Why is your Huntley garage door jammed and what can you do about it?

Garage doors are made to go up and down. They go up. Then they come back down. That pretty much sums up their responsibilities (along with keeping unwanted things, animals and people out). When your Huntley garage door gets stuck, it stops going up and coming down. That’s generally not part of the plan.

The first question is ‘Why?’ Why would your Huntley garage door abandon its responsibilities so flagrantly? 

There are several possible explanations, including: 

• The cable that lifts the garage door is broken
• The garage door is off its track
• You have a broken garage door spring
• Something has jammed or is blocking the garage door from moving
• The garage door opener is broken
• The power is out and the garage door opener won’t work
• The garage door is locked

The next question is, ‘What to do about the problem?’

First a word of warning: There are parts of the garage door that could seriously injure a person or worse. It’s okay to take a look at the garage door to see if you can identify the problem but approach with caution.

For instance, if you find that a broom handle has fallen into the door’s path and has lodged in place so the door won’t operate, as long as you’re careful, you may be able to extricate the broom so the garage door can return to it’s assigned duties of going up and down.

If you notice that the garage door is locked you can unlock it. If you discover that the power is out to the garage door you can check the fuse box or circuit breakers. But be cautious here, too: there may be a short that tripped a circuit breaker and shorts can cause fires.

You may notice that the spring that runs side-to-side above the garage door is broken. This is definitely something you want to leave to the professionals. Those springs come with such force that they can take off a finger in the blink of an eye, or worse, if someone doesn’t know what they’re doing.

The same is true if the cable is broken. It’s possible you can put the garage door back in the track, if you approach it with caution, but the question is, ‘Why did it come out of the track and will it come out again?’

The garage door opener often requires the technical skills and experience of a professional. 

If there’s nothing apparently wrong with your Huntley garage door and garage door opener, you may want to call in a professional to perform some maintenance. Timely maintenance is the pound of cure that could save you from the problems listed above.

Time for Spring Cleaning? Don’t forget the Garage

Spring is only about a week away, officially speaking (Saturday, March 20). As the last couple of years have shown, this is no guarantee that we’re done with winter-like weather. But it does mean we’re on the downhill slope of this particular winter. Warmer weather is just around the corner. Well, we’ve actually had a taste of spring-like weather already.

The first official day of Spring typically puts a spring in our step, if you’ll pardon the pun. Major League Baseball starts Spring training, Robbins start chirping in the trees and flower buds poke their heads through the crusty soil. If you really want to embrace the sense that seasons are changing, get busy doing some Spring Cleaning. 

Tips for Spring Cleaning your garage

By this time of year, most garage floors are covered with the dregs of winter driving – dirt and salt carried in from the roads. The first step in getting at this layer of winter residue is to clear the deck. Move things up on the shelves, where possible, and out of the garage, and out of the way, so you can blast that filthy film away.

You want to put things that don’t do well with water out of reach, such as salt for the driveway and walkways (hopefully, you won’t need anymore until next winter anyhow). Now gather your tools:

• A hose with spray adapter
• Stiff push broom
• A mop
• A bucket
• Floor squeegee or wet vac
• Detergent (might try some vinegar, too)

Start by wetting the floor. Add warm water and detergent (vinegar) to the bucket and dip the stiff push broom into the mixture. Then start scrubbing. Once you’ve broken the salty dirt from the floor, mop up the floor and dispose of the dirty water.

Clean out your bucket and fill it with warm water. Then mop the floor with the fresh water. Once you have the floor clean enough, squeegee the water into a drain, if you have one, mop up the water or turn loose the wet vac. You may have to repeat the first step several times, but you should find yourself with a clean garage floor ready for spring and summer.

Straighten and Organize your garage

We generally use different items from the garage with greater frequency in different seasons. You use a rake more in the fall, a snow shovel in the winter, gardening tools and lawnmower in the spring and summer. 

You’ll want to move the fall and winter tools back out of the way (but keep the snow shovel handy for a little while, just in case) and bring the spring and summer tools to the forefront. Often, this means bringing the spring and summer tools to the middle shelves where they’re easily reached and putting the fall and winter tools in back, up high or down low.

