Installing an insulated garage door is a good idea in the right situation

Northern Illinois experiences some brutal winters. Keeping warm both inside the house and inside the garage takes some thought and effort. Concerns about utility costs contribute to the harshness of winter. Anything we can do to create heat retention helps. When heat escapes from your home or garage, those are energy dollars sucked from your wallet. Insulated garage doors can make a big difference.

Installing insulated garage doors ultimately comes down to the preference of the homeowner. Not every circumstance requires them, but they certainly do add value.

If you garage is attached to the house, adding insulated doors helps. It’s even recommended, and more so if there are rooms above the garage. In these situations, your garage door is also a factor in keeping you house warm in the winter. The higher R Value (the capacity of insulation to resist heat flow) of the garage door, the warmer your garage and the warmer your house.

If your garage is not attached to your house, you may not want insulated doors. They still provide value if your garage is heated or insulated. If you use the garage for a workspace in the winter, it’s more of a factor. If none of these apply, then insulated garage doors are not your best choice.

Another value insulated garage doors provide is that roll smoother and quieter than uninsulated garage doors. This is based on the weight of the doors. Heavier is quieter. If this is the only reason you are considering them, also consider that heavier doors result in fewer cycles, or trips up and down, before maintenance on your garage door opener. Typically, a garage door opener has about 10,000 cycles before requiring maintenance. Along with heat retention, and lowered utility costs, this provides a better return on investment.

You have two choices in types of insulated garage doors. The first is a Pan Door. These are hollow with insulation glued to the inner surface. These can give you an R rating up to 9. Your second choice is a poly-foam injected garage door. These have much greater r ratings of up to R22. They also tend to be heavier, so consider the cost of cycle reduction if you choose to go this route. For reference, your standard 2x4 wall provides an R value of 13.

Consider these options before you invest in an insulated garage door. They will guide you to deciding if you truly want one and what style to choose. Ultimately, this is a matter of what you like for your garage. But, keep in mind, a good insulated garage door can help take the bite out of Northern Illinois winters.

Jack-shaft garage door opener offers space saving benefits

Whether you have a small garage or a larger garage you tend to keep full, if you want to save space in your garage, there are garage door opener options that can help. A jack-shaft garage door opener serves this purpose well.

Firs thing to determine is if a jack-shaft garage door opener is the right solution for you. You must have a torsion spring system. With a torsion spring style garage door, torsion springs serve as the counter weight to the door to keep it moving in a controlled and smooth motion as it goes up and down. Torsion springs mount against the wall above the garage door opening and take up much less space than the typical extension spring system, which extends back from the garage door. Thus it helps in a tight space.

The more common extension spring system has the garage door opener mounted on the ceiling somewhere toward the middle of the garage. It has rails, rollers and a spring system installed on either side of the door. This is a lot of equipment to get the job done. It works well, which is why most people have it. But, it takes up a lot of space, too.

Most modern garages are designed with a lot of space, which easily accommodates the extension spring system. But if your garage is older, it is probably smaller and may not easily accommodate this style of garage door opener.

During the late nineties, a trend among builders in Northern Illinois developed putting structural beams through garages that had a second story of the house above the garage. Often these beams get in the way of the optimal placement for the extension spring garage door opener system. The solution, in either case, is probably a jack-shaft garage door opener.

If all you want a cleaner look to your garage, with a ceiling free of machinery, or if you want to build a loft so you have more storage space above your garage, a jack-shaft garage door opener could be the answer.

The jack-shaft garage door opener is installed to the side of the garage door opening. All that is needed is 3” to 4”of headroom (space between the torsion shaft and the ceiling) and 8” of space between the garage door opening and the wall on the side where you want to install the Jack Shaft.  You will also need electricity in that corner. That does not mean running an extension cord over there. You’ll have to have an electrician install a grounded outlet in the corner where you want the jack-shaft garage door opener installed.

General routine maintenance for this type of system helps keep your garage door opener running smoothly. If, however, you have issues with the cable, if it goes limp or the door stops moving, call a professional for help. Since the springs are loaded with considerable tension, these repairs involve a high risk of danger. This is NOT a job to take on as a DIY project.

