space with good conditions. These garages do not serve their purposes fully and can bring about losses if the doors are not well-conditioned. One of these conditioning involves insulating the garage door, which has a lot of benefits. Here are some of the reasons why it would benefit you to insulate your garage door.

1 – Insulating a garage door saves on energy

Most people do not construct garages while optimizing it as a living space, and therefore the standards they use are very different from those of a house. There is more air leakage making it a weak link in the overall thermal envelope of your home. The doors also open several times before the day ends and thus exposes a large part of the wall adjustment to the house to outside air, exactly like a giant window letting loose the house’s heat. This makes it a significant source of energy loss and highly affects your energy costs.

An insulated door helps keep the outside air from getting in the house like in cold seasons, especially winter, and keeps the house’s warm heat from escaping. Insulation also ensures that the garage maintains a moderate temperature and reduces the amount of energy needed to warm or cool your home. This is also applicable for those who use these doors frequently. Insulated doors do not lose energy even in houses where there is high traffic in the garage. Statistics show that you can save up to 20% of your yearly energy expenses for just insulating your thermal boundary.

2 – It makes the door more durable

Old uninsulated doors were made of thin sheets of steel enclosed over the panel frames. This made it easy for cars or tools stored in the vehicle or simple things like bikes to dent the door. This made the cost of maintenance very high and messed the appearance of the house frequently. Contrary, most of the insulations in recent times are done by fitting an aluminum or steel frame, and then the frame is filled with solid-core insulation that is put between one or double steel panels. This added multiple layers result in an energy-efficient door that is unlikely to bend easily. This door can also stand the daily opening and closing better than the uninsulated one, leading to minor wear and tear maintenance.

This improvement in durability makes the door last longer in different situations as well. For instance, old uninsulated doors were affected by wind-borne projectiles. They could easily get scratched or bent in that kind of weather. Insulated doors stand stronger in these kinds of situations. Also, weather factors like cold can warp the door’s metal parts, while the heat can stress the door’s panels, particularly one’s made of acrylic or vinyl and other material. Insulation reduces these effects on the door, and fewer components are exposed to extreme weather conditions, hence reducing damage. This also goes for the tools or valuables in the garage, like cars. The adverse weather conditions do not affect anything inside the garage since some of them can affect your valuables. The overall cost of maintenance of the doors is highly reduced, thus saving you on future expenses.

3 – Insulated doors are more convenient

Some people use their garages for other activities like their hobbies. These insulations allow the garage to stay at the same temperature as your house and create an excellent working condition for you. Insulating would also make the garage easy to access and get to the cars in these adverse weather conditions. Uninsulated doors would let in air from outside and make the conditions unbearable. For example, if it were cold out, working in the garage would be a wrong decision.

Insulating a door tends to make it more silent while opening or closing than the uninsulated one. In the uninsulated doors, loose chains on the track and worn down rollers produce loud noises. Inadequate lubrication is also a major contributing factor to these noises. Insulating makes your door heavier and is also part of maintenance, therefore makes the noises reduce. This is good if you would want some peace in the garage. However, this is not always the case for all doors since other factors could cause the noise; it is just a remedy for many since lighter doors make more noise.

Conclusion

Insulating your door increases its R-value and therefore makes it resistant to heat flow. It creates a separation from the air-conditioned inside the house to the unconditioned atmosphere outside, sometimes called thermal boundary. Even though it is expensive to set up than uninsulated doors, insulating your doors saves on expenses in the future, both in repairs and energy costs. The choice of which insulation to use insulation will depend on the type of door you have. Ultimately, it is evident that a garage door has more significant benefits than leaving it uninsulated.

Winter Problems for Garage Doors
By Ridgeline Overhead Garage Door General Information 0 Comments

Why won’t my garage door open and close properly in cold weather?

If you have noticed that your garage door is not opening or closing properly during cold months, you are not alone. This issue affects many homeowners during the cold season. Several things could be causing this problem. Fortunately, most of these problems are simple and can are fixable.

Here are possible reasons why your garage door won’t open and close properly in cold and potential fixes.

Metal contraction

If your garage door is metal, then one of the reasons why it does not open and closes properly is because of metal contraction. A garage door made of metal usually expands and contracts, depending on temperature. For instance, garage doors generally expand during the summer season when the climate is hot and contract during the winter season when the weather is cold. Both expansion and contraction could negatively impact garage door performance. Springs, rollers, and other crucial garage door components may seize or even break up when metal contracts due to cold weather.

The best solution to this problem is lubricating the springs, rollers, hinges, and other moving parts with a silicon-based lubricant to enhance the garage door’s smooth functioning. Metal contraction may also affect your garage door alignment, making it hard to open and close properly. Check the condition and position of the door opener. If they are out of alignment, call a garage door repair expert to fix it.

Issues with the safety sensors

If there is an issue with your door safety sensors, the opener will interpret it as an obstruction and refuse to close or open the door. The most common issue with garage door safety sensors during the cold season is condensation. If the sensors are clouded up, then condensation is the culprit. Fortunately, this problem is simple to fix. All you need to do is wipe off the sensor, and your garage door should operate as expected.

Hardened grease

Grease tends to harden during the winter season when the temperature is below the freezing point. Grease is a crucial lubricant, and if it hardens, your garage door will not open or close properly. Fixing the problem is simple. Use grease solvent and silicone-based lubricant.

First, apply grease solvent to the hardened grease to soften it for easy removal. Once the hardened grease has softened, wipe it away, then apply a proper lubricant. The importance of using the right kind of lubricant is paramount.  A wrong lubricant will result in grease build-up, which will eventually hamper your garage door’s smooth operation. Use silicone-based lubricants created specifically for garage doors.

Low battery

Cold temperatures drain the battery pretty fast. The battery could be low if your garage door has an issue with opening and closing. If you have exhausted all other options, try replacing the battery to see if the garage door will operate correctly.

Ice between the door panels

During the cold season, ice may find its way into a series of interconnected panels, making it difficult for the door to close or open. Inspect your garage door, especially along the panels, to see if there is a block of ice stuck in between the panels. If that is the case, apply heat to melt the ice.

Broken springs

Garage doors have a spring system that balances the weight of the door. These springs usually wear out with time and break, making it difficult for the garage door to open and close. In most cases, the spring system usually breaks during the cold season due to repeated contraction. Fixing a broken spring system is a complicated process requiring an experienced garage door repair expert only.

Worn out or misaligned rollers

Just like springs, rollers usually wear out with time, making it difficult for the garage door to open or close properly. In most cases, rollers generally wear out during the winter season due to extreme temperatures. Fixing a worn-out or misaligned roller is a complicated process that a qualified garage door repair expert should perform.

Inadequate weatherstripping

Rubber weatherstripping usually gets damaged with time. When this happens, it cracks and hardens, leaving the track exposed. As a result, moisture gets trapped on tracks and freezes during the cold season, making it hard for the door to open and close smoothly. Defrosting the ice with a heater or replacing damaged weatherstripping will fix this issue.

If your garage door is not opening or closing correctly, don’t panic because the problem can usually be fixed by making a few simple adjustments. However, if you lack the necessary skills and resources needed to fix the problem independently, it is better to call an experienced technician to resolve the issue for you.