Tips

Door appeal - Offer security and add good looks to your home!

 

A garage door does more than protect your vehicle from the elements and hide the items you have accumulated over the years: It can add beauty to the front of your home and help keep cold and hot outside, where they belong.

 

When buying a garage door, either to replace the rickety model you currently have, or to add some curb appeal to the new home you're building, look for models that are lightweight, solid, durable, airtight and easy to maintain.

 

Here are three eight-foot by seven-foot raised panel-style metal doors worth considering. All prices are for single garages and prices include installation.

 

Basic - CHI Door 2250/2255 Raised Panel Steel Door. This entry level door is touted as having a long list of features and options normally found in higher-priced models. It's two inches thick and is equipped with tongue-and-groove joint construction, which seals and aligns each section to provide a snug, weathertight fit. Nylon rollers help keep the noise down when it opens and closes, but its uninsulated so there's no R-value. A full-width bulb-type vinyl bottom weather seal fits tightly against floors to seal out moisture and this door is also 25 gauge steel (compared to many others that are only 26 gauge).

 

Better: Richards Wilcox Protege Insulated Steel Door. This door is 1 & 3/8 inches thick and is outfitted with polystyrene insulation, which give it an R-value of 12. A full-width bulb-type vinyl bottom weather seal fits tightly against floors to seal out moisture, light and energy leaks and a flush steel interior skin adds strength, helps save energy and reduces noise. It has nylon rollers and it is available in white, almond, sandstone and brown.

 

Best: CHI Carriage House Door, Richards-Wilcox Hampton and/or Avondale. These models have a woodgrain texture and are 1 & 3/4 inches thick. Their technologically advanced polyurethane insulating core provides an R-value of 16 and a thermal break between each panel double seals the door against the weather. A bottom vinyl seal is an aluminum retainer for durability and features include a pre-finished interior skin. All materials used in the door system come with a lifetime warranty.

 

(excerpted from The Ottawa Citizen, June 2001 - updated October 2004)

 

Poorly Balanced Garage Doors Can Burn Out Garage Door Openers

An increasing number of North American homes have garage door openers attached to their garage doors. While garage door openers provide convenience and safety, they can also mask a significant garage door problem - a poorly balanced door.

Typical single garage doors weigh more than 200 pounds. Homeowners don't need to lift 200 pounds because springs are used to counterbalance the door's weight. Problems can occur, however, when the springs do not fully counter the door's weight.

Today's garage door openers are well made, and should last for years. But they are not designed to lift the weight of the door. They are simply designed to move the door - the balanced door.

The strain caused on garage door openers by poorly balanced doors can destroy a garage door opener - wrecking gears, limit switches and burning out the motor. Homeowners can easily check whether their door is properly balanced:

 

 

The situation can usually be easily remedied by having a professional door technician safely adjust the spring tension. Note that without proper training and the right equipment, serious injury may result when adjusting overhead doors. The Door Company can visit your home to make the necessary adjustment.

 

Call either of our two locations today!

 

(excerpted from The Garage Door News, October 1/2004)