Blog

What to do When a Garage Door Sags to One Side

Posted by & filed under garage door .

There are a number of problems a garage door can manifest over the years. However, while the fixes for some may be easy to figure out, a sagging garage door can be more complicated to resolve, especially on your own. However, warped rails or a bowing garage door is one thing and typically caused by uncomplicated issues, but what about when your garage door starts to progressively sag to one side, what then?

When a garage door starts to sag to one side instead of at the center, it is usually not from warping that can happen over time. Instead, there are two problem areas to investigate.

The first is the hinges on the door itself. Over time, the hinges on one side of the door can start to loosen. When that happens, the side with the loose hinges will start to sag. You may even notice gaps in the panels if things get bad enough.

However, if you investigate all the hinges and find things still tight, the second suspect should be the pulley on that side. Over time, the pulley can become out of alignment which means there is too much slack on one side, and thus that side will begin to lower faster than the other, giving it that sagging appearance.

While tightening the hinges is something that you can easily do yourself, readjusting the pulleys is something that is best left to a professional. While not difficult to do, adjusting them so that the garage door is even again is something best left to a seasoned hand. If you garage door is sagging or manifesting any other problems that need fixed, contact us today. Let Smokey’s Garage Door come fix it right the first time so you can get back to having a safe and beautiful garage door on the face of your house.

Valuable Services Provided by a Garage Door Company

Posted by & filed under garage door maintenance .

One of the most important parts of any home is its garage door. A quality garage door cannot only improve the curb appeal of your home, but will also help you to improve the overall security of your property. Due to the importance of your garage door, having access to a quality and reputable garage door service provider is very beneficial. A garage door service company can provide you with a range of services.

Installation

One of the top services provided by a garage door company is the installation of a new garage door. The garage door service will be able to work with you to find a garage door that not only looks great, but also fits properly into your garage and provides the security that you need.

Once you have chosen the right garage door, the garage door service provider will be able to have it expertly installed to ensure it is safe to use and reliable. Our technicians will also be able to ensure that all remote controls and other features are working correctly. To provide additional convenience, Smokey’s Garage Door will also be able to haul away your old garage door and have it disposed of properly.

Maintenance & Repair

While a garage door can last for a long period of time, there will come a time when it needs to be properly maintained. Smokey’s Garage Door will be able to provide you with a variety of maintenance services on the door, motor, track, and all other parts of the door. This will help to ensure that your garage door will continue to work well for years to come.

If you are in need of a new garage door, or need assistance with maintenance, you should contact us to learn about all of the services and products that we can provide to you.

Garage Door Openers: Which Type Should you Choose?

Posted by & filed under garage door .

With all of the different garage door openers out there, it’s hard to know which one is right for you. It’s nice to have options, but how do you narrow down your choices? There are several factors to consider when selecting a garage door opener. Do you have a heavy wood door and need a work-horse? Are you concerned about noise? Are you on a budget?

Here is a rundown of the four main types of garage door openers and their features:

Belt Drive. These openers are extremely quiet, which is an especially valuable perk for homeowners with a room above the garage. They are known for their smooth operation, and require little to no maintenance.

Chain Drive.  This is the economical choice. They are best for heavier doors – if you have a wood sectional door, this opener would be a good option. Chain drive openers come in two main motor options, 1/2 or 3/4 horsepower.

Screw Drive. Also a smart choice for heavier doors, this opener is especially ideal for wood flip-up doors. They are also customizable; installers can cut the screw drive rail to size if beams or other factors prohibit a standard installation.

Jackshaft. These openers are unique in that they are wall rather than ceiling mounted. They are ideal for situations in which a standard installation is impossible due to a beam, wall, or soffit in the way. The clean, minimalist installation leaves the garage free for overhead storage and is perfect for garages that are used as extra living or recreation space.

If you are looking to replace your existing garage door opener, contact us with any questions!

Diagnosing a Broken Garage Door: Checking the Sensors

Posted by & filed under garage door repair .

If your garage door is no longer working properly, it can be an expensive repair. However, depending on what is broken, it can affect the price. On the lower end of the spectrum is the garage door sensors, and depending on the symptoms of your garage door, it should be the first place you look.

