4 Tips for Maintaining Garage Door Openers

What is the greatest invention? The airplane? The automobile? The computer? Perhaps, but when you come home to a torrential downpour, the electric garage door opener tops the list — when it’s working properly. Here are 4 tips for maintaining garage door openers and keeping it in tip-top shape to avoid costly repairs that may result in replacing the garage door opener. 

Lubricate

First, move your car(s) out of the garage, then walk back in and close the door. Pull the emergency release rope to disengage your opener. Inspect each door hinge to be sure all screws are tight. Every hinge along the sides of the door should have a roller attached to it, and each roller should be engaged in the track. The track should be aligned with the door and securely fastened to the garage framing. Inspect each track bracket for alignment and bolt tightness.

Using a penetrating product such as B’laster Garage Door Lube, lubricate each hinge and roller. The axle has a little play in and out to help the door run smoothly in the track. Don’t lubricate the track — lubricant won’t improve the door’s operation of the door, but will attract unwanted dirt. Manually raise and lower the door a few times to work in the lubricant. The door should be relatively quiet. If you still hear squeaking, lubricate a bit more and clean off any excess.

Test the Springs

Garage doors are very heavy. To help them open and close, they have springs to counteract their weight. A properly adjusted spring will allow the door to be stationary when opened to about 3 feet with the door opener disengaged. If your door opens or closes on its own, call a garage assembly professional. The springs are under tremendous tension, so don’t try to adjust them. If you find the springs are properly adjusted, re-engage the opener and open the door.

Inspect the gasket attached to the bottom of the door. It helps keep water, dirt and debris out of the garage. If it’s missing, torn or damaged, replace it.

Test the Reversing System

Inspect the infrared safety reversing sensors. They’re the electronic eye devices installed on both tracks near the ground that sense an object (such as a child) in the door’s path. Test them by placing an object taller than 6 inches in the door’s path, and then close the door with the remote. The door should start to close, then immediately reverse itself. Test the contact reverse system by placing a 2×4 on the floor in the center of the door, and then close the door using the remote. The door should close until it contacts the 2×4, then immediately reverse itself. If either of these automatic reversing systems fails to function properly, refer to your manual for troubleshooting or call a garage assembly professional.

Drive System

To adjust and lubricate your opener’s drive system, whether it’s a chain, belt or screw drive, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Some need lubrication; some do not. Some need adjustment; some don’t.

Don’t forget the easy stuff: Change the light bulb while the weather is nice and put fresh batteries in your remotes and keypad before they stop working.

Source: http://ift.tt/2pgcsjf

Aricle source here: 4 Tips for Maintaining Garage Door Openers

This Is One Seriously Cool Garage-Door Opener. Seriously.

NO ONE’S ASKED for a Nest-like overhaul of a garage-door opener, but Ryobi did it anyway. The Ryobi Ultra-Quiet Garage Door Opener opens a door to the future and to new frontiers of human existence.

But first, it will open your garage. The 45-pound belt-drive unit is designed for 7-foot aluminum garage doors. It’s billed as “ultra-quiet” and sports a big ol’ bank of LEDs. You get two car remotes, an outdoor keypad, and an indoor keypad—everything you’d expect from a garage door opener, especially a lime-green one.

But this thing came to party. The Ryobi Ultra-Quiet Garage Door Opener is the basis of a—wait for it—garage entertainment system. A built-in Wi-Fi antenna allows it to communicate with an iOS and Android app, because this is 2016 and a garage door opener needs a mobile app. Firing up your phone allows you to see if the door’s open or closed, open or close it, and mess around with its modular components.

Those modular components are the coolest thing about it. You can hook up a Bluetooth speaker ($54), adjustable fan ($54), or a dual-laser parking-assist module ($44) that replicates the function of a tennis ball dangling from a string but with lasers. A 30-foot retractable cord with three outlets ($64) provides plenty of juice, and a carbon-monoxide sensor module is coming soon

A handy charging bay for Ryobi’s 18V One+ battery, which is used in all of Ryobi’s cordless tools. If the power goes out, that same battery will also keep your garage door opening and closing for the duration of the blackout.

The main unit costs a reasonable $248 at Home Depot, but going full-on Katamari Damacy with the modules will cost you. Go nuts with all the add-ons and you’ll pay $504. Still, that’s a fair price to pay for the coolest garage on the cul-de-sac.

Source: http://ift.tt/2pMjJs3

Aricle source here: This Is One Seriously Cool Garage-Door Opener. Seriously.

Why spring is the best time to replace your garage door

Days are getting longer. The warmth of the sun brightens our spirits and it seems nature is waking from its long winter’s nap. For many of us, this season means renewal, when we want to do our spring cleaning. What’s more, we get our cars in order, change the tires, have the wheels aligned…

As well, it’s the time to clean up the garage and see how we can best arrange it for our DIY or family activities of the summer and fall. It’s also when we should examine our garage door system and consider if this might just be the time to replace it, especially if it was acting up during the winter.

Here are three points to consider that will help you in analyzing whether you should change your garage door.

At spring begins, you can negotiate a good purchase price

Most companies related to the construction industry try to start their year as early as possible, once the snow has melted. This is true for garage door businesses that often display their products at home shows where you can see for yourself which garage door suits your needs and tastes.