Everything considered, however, if you want more space in your garage, a jack-shaft garage door opener, with a torsion spring system, can serve you well.

Not doing anything Saturday night? Come out to the McHenry VFW, just east of the Fox River on Route 120, for Shop With A Cop. The event includes raffles, a silent auction, a live auction, food, cash bar and the live music of Hans and the Hormones. The Johnsburg High School Madrigal Choir is even coming in Victorian outfits to sing holiday songs. And all this fun will raise money so area police officers can take deserving children out shopping for the holidays.

The party begins at 6 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 21.

Yes, the elements will affect your garage door opener

The elements in Northern Illinois can affect the performance of your garage door and garage door opener. Fortunately, we don’t don’t have to deal with hurricanes here in Northern Illinois and tornadoes aren’t frequent, but storms still can affect us. For instance, our Northern Illinois winters are often vicious and can cause problems.

Polar vortexes, blizzards and ice storms give us enough to worry about each winter. But, with a little planning and care, you can prevent them from making problems for your garage door and garage door opener. Typically, your garage is warmer than outside. This means that each time you open your garage door, the threshold warms up and then gets cold again when the door closes. This warm-cold-warm-cold cycle causes ice to build up. This creates issues for your garage door opener. The opener has a set limit, preset to a range that the door goes to in its closed position. Even a buildup of half an inch of ice can prevent the garage door from reaching its limit to completely close. This in turn tells the garage door opener that something is in the way and raises the door as a safety measure. Taking the time to use your snow shovel across the threshold on a regular basis helps prevent this. Liberal application of ice-melt can help as well.

The cold and the changes from warm to cold and back again, also add stress to the rails, rollers and springs of the garage door opener. Contraction and expansion happen with each of these changes. A little preventative maintenance goes a long way to alleviate issues related to contraction and expansion. Make sure all moving parts are oiled and lubed appropriately. It’s easier to do this when it’s warm, but if you forget and find that you need to do this in the winter, don’t stress, just dress warm so you’re comfortable as you work. Fortunately, it only takes a few minutes anyhow. Using motor oil is effective and a 5W30 is easier to work with in the winter. An oil can will help you to dispense the oil onto the hinges and other moving parts.

Proper lubrication of the garage door’s moving parts will also help in the warmer months. And it does get hot in Northern Illinois, though not as hot as in some other regions. Just remember that mechanical devices generate their own heat when they work. When it’s hotter outside, they heat up more. Again, preventative maintenance goes a long way. If everything is oiled and lubed, this shouldn’t be a problem.

Even though, hurricanes aren’t a concern in the Midwest, the storms we do get can do damage to your garage door and/or upset the settings for your garage door opener.  Most often this results in cosmetic damage to the garage door panels. Unfortunately, the solution is generally to replace the garage door panels.  If your door is older, with ship lap panels rather than tongue and groove panels, you may find it harder to find replacement pieces. You could find yourself needing a full door replacement.

Lightning strikes can cause issues with your garage door opener. As with most complex devices, it contains a small computer that regulates various functions. A power surge, even from a brown out, can melt important components in the garage door opener. Plugging the garage door opener into a surge suppressor power strip can help prevent this. It won’t protect your garage door opener from all electrical surges, but it will protect it in many instances. In this case, a purchase of less than $20 can go a long way to help you avoid buying a new garage door opener.

Lastly, on a small scale, keep the photo eye devices clean. You’ll find these on attached to the garage door rails near the floor. These tell the computer in your garage door opener if there is something in the way when it is time to close. Anything obstructing the connection between the eyes lets the garage door opener know that it is not safe to close. Leaf build up in the fall, snow and ice in the winter, or spider webs any time of year, can affect this. It’s a good idea to occasionally check for this.

Even though we get some crazy weather in Northern Illinois, even brutal at times, routine maintenance and care can keep Mother Nature from affecting your garage door and garage door opener.

Is my garage door working the way it should?

These steps are the prescribed maintenance to keep your garage door working properly. But are you able to recognize when your garage door and garage door opener are not working correctly? Really know? If you hear any new noises, that’s a strong sign that there could be a problem with your garage door and garage door opener. Another sign is if the door is simply louder when your raise it or lower it. Either of these clues suggest that it’s a good time to seek help from a qualified garage door technician.