If you are having problems with your garage door, symptoms of a sensor issue include:

  • Door will not open or close
  • Door closes about half way, then the direction reverses and it opens
  • The door closes halfway and then stops
  • Your garage door opener flashes and the door doesn’t move

Some of these glitches can be caused by other issues, but typically it is a sensor issue. However, in many cases, sensor issues with a garage are not always that they are broken. Often it means the sensors are somehow impaired. Common sensor problems include:

  • Dirty sensor lenses
  • The sensors are no longer aligned
  • Wiring or electrical shorts

In many cases, dirt or other obstruction is a common cause for a garage door not working. If the light of a garage door opener blinks twice, it means the sensors are obstructed. Holding down the garage door button on the wall will bypass this, but you will want to clean your sensors. However, often from sensor cleaning, the sensors can become misaligned, causing the door to close part way or not at all.

Unfortunately, if you try to fix these issues, and you are still having a sensor-related problem, you will want to contact a professional to investigate a short in the wiring. This is not something most people can fix themselves, and electrical work can be tricky.

If you are having garage door issues, we encourage you to contact us at Smokey’s Garage Door so that we can help to solve the issue and get your garage door working properly.

Five Maintenance Steps to Keep Your Garage Door Running Smoothly

Posted by & filed under garage door maintenance .

For many of us, garage doors make up one-third of one side of our house so it makes sense to keep them in optimal working condition. There are some maintenance things you can do to help keep your garage door running correctly and reliably so you can use your garage doors the way they are intended. Working on garage doors can be dangerous, so when in doubt, contact an expert.

  1. Pay attention to the door. Your garage door should go up and down in a smooth and relatively quiet way. If there are jerks and fits when the door goes up and down then you could have a problem. The best way to prevent these problems is to pay attention while it is working correctly so you can tell when something is going wrong.
  2. Check the door hardware for tightness. It is not uncommon for us to use our garage door 1,000 times or more a year. With all of that movement, hardware can become loose. Check it out and tighten what needs to be tightened.
  3. Test your door’s balance. Pull the red cord that will make your door operate manually, then pull it up to the halfway point. If it stays put, your door is in balance. If it falls down on its own, you need a repairman to fix it so the door will last longer.
  4. See if your rollers are chipped, and replace them if they are. When a roller moves in a “bumpy” jarring way, it puts more stress on the track, which puts more stress on all the hardware, which puts more stress on everything. Check rollers twice a year and replace them every 5-7 years.  Your door will last longer.
  5. Lubricate moving parts. White lithium grease on the chain or screw can make them work better and last longer. Spray lubricant made especially for overhead springs will make them last longer and operate better too.

Five or ten minutes of inspection time twice a year can make your garage door work better and last longer. These simple maintenance efforts can save you a lot of money in the long run. If you need help maintaining your garage door, please contact Smokey’s Garage Door today!

Now is a Great Time for Garage Door Cleaning

Posted by & filed under garage door .

This is the time of year we all start opening our doors and windows, giving our carpets and rugs a good shampooing, but it’s also the perfect time of year to care for that part of your home you might not consider all that often: your garage.  Your front and back door areas, as well as your foyer might get the most foot traffic, but your garage gets a daily trampling by thousands of pounds of glass and steel, all riding on four rubber tires that have been through countless miles of dirt, oil, and asphalt. Taking the time to clean your garage needs to become a priority in your spring cleaning list, and here’s why:

1. Salt and sand.  During the winter months, the occasional storm means that corrosive magnesium chloride is used to treat highways and city streets. This chemical stays on your vehicle and once you park your car in your garage, any residue remaining will wind up on your floor, possibly pitting the concrete or even become tracked into your home where it can damage your floors. It also wreaks havoc on metallic parts on your garage door, leading to early failures if not properly maintained. That squeak you hear is probably a result of all that magnesium chloride.

2. Oil and asphalt. These substances also wind up on your vehicle and contain tar which can also damage your home once they are tracked in. Not to mention just being dirty and unpleasant to look at. Over time these petroleum based substances will build up and be more difficult to get out of your garage. Take the time each spring to clean it out!

