How to Secure Your Garage Doors
Garage doors are an essential feature of every house and presents a lot of benefits. However, not all homeowners realize how crucial they are. Some even think that they are just an additional expense. Let’s take a look at some of their benefits.
- They improve the aesthetic appearance of your house
Any garage door experts know that garage doors not only improve the appearance of the house but also increase it’s market value. There is a wide range of suppliers who can supply you with any garage door of your choice – from the traditional type to the modern style.
- They provide added security
The garage is the favorite entryway of burglars. Investing in a low-budget garage door can have expensive consequences. That’s because cheap doors have low quality and burglars can easily break it’s lock.
- They protect your property against the elements
Rain, snow, heat, and other elements can damage your garage, tools, and vehicles lessening its life cycle. Imagine what will happen to your car and your garage if there’s a full-blown blizzard. But if you have a garage door, nature can’t just do whatever it wants to your property. Moreover, a damaged garage decreases the market value of your house.
- They conserve energy
Heat from the house escapes through the garage and if there is no door to trap this heat during winter, you’ll end up with higher heating bills. Installing a premium insulated garage door will help you solve that problem.
Garage Door Maintenance
Garage doors are one of the most overused parts of your house. Sadly, it is also the part that receives the least attention when it comes to maintenance. The axiom ”love begets love” is somewhat applicable in this situation – if you don’t take care of your garage door, it can put a lot of stress to the automatic garage door opener that will lead to it breaking down. That situation can also give you a lot of headache and stress. Therefore, you need to schedule regular maintenance for your garage door at least twice a year. To ensure that you have thoroughly checked your garage door, here’s a checklist that you can follow:
- Listen and Inspect the Tracks
A well-oiled and well-maintained garage door doesn’t have a grating sound nor does it have jerky movements. Once you hear and see these, that is sign that something is wrong with it. Check both sides of the garage door system including the pulleys and rollers. You should also check to ensure that the garage door tracks do not have any dirt or debris. Check all the vertical alignments to make sure they are vertical. If they are not you can make some adjustments if they are minor. However, if the problem is much more serious than you expect, you should ask an expert to make the repairs.
- Adjust the Hardware
It is funny because many people often forget that their Craftsman garage door opener or LiftMaster garage door opener is not working simply because the power source is unplugged. While it can sound really ridiculous, this actually happens from time to time. But if you are sure that the power source is plugged, then it could be that it is broken.
- Inspect and Replace the Rollers and Pulleys
Schedule a checkup twice a year and replace any damaged rollers. Generally, you can just remove the brackets that hold them to the door. However, NEVER remove any of the bottom roller bracket found at the sides of the door because they are attached to the lift cables, which carry extreme tension.
You should also check the pulleys found at the bottom roller brackets. Most garage doors are equipped with either a torsion spring or an extension spring. Torsion springs are attached to a metal rod found above the door opening. Extension springs, on the other hand, are long and skinny. You can find them running alongside the horizontal portion of each door track.
While you can make some adjustments on the rollers, expert garage door installers do not recommend doing a DYI repair on broken cables and pulleys. These parts are under a lot of tension and touching them without expert help can result in an accident. To avoid any accidents from happening, call a garage door technician to do this.
- Check the Door Balance
If you have an automatic garage door, you’ll find an auto-reverse feature in your door. This function stops and reverses the door’s movement when the door hits any object while it’s closing, or it detects some obstruction in its path.
A pressure sensor controls this reverse system. You can test if it’s working properly or not by placing a small piece of board and place it on the ground below the door. Once the door touches that piece of board, it will automatically reverse it’s direction and go back up.
If it needs some adjustments, check the instruction manual that comes along with it. You will find information how to make adjustments or repairs for each part, including the auto-reverse function. If you are using a garage door that do not have this basic feature, you might be using an older model which does not pass your area’s building code. Check your local building regulations to see if you are in compliance or not. You might need a new garage door.