It’s a good idea to coordinate your tools so that, for instance, your gardening tools are in one area, tools used in the house another set of shelves and tools for working on the car and other equipment are in another. Then you want another area for those recreational items in the garage.

Switch out your motorized equipment and ‘toys’

We’re getting closer and closer to the day where you’ll want to put the snow blower away, while parking the snow mobiles. At the same time, we’re also getting closer to the day when you’ll need the lawnmower. You’ll also want to get the jet skis ready for the season, as well as the boat.

As you put gas-driven equipment and ‘toys’ away, you want to prepare them for storage – clean them off and put some stabilizer in the fuel so that it doesn’t go bad while in storage (read the instructions carefully). Then you want to check the powered equipment you use during the summer to make sure that it all runs safely and reliably.

This is a good time for some garage door maintenance

While you’re doing your spring cleaning in the garage, it’s a good time to perform some garage door maintenance. How did your garage door and garage door opener fare over the course of the winter that is starting to slip away? Do your garage door and garage door opener need some adjustments? Is anything broken or badly worn? 

You’ll also want to lubricate your garage door. There are different types of lubricants used for different parts of the garage door. You may want to bring in a garage door technician to lubricate your garage, inspect its condition, and make any necessary adjustments to the garage door and garage door opener. Then, get ready to enjoy spring and the summer that follows.

What would Pepé Le Pew’s Valentine say about the smell of your garage?

Poor Pepé Le Pew the lovestruck skunk. All the ladies of the forest adore him until they get close enough for a good whiff. His distinctive odor is not conducive to reeling in his special Valentine. But Pepé is not the only one with odiferous difficulties. Your Valentine my turn up his or her nose when stepping into your garage.

WHAT IS THAT SMELL?!!!

There are a number of offenders who may bring less-than-pleasant odors to your garage. And different offenders bring different odors. To track down the culprit when your garage is presenting a hint of something unpleasant, cautiously give your nostrils a try (cautiously on the chance that the odor is from something unsafe).

What are some of the common odors found in garages? The smell of …

• Gasoline
• Mold & Mildew
• Oil-Based Paints
• Household cleaners
• Other chemicals
• Natural Gas
• Pests
• Etc.

If you smell gasoline, the first thing to consider is that, if that the smell of gasoline, if in a confined area can make you ill or worse. The first thing you want to do is open the door and/or a window. DON’T light a match until you’ve done something about the origin of the smell of gasoline. 

The smell of gasoline comes, logically, from gasoline. What do you have in your garage that contains gasoline? This can include your car, gas cans, garden and snow removal equipment, such as lawnmowers and snow blowers; motorcycles, snowmobiles, boats with engines and other vehicles. Rags soaked with gasoline will also emit the odor of gasoline but would dry up after a while.

Look signs of gasoline leaking from any of these items. Check that their caps are secure and not allowing gasoline vapors to escape. Once you find the culprit, you need to fix it.

The source of odors from household cleaners, oil-based paints and other chemicals are also found by tracking down the source. Many of these are toxic in a confined area and very often flammable. They can even prove explosive given the right conditions. Along with tracking down the source, you want to be very careful about what you store in your home and garage.

Natural gas will generally come from a furnace or hot water heater in your garage. If you smell natural gas, it’s probably best to call the gas company to come out, locate the leak and fix it.

Pests can build nests, bring edible items in that might decay, and use your garage as a bathroom. All of these activities can cause odors. Beyond orders, nesting pests can also cause damage to the structure of your garage.

Fortunately, it’s not likely that an odiferous garage will chase your Valentine away. Of course, if one of Pepé Le Pew’s cousins takes up residence in your garage, your Valentine may run anyhow.

How important is maintenance of your Spring Grove garage door?

There’s no denying it - winters in Spring Grove are cold and snowy. Some winters are colder and/or some bring more snow. But, if you live in this part of Northern Illinois, you just can’t hide from winter. Neither can your garage door.

Winter provides additional challenges for your garage door. The snow and ice are often invasive. They get into places in your garage door where their presence isn’t, shall we say, appreciated. 