3.  If your door isn’t functioning properly, you might be reluctant to even use your garage. Get your car back inside! If you’re like a lot of people, your car might not even make it into the garage. For a lot of us, the garage becomes a de facto storage area, filled with empty boxes, Christmas decorations, and junk left over from the winter when it was too chilly or rainy to deal with it properly (at least that’s the excuse, right?)  There’s no better time than now to fix that door and put your car back where it belongs!

4. Upkeep and maintenance. Over time the hardware that you find in your garage can wear out. Springs, cables, and even the motor of your garage door opener have probably seen a lot over the last year or so. Taking time to clean and maintain them will extend the life of what makes everything work well.

If you find your garage door needs more TLC than just a spring cleaning, contact Smokey’s Garage Door for service, upgrades, or replacements! Your home and your car will thank you later!

Upgrades to Consider for your Garage

Posted by & filed under garage door .

In your home, you may have a functional garage door that protects your storage and vehicles from the elements. Whether you like to spend time in your garage, or not, it is important to take some points into consideration; your garage is a major appendage (not to mention entry!) of your home. Who knows, in the process of making updates to your garage, you may want to spend more time in it!

If you know that you want to be using your garage regularly, you should get professional garage door replacement so that you can start adding things that encourage you to spend time in the space.

Improved Lighting

When you replace a garage door, you will have an opportunity to choose the style and design. If your current garage door does not have any windows, you may not get any light inside. You may rely on artificial lighting throughout the garage to get the light that you need. The new garage door can come with several windows so that you receive natural light for most of the day.

Better Insulation

Although the entire garage may need to be remodeled to improve the overall installation, you can make a substantial impact by upgrading the garage door. You can speak with garage door experts to pick one that you know will have a noticeable impact on the insulation quality. When you do not have to rely on a portable heater or air conditioner, you can use the garage freely.

An insulated garage is energy efficient since it will keep cold and warm air from escaping your home. It will also help to eliminate drafts.

Extra Security

An important quality to consider when you get a new garage door is the level of security. If you are going to be spending more time in the space, you will likely have more valuables inside. A sturdy garage door is helpful because it makes it harder to damage and break into the garage. A sturdy lock that makes your garage door virtually impenetrable is a game-changer. Having said that, we suggest you try LiftMaster’s most advanced wall-mount opener and automatic lock system. The 8500W wall-mount opener will not only provide you with more ceiling space, but when paired with the automatic lock system, you can also have peace of mind knowing your garage is fully equipped for safety at all times, thus making it a great return on investment for your home.

Actually, upgrading your garage door(s) is the #1 project when it comes to return on investment.  In a new 2018 Cost vs. Value Report, a high-class garage door replacement has achieved chief standing among positions of all 21 midrange and upscale remodeling projects that were studied. In this new study, the estimated $3,470 cost for a high-class garage door replacement provided a projected “value at home resale” of $3,411, which equates to a 98.3% in return on investment. So, in other words, this significant 98% return means that an upscale garage essentially pays for itself.

Those who have used the LiftMaster 8550W Wi-Fi Garage Door Opener and Automatic Garage Door Lock have proved to be confident in their decision to purchase this product.

All LiftMaster Openers, Operators, and Systems must be purchased through a dealer and then skillfully installed by a garage door professional. Given that, we encourage you to call Smokey’s Garage Door as we are proud to say that we are the largest dealer of the LiftMaster 8550WL.

If you have any questions about our garage door services, contact us today.

The Importance of Garage Door Repair

Posted by & filed under garage door repair .

Many people who need garage door repair services won’t get them right away. However, it is important to have a working garage door for many reasons, and people should not procrastinate when it comes to garage door repairs.

Garage Doors Can Get Stuck At Inconvenient Times

If there’s something wrong with a garage door, it might end up getting stuck at a particularly bad moment. Dealing with garage doors that get stuck all the time is very irritating and you don’t want to find yourself facing this issue.