Another clue you want to keep an eye out for is black powdery residue around hinges and brackets. This is an indication that garage door and garage door opener parts are getting worn and may need replacement or, at the very least, adjustment.

Weather is another factor that can affect how well your garage door and garage door opener operate. Northern Illinois winters are often brutal. When the temperature decides to stay well below zero for an extended period of time it can cause additional stress on the garage door mechanism and garage door opener. Garage door maintenance is essential to dealing with this stress.

The colder things get, the more garage door and garage door opener parts tend to tighten. They’re also more brittle. Then, when they warm up, they loosen up. This process of expansion and contraction will change how the door runs. A tune-up adjustment is an extremely good idea.

And if you are familiar with potholes, (as a veteran of Northern Illinois winters, of course you are) you have experienced the way concrete and asphalt respond to extreme changes in heat and cold. If your garage door opener is adjusted based on the level of the concrete in the summer, you may find that the concrete has moved up in the winter. It can move as much as two inches, which will have a significant impact on the way your garage door and garage door opener operate. It can cause your door to reverse and open instead of closing. An adjustment can fix this, too.

Some of these issues involve routine maintenance that the homeowner can take care of easily. But, in some, a homeowner may want to call in a qualified garage door technician. Either way, keep in mind that a little preventative care should keep your garage door running at its best.

Race night pit crew accident highlights importance of applying caution to garage-door adjustments

It’s not quite NASCAR but, WOW!! The races in Madison last weekend were quite a thrill. The cars and trucks roared around the half-mile track with ear-shattering, earth-pounding precision. Occasionally, they bumped as they jostled for position. Once or twice, a car spun out. There was even an accident or two as the drive to compete overcame a driver’s ability to maintain control of their super-charged machine.

In the midst of this excitement a small tragedy occurred Friday, Aug. 21. As racers and their pit crews feverishly worked to prepare their cars for heats and qualifying laps, an ambulance appeared astride one of the racer’s pit area. An ambulance is a far-more frequent sight on the track and, seeing it in the pits, those in the other pits began glancing that way with a mix of curiosity and concern.

Slowly, the story drifted through the pits. Many of the cars are towed to the races on flatbed trailers. But, as the level of competition increases, more of the cars arrive in enclosed trailers. These trailers have overhead doors that work the same way that a garage door works back home. That means that they also have heavy duty springs that relieve much of the door’s weight so that it’s easier to raise the door and, constrains the door so it doesn’t slam down too fast when closed.

Adjusting or working with an overhead garage door is a ticklish thing. It takes experience and skill to get the door adjusted just right.

It’s also dangerous working with an overhead garage door. If the springs are released somehow the pent-up tension explodes free with the force that can kill a man. On the other hand, even if it doesn’t kill someone, it could seriously injure someone.

One of the racers in the truck class was, apparently, having trouble with the overhead door on her trailer. As the story went, her father, a member of her pit crew, was adjusting the overhead door when the tension on the spring was released. In a hair’s breadth of a fraction of a second, the spring ripped three of the man’s fingers off his hand.

It was explained that the fingers weren’t cutoff – they were ripped off.

It’s uncomfortable to contemplate the pain the man felt. With any luck, they were able to reattach his fingers. Even if they did, it’s clear that he and his daughter had a very long night.

The racers have a fairly tight community. Even if they occasionally disagree, even loudly, they tend to hold each other in high regard. They have a kind of camaraderie that is often evident among those who face the same perils together.

The races continued, short one racer, that night. But, there was a reverent understanding that the dangers don’t exist only on the track. It’s likely the racers and their crews will all approach adjusting their trailer doors with a little more caution in the future – the same kind of caution folks should apply with the overhead doors on their garages back home.

Do You Need a Pro for that Garage Door Opener Repair?

In a time when the internet is full of useful information and big box hardware stores abound, it’s easy for homeowners to get in over their heads on home repairs and maintenance. There are projects they can safely take on and there are projects where it’s probably wise to ask for some professional assistance, such as when it comes to garage door repairs.

The motivation is understandable; if you fix that broken garage door yourself, you expect to save some money.