The snow and ice can work its way in to the hinges where the garage door panels are joined. They can get into the bearings, rollers and tracks that guide the garage door up and down. In the process, they impede the ability of these parts to effectively do their jobs. They make it harder for the garage door opener to operate the garage door. At the same time, moisture from the snow and ice cause more wear and tear on the parts of your garage door and opener.

The cold is equally problematic for your Spring Grove garage door and garage door opener. Cold has a ‘funny’ effect on hardened components. It tends to make them more brittle, less flexible and less resilient in the face of hard wear that they experience during the operation of your garage door and garage door opener.

Some of the critical parts that are most affected by the cold, particularly bitter cold temperatures, include:

• Tracks
• Rollers
• Bearings
• Hinges
• Torsion Springs

Living in Spring Grove, there’s not much you can do about the snow and ice or the cold. Winter comes to the region and the cold, snow and ice come with it. But that’s not to say there's nothing you can do.

The solution is to increase your garage door’s ability to withstand the effects of the cold, ice and snow. This is achieved with 'maintenance.'

Garage door maintenance refers to adjusting the garage door, sensors and garage door opener so they operate at their maximum efficiency. Garage door maintenance also refers to applying lubricants to ward off the effects of the cold, snow and ice while you operate the garage door.

Lubricating components of the garage door begins with cleaning away rust and debris. The lubricants are applied next. Different lubricants are used in different areas. A qualified garage door technician will know how to adjust and lubricate a garage door and garage door opener so that the effects of a Spring Grove winter are minimized.

5-reasons your garage door inexplicably stops midstream

Of all the things on your mind, one that isn’t even remotely a consideration is that your garage door would stop midstream when you push the button for it to open or close. You count on your garage door to do as directed, as you direct it when you push the button on your remote, that a failure to complete its task is all-but incomprehensible. 

When it happens – when you push the garage door button and, before it reaches the top, or the bottom, the garage door stops moving, it’s perplexing. It’s frustrating. Not only do you have a potential problem to respond to, but you also have to operate the garage door without the garage door opener.

For the time being, there is a cord hanging down from the garage door opener assembly in the middle of the garage door opening. Usually, this cord is red. If you pull it, it disengages the garage door opener and you can operate the garage door the old-fashioned way – manually. But what about fixing the problem?

The first step in fixing the problem with a garage door that doesn’t close or open all the way is to determine what is causing the problem. The problem could be so simple as to make you laugh that you were worried. Or, the problem could require the assistance of a garage door professional to rectify.

The first thing to consider is your safety. Do not touch the tracks on either side of the door or the chain or belt and pulleys extending forward from the garage door opener. With that consideration in mind, take a look at the garage door assembly. Here are five things that could cause your garage door’s problem:

1. Is something obstructing the garage door? Check that nothing is getting in the way of your garage door. Could a snow shovel have slipped so the handle is pinched in the way as the garage door comes down or goes up? Anything that gets in the way can stop the garage door in its tracks.
2. Are the tracks blocked? The tracks are located on either side of the garage door. The garage door has wheel bearings that ride up and down in the tracks. While keeping your hands safely away, take a good look up and down the tracks to see if anything is getting in the way. Check that the wheel bearings are in good shape and aren’t bent and causing the problem.
3. Is the tension spring broken? It’s especially important to keep your hands away from the tension spring, which is usually mounted above the garage door. The tension in that spring is enough to be extremely dangerous. If there is a separation in the spring, there’s a good chance that it’s broken.
4. Is the chain or belt extending from the garage door opener broken or off the sprocket? The adjustment could also be so loose that the pulley isn’t gripping the belt or spring.
5. Are the sensors out of alignment and/or blocked? First look to see if anything is between the sensors that could be blocking the photo-eye method that they ‘communicate’ with each other? If they were knocked, they could be out of alignment and require adjustment.

If you find the problem and it’s not something as simple as moving a shovel so it doesn’t block the path of the garage door, you’ll probably want to call a qualified garage door repair technician to come and fix the problem. If you haven’t found the problem, it’s still a good idea to call that qualified garage door repair technician.

Is your Lake Villa garage door ready for winter?

 The snow has come to Lake Villa at last. Were you ready for it? Are you ready for the next big snowfall?

While you figure out how to remove the snow from your driveway, don’t forget that you want to avoid damaging your garage door in the process. You don’t want to bang the shovel, the snow blower or the snowplow against your Lake Villa garage door.