These companies often have attractive promotions if you make your purchase and installation early in the season. What’s more, if you haven’t shopped for a garage door in a long time, the ranges of styles, colors and insulation levels are sure to impress you! Negotiate the price and find the best bargain to satisfy you.

The spring system of your door has taken a beating after a severe winter!

If changing your door isn’t in your plans, then think about giving it a proper tune-up. The vast majority of service calls performed by garage door specialists are related to the spring system that serves as a counterbalance for the door.

After a harsh winter, and keeping in mind that the garage stays fairly humid during this time, it’s not unusual for a spring to break into two pieces. Replacing the spring system in the middle of winter is far from the most attractive thing for either you or a garage door technician to do. Springtime is the right time to do it, especially if the spring system hasn’t been replaced in a long time.

Remember that the useful life of a spring is around 5 or 6 years. It may not break, but after time, it loses strength and resilience. Don’t ignore the spring by thinking that it is the door opener that does the work of opening and closing your door. If the door is correctly balanced by a well-performing spring system, it appears to weigh between 8 and 10 lb. (3.5 and 4.5 kg). However, its true weight is more like 175lb (80 kg), meaning an older spring system with a weaker spring will be working harder and harder as time passes, getting closer and closer to its breaking point.

So, before taking your gardening tools, bicycles, and seasonal items out of your garage and while you can now leave your car outside the garage without the risk of being covered in snow, why not contact a garage door specialist in your area? This professional can give you a thorough report on the state of your door and spring system.

Safety: Of top importance!

When undertaking home renovation projects, we consider changing our windows and entry doors to be more energy efficient, but also to make them safer. We often forget about the garage door, which has become the most popular access to the house, either after putting our car in the garage or for our children returning home from school.

Safety also means protection against theft and home break-ins. We usually think about installing an alarm system for our residence, but too often forget about how secure our garage door is. Thefts of garage door remotes left hanging on visors in unlocked cars is the easiest way to be burglarized. Today’s technology has evolved to the point that it is possible to open and close your garage door with your smartphone. No more remotes!

Finally, recall that a garage door that doesn’t operate correctly risks injuring you or your family. Unfortunately, each year there are incidents of serious injury or even child death caused by garage doors where maintenance has been neglected. After a long, hard winter, springtime is the perfect time to either change your garage door system or give yours a thorough tune-up.

You’ve convinced me, so what should I do now?

If you’ve made the decision to change your garage door, the next step is to contact a local garage door specialist. They can easily send you a detailed quotation by email showing several models that suit your needs. If you prefer, they will happily visit you at home to present their complete range of garage doors or resolve any problem you are having with your current garage door.

Source: http://ift.tt/2nSDOeH

Aricle source here: Why spring is the best time to replace your garage door

Enjoy the Benefits of Electric Garage Doors

Not so long ago, electric garage doors were seen as an expensive luxury, the preserve of the rich and famous. Nowadays, thanks to technological innovations and improvements in manufacturing processes, this is no longer the case. Today, the cost of a brand new automatic door is within the reach of pretty much every homeowner in the UK and the many benefits they have to offer make them an extremely attractive proposition.

The Advantages of Electric Garage Doors

If you are not sure whether to have one fitted in your home, take a look at the list below: in it, we have detailed a few of the more obvious advantages that automatic garage doors have to offer.

Keeping You Warm and Dry in All Weathers – If it is pouring with rain or snowing heavily when you arrive home, having to get out of your car to open the garage door can be a real inconvenience. For properties with an integral garage, an automatic door makes great sense: you can open it without exiting your vehicle, drive straight into your garage and proceed into your home, without exposing yourself to the elements.

Safety – Modern electric garage doors can detect the presence of obstacles in their paths and will stop as soon as they do. There is no danger of anybody or anything becoming trapped in your garage door if you have a modern electric model fitted. Furthermore, the fact you can drive straight into your garage without getting out of your car means you are safe from potential attackers who may be lurking in the undergrowth nearby.

Security – The latest remote-controlled door openers generate a new code every time you use them, from one of billions of possible combinations!  This means they provide an excellent defence against intruders. While older models could be ‘hacked’ in a matter of minutes, there is no danger of this when you fit a modern system.

Time Saving – How many times are you in a hurry to leave your home because you are running late, or when you’re returning and you need to get into your home as quickly as possible? A touch of a button will ease that anxiety and your garage door will be either opened for you ready to drive out without wasting time, or for you to park your vehicle when returning home.

Low Cost Upgrade – If your existing garage door is in good condition, there is a very good chance that you can fit an automated opening system without replacing the door itself, making it an even more attractive proposition from a cost perspective.

Timed Closing – If you choose a new door from a manufacturer such as Somfy, you will be able to program your garage door to close after a set amount of time. Never again will you have to worry about whether you have left it open or not because it will be automatically closed after a set delay. The obstacle detection technology mentioned earlier will ensure that it will not attempt to close unless it is safe to do so.

If you would like to find out exactly how much it will cost to fit your garage with a brand new automated electric door or to upgrade your existing door, please feel free to call or email us at any time. We will be delighted to provide you with a detailed quotation and to answer any questions you may have.

See more at: http://ift.tt/2oTgBr3

Aricle source here: Enjoy the Benefits of Electric Garage Doors