It’s easy to look up garage door opener repairs on google, watch a video and have a sense that you understand what you need to do. But, when you put the theory into practice, you’re likely to find that repairing a garage door opener will prove more difficult than the video let on.

A garage door technician knows the little nuances that make garage door opener repairs go smoother. And, when the job is done, the garage door opener will tend to work better, too. It’s the little “tricks of the trade” that make a garage door technician more proficient in fixing your garage door opener. Take that project on yourself and you may find yourself dealing with substantial frustration long before the garaged door opener is actually fixed.

It’s the 10,000-hour rule that Malcolm Gladwell wrote about: the experience of an expert is something you can only gain from repetition. In other words, there is no substitute for experience and training.

On the other hand, you might want to consider the value of your time. A project, such as fixing a garage door opener, can that take you four or five hours to accomplish while a pro can have the job done in an hour. While you’re trying to figure things out the garage door technician is applying techniques that quickly address the problem with your garage door opener.

Another problem with fixing a garage door opener yourself is that working with garage doors involves a certain amount of risk – it can be dangerous. In particular, the large springs involved with garage doors pose a potential threat to your safety. That threat exists while you are working on the garage door and after you’re done, if the garage door opener is not repaired properly.

The springs serve as counterweights for your garage door opener. They’re under a great deal of force when under pressure. If that tension is released at the wrong moment, the spring can launch across the garage doing serious damage or injury. If the brackets holding the springs are loosened incorrectly, the nuts can fly out like bullets and the spring can shred a hand that is too close.

Garage door technicians frequently receive calls from someone who started on their garage door opener and then ran into problems. It’s hard to overstate the value of knowing your limitations – when to stop. If a homeowner starts a garage door opener repair project, and then realizes they need help, the concern then is that they may have created other problems.

A qualified garage door technician can usually arrive on fairly short notice to repair your garaged door. Though you’ll pay for their services, the cost usually isn’t that much and, in the long run, you’ll save time and aggravation while knowing that your garage door opener is fixed right.

Garage Doors & More pitches in at McHenry Fiesta Days Parade

The McHenry Water Well & Pump float was a big hit at the Fiesta Days Parade because John Matthesius put a lot of work into the float and because there was a big turnout of volunteers, including folks from Garage Doors & More: (From L to R) Wayne Seeley and Buzz Schert (in back), C.J. Adams, Beau Bristol (the owner of Garage Doors & More), his wife, Tracy Bristol, Makayla Bristol, John Matthesius, (Front to back) Gavin Bristol, Jodie Bristol Bristol,  Sarah Bristol and Mike Kutnick. Rich Rostron is on the safe side of the camera.

Drives open your Northern Illinois garage door and you have three to choose from

There are 3 primary drives that you can use to open your Northern Illinois garage door: screw drive, chain drive and belt drive. All work – they accomplish the task of raising and lowering your garage door. But they are not necessarily equal.

Screw drive garage door openers use a threaded steel rod to move the trolley that in turn raises or lowers the garage door. Adverse weather can hinder the performance of a screw drive garage door opener, which makes this garage door drive less than optimal for most homes in Northern Illinois where a polar vortex can cramp your garage door’s style.

Most garage door openers in Northern Illinois use a chain drive. It is the most common because it is the least expensive. Of course, it is least expensive upfront (we will discuss the real costs of the drives in a bit). The chain drive garage door opener uses a chain, similar to a bicycle chain, which moves the door along the track by pushing a trolley.  As the chain moves that trolley it raises or lowers the garage door.

Mechanically, the chain drive and the belt drive garage door opener function similarly. The difference is whether a belt or a chain is doing the work. The belt is considerably quieter.  Some think of these openers as high end products as they’re generally more expensive than chain drives. However, the price difference isn’t that great and the cost of maintenance over the lifetime of the garage door opener makes the belt drive more cost effective.

Upfront cost is typically the primary factor when people decide what to buy. Cost of owning a garage door opener can vary as much as the cost of at the time of purchase. Belt drive garage door openers tend to cost less over time, giving them more value. They require less maintenance than most chain drive openers.

Chain drives tend to wear out sooner and need replacement. And eventually something is going to bump into your garage door, perhaps more than once. The design of the belt drive helps it hold up to normal abuse better than the other types of doors.