When it comes to plowing the snow, this includes applying caution that you’re not pushing heavy snow against the garage door. But, beyond protecting your Lake Villa garage door while removing the snow from the driveway, you also want to protect the garage door from the snow and ice in general.

When snow is pressed against the garage door it can infiltrate the seams between door panels where the moisture can cause hinges and bearings to rust. It can get under and around the garage door where it can impede the garage door’s ability to close all the way and effect the smooth operation of the garage door.

Ice and heavy snow are particularly troublesome when it comes to interfering in the operation of the garage door. They can create solid obstacles that get in the way.

If you have snow or ice under the garage door, it’s a good idea to scrape the snow or ice away so the garage door can come all the way down when you close it. Any ice or snow built up on the sides or top of the garage door or garage door opening should also be removed. But remove this snow carefully so you don’t damage the door, the gasket around the door or the garage door opening in general.

Speaking of your gasket around the garage door, is it in good condition? That gasket plays an important role in the operation of the garage door. It protects the parts of the garage door from the elements. It also keeps those elements and the cold from getting inside the garage when the garage door is closed.

Is your garage door insulated? If not, you may see frost building up on the panels when the weather is cold. When the weather warms, that frost will melt and can roll down into hinges and bearings of the garage door. If your garage door is not insulted, it’s possible you can add insulation. Or, if practical, you may want to replace the garage door with an up-to-date insulted model.

Like any other mechanical device around your home, you need to pay attention to your Lake Villa garage door’s needs. If you take care of your garage door, it will take care of you by providing years of unhindered service. 

Is the Antioch garage secure enough as a hiding place for those Christmas presents?

You don’t have to worry about the little ones. Their youthful naivete is sufficient that they won’t go looking. But Peter, that little rascal’s curiosity is definitely getting the better of him. The old hiding place, not really a hiding place at all, on the shelf in your master bedroom closet, of your Antioch home, isn’t even remotely secure enough. You’ll need to get a bit more ‘creative’ about hiding the Christmas presents this year.

For Peter’s sake, you’ve come up with just the right place to hide the Christmas presents. In the back of your Antioch garage is a deep, floor-to-ceiling closet. Put the presents up there and they are clearly beyond the inquisitive capacity of Peter to find them. The top shelf is high enough, and in the shadows, that there’s no way he’ll see them from the floor.

Of course, an adult wouldn’t have much trouble finding them at all. But Peter is only 8. You know he won’t find them in the garage. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to make sure you lock the doors. It was just a couple years ago that the Antioch Police were warning people to keep their garages secured.

Unfortunately, it’s not enough to just lock the side door and bring the overhead garage door down. Those recent break-ins that prompted the warning from the police involved someone hacking their garage door opener.

With all the money you spent on Christmas presents, especially with time you’ve missed from work due to COVID-19, the money you’ve spent is money you can’t afford to lose. And even if you could, the disappointment on the faces of the children Christmas morning is more than you want to contemplate.

Is your Antioch garage door secure enough for hiding the Christmas presents?

Can someone hack their way past your garage door – illicitly control your garage door opener? There are several things you can do to avoid this Scrooge-like behavior with an Antioch Christmas approaching, not to mention afterward. Here are some ideas:

1. Never leave your garage door opener in the car. If you do, all the nasty elves have to do is to break into your car.
2. Mount motion sensors by your garage to discourage the Grinch who might steal your Christmas. You might also install motion-activated security cameras. There’s a good chance the Grinch is a bit camera shy.
3. Install a padlock in the track of the garage door. Placed through a hole in the track, just above one of the rollers, the padlock can stop a burglar in their steps even if they hack the garage door opener.
4. Keep your code for your garage door opener remote secure.
5. Ensure that you have an up-to-date garage door opener that is more difficult to hack.

If you take these simple steps, the chance that some Grinch or Scrooge will break into your Antioch garage and make off with the kids’ Christmas presents, or any of the other valuables you keep in there, is extremely remote. On the nigh before Christmas, you’ll sleep soundly even if a creature is stirring, including a mouse. Of course, what to do about that mouse is a subject for another article.