Prevent this issue before you face it one morning while you get ready to drive to work or something else that is important. Given that, people absolutely need a working garage door in order to make sure that their households function properly.

Garage Doors Are Important For Household Security

Most people lock their doors and take basic security precautions each time they leave their homes. Making sure that a garage door is secure enough can be particularly important. Many thieves will specifically target garage doors in order to break into a house.

If the garage door is old or has problems, it’s particularly easy for a thief to use it to gain access to the entire house. People who maintain their garage doors and get them repaired when necessary will be able to keep their homes much more secure in the process. For example, you can certainly benefit from checking to make sure that your garage doors are in good shape before going on vacation.

A Repaired Garage Door Can Add Value to a Home

Most people are always looking for ways to add value to their homes since the housing market is still very competitive. People who are looking for new homes will notice if there is something wrong with the garage door. Getting garage door repair can help people to make a much better impression at a very crucial moment.

Questions? Contact Smokey’s Garage Door to learn more.

What’s That Noise? Garage Door Service Options For Quiet Operation

Posted by & filed under garage door .

While all garage doors make some level of noise when they move, the noise should not be overwhelming. When your garage door starts making a lot more noise than it used to, that’s cause for concern. There are several things that can cause your garage door to make a lot of noise. Keep reading to find out the signs you should be looking out for.

Wear And Tear

General wear and tear can be a common culprit for causing garage doors to be noisy. The best way to figure out if this is the problem is to inspect the whole system. Lower the door and look over the entire interior structure. Look for anything that’s broken, bent, worn, or otherwise damaged. Raise the door and do the same so that you can look at the tracks when the door is open. While you’re at it, make sure all of the screws and bolts on the door are tight. If one or two have come loose, the movement it allows can cause some of that noise.

Damaged Rollers

The rollers on the door track move every time you raise or lower the door. That leads to a lot of movement, which results in a lot of wear. That wear can cause damage to the surface of each roller. When they’re damaged, they won’t roll properly in the track. Sometimes they become bound up, which leaves them sliding in the track. Sliding rollers make a lot of noise inside the track because of the friction it creates. Replacing the rollers with nylon-coated or solid nylon varieties will help to quiet the operation of your door significantly.

Insufficient Lubrication

The hinges, gears, and other moving parts of a garage door all require lubrication to function properly. When they aren’t lubricated, it leads to friction when the door moves. That friction can cause quite a bit of noise. Make sure you lubricate all of the moving parts of your garage door on a regular basis to avoid this. In addition, you can also lubricate the hinges on the door.

Chain Drives

When your garage is fitted with a chain-driven door opener, it will be noisier. You can eliminate this as a source of noise by replacing the chain drive with a quieter system, such as a belt-driven model.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us for your garage door service and replacement options. We’re here to help.

My Garage Door Springs Are Broken. Now What?

Posted by & filed under Broken Garage Door Springs .

Waking up to a broken garage door is a nightmare for anyone with a busy schedule. Everything gets put on hold. Opening the door yourself can be dangerous and cause damage to the door, the garage itself, or your back! A common problem for garage owners is a broken garage door spring. This is not an easy fix. You will need a professional with the right tools who can help you get back on track.

There are a number of factors that determine how long your garage door springs will last. The most obvious is the spring itself. Springs range from 10K-30K uses depending on their size and the weight of the door. If you open your garage door 3 times a day, that’s about 1,000 times in a year, which means your average spring is going to last about 9 years. If your spring is lifting a very heavy door, those numbers might change. The climate in your area needs to be accounted for too, humidity and extreme heat or cold can affect the lifespan of your garage door springs.

Replacing garage door springs is a very dangerous job and not one you should do yourself. It is important to find a professional with the right tools to keep your garage door working safely.

The best way to avoid garage door problems is to practice proper garage door maintenance. It is recommended that you oil the garage door spring, rollers and hinges at least twice every year. You can find good quality garage door lubricants at your local hardware store. If you need help with garage maintenance or repair, visit our website or contact one of our professionals. We have offered fast repairs and free estimates since 1982; we are committed to providing exceptional quality at affordable rates for all types of doors and openers.