- Fix the Weatherstripping
The weatherstripping is the rubber part that runs along the bottom of the garage door. It keeps the elements, like dust and water, out of your garage. Most weatherstripping fits using a flange that slides into a groove. However, if you are using a wooden door, it is nailed in place. Regular checkups ensure that it is working properly and is still in good shape. Re-attach any loose weatherstripping and fix the damaged ones.
- Oil the Moving Parts
Continuous use makes even the best garage doors subject to the normal wear and tear. As time goes by, the moving parts wear down or damaged; however, you can prolong their lives by keeping them well-lubricated regularly.
For the moving parts, such as hinges and rollers, oil them using a high-quality lubricant like white lithium grease or WD-40. The solution ensures your parts free of any squeaking noises and in optimum performance.
Before applying the lubricant, clean the area from any dust or debris. Spray some lubricant on the beatings of torsion-spring openers and the pulleys found on extension-spring openers. If the parts are a bit rusty, spray some lubricant on it. If the opener has some rusty screws or bolts, lubricate these as well, but never use any lubricant on the belt-drive opener.
- Clean and Repaint the Door
Don’t just check the smaller and hidden components of your garage door. Check its appearance and condition as a whole. For example, if you are using a metal door, you should check if there are rusty spots that needed sanding, priming, and painting. Meanwhile, a garage door made of fiber glass could need some washing from time to time to keep it’s squeaky clean appearance. Water and an all-purpose cleaner will do the job.
If your garage door is made of wood, you have to look out for signs of warping and water damage. Clean the damaged area, sand it, and apply a fresh coat of paint. If the wooden door does not have any weatherstripping, make sure the bottom part is clean before painting or sealing it. You can also install a new one.
Basic Garage Door Operation Checklist
Sometimes, garage doors get broken not just by the normal wear and tear nor by the elements but also because of the lack of care. Sometimes it’s because owners do not know how to properly operate and care for it. Damage is not just a headache but it means you’ll spend more on repairs that should not happening the first place if you know how to properly care for your door. Here are some common issues and questions on basic garage door care and operation:
The proper way of locking your garage door depends on whether you are using an automatic or manual garage door. An automatic door has an electronic locking system controlled by a small remote control. All you have to do is click that remote to lock and unlock the door whether you are outside or inside. To ensure safety when you have automatic doors, make sure that you don’t leave your remote anywhere. If you are using manual garage doors, you can secure it with sliding locks or deadbolts.
Garage doors are easy targets for thieves and burglars, so you need to secure it by placing a lock inside. Several ways how you can lock it inside include using zip ties, padlocks, or a side lock.
Placing a zip tie on the manual release latch prevents thieves from pulling and opening the door from the outside. You can also secure the inside door with a simple padlock attached to the vertical track. You can drill holes if there are none near the vertical tracks. Securing your do this way prevents the door from being opened manually. Lastly, you can also use a side lock that you can latch into the vertical track. Install it with four bolts to place it securely on the door.
Whether you have manual or automatic doors, you need to secure your garage doors from the outside using use dead bolts or center mounts. Drill holes on the place where you will install the locks. Make sure, though, that the bolt and the deadbolt have enough space to pass through. After that, fasten the lock in place using screws. Then, test if the lock and deadlock passes perfectly through the rail. You can then use a durable padlock for added protection, especially if you’re going away for a long time.
Aside from side locks, you can manually lock your garage door using deadbolts or T-handle locks. Deadbolts give additional security to your door especially if you live in areas where robbery is rampant. These types of manual locks prevents even the most persistent burglars who will try to open your door by pulling the emergency cable. T-handle locks, on the other hand, offer a good measure of security against intruders.
Losing your garage door key or forgetting it inside the locked house is one of the most frustrating things that could happen to anyone. If it happens early in the morning, you can easily call the help of a professional lock picker but imagine if it happens in the late