Of these three types of garage door openers, belt drive is preferable to a chain or screw drive garage door opener, all the more so here in Northern Illinois.

Torsion Vs Extension Spring is a crucial question when choosing a garage door opener

For your garage door to move smoothly, to open and close in a controlled manner, it requires a counter balance. The springs on your door provide that. There are two types of garage door springs used for this purpose.

Extension springs are mounted to the sides of your garage door opening and run along the rack that the door runs on, one on each side. Extension springs perform as the name implies – they extend and contract. Extension springs are less expensive but you get what you pay for.

Extension springs have more moving parts. More parts mean more things that can break and require repair. That lends itself to more ongoing costs to keep these garage door springs working.  Extension springs are rated to perform for ten thousand cycles. As they wear down, the springs may not pull evenly. Then you will see you garage door moving crookedly until it reaches its end point open or closed. Think of the way window blinds move when the draw cords aren’t properly balanced.

Torsion springs are more common. They’re more expensive but they hold value in terms of maintenance and longevity. This type of garage door spring is mounted just above the garage door opening.  Torsion garage door springs work are wound to create the tension needed to counterbalance the door movement.

Because of this, they’re less likely to move the garage door unevenly.  Unlike the extension spring, you can also upgrade torsion springs for your garage door, providing twenty-thousand cycles instead of just ten. That’s twice as many times you can open and close your garage door.

Safety is the biggest factor between these two types of garage door springs. Sometimes springs break.  When that happens, the risks involved vary greatly between torsion and extension springs.  Since the torsion spring slides over a metal shaft that it is wound around, if it breaks, it stays in line with the shaft.  The energy released from the break is controlled.

Extension springs tend to break under the greatest amount of tension, which is when they are extended the fullest. The sudden release of that tension works like a rubber band that is stretched and released. It can turn into a projectile. Who wants a large metal spring flying around their garage?

Extension garage door springs provide a less expensive means of opening your garage door smoothly. If you are searching for a garage door opener, consider the torsion spring. It will require less maintenance while providing for a longer life span and greater safety. The greater value balances out the up-front cost for your garage door and may cost less in the long run.

Thieves go 'fishing' to open a garage door

www.garagedoorsandmor.com

With that new garage door opener, you’re feeling pretty secure about the contents of your garage. If it’s an attached garage, you’re even feeling more secure about someone using the garage as a point of entry into the house. Even if you’ve had your garage door opener for a while, you may have felt the same sense of security but for a longer time. The question is whether that sense of security was misplaced.

A creative thief, or someone else trying to break into your garage and/or home, has ways of getting around your sense of security. While video surveillance and an alarm system are not bad ideas, there are things you can do to make sure your garage isn’t the soft spot someone who wants to break in is looking for.

There’s a little-known term that could spoil your sense of security when it comes to garage doors and garage door openers. That term is ‘fishing.’ This has nothing to do with baiting a hook on a pole and dropping it in a lake. Rather, this has to do with overriding the security offered by your garage door.

‘Fishing,’ in terms of opening a garage door, involves pressing back on the top panel of a garage door so that someone can slide a wire, such as a coat hanger, with a hook inside. Then, they snag the disconnect cord. A little tug and they’re in.

Fortunately, not all garage doors are as susceptible to this ‘fishing’ technique. It’s not generally a difference between the manufacturers of the garage door opener though. Rather, it’s a question of installation.

If a garage door opener is installed properly, it’s virtually impossible to use the ‘fishing’ technique to break in. The trick is in the settings of the garage door opener. This refers to the stop points when opening and closing the garage door. Obviously, if the door is open, there’s a bigger question of security and ‘fishing’ isn’t necessary.

The trick is with setting the stop point of the garage door opener. To avoid fishing, when the garage door is all the way down, keep running the garage door opener down for a moment. This locks the top panel in place so that a linebacker would have a very hard time pushing the panel back.

There are other tricks nefarious individuals have for breaking and entering through a garage. We’ll get to some of those later. For now, when you bring your garage door down you’ll want to make sure it’s set properly. Then, you can even go fishing without worrying about someone fishing back at home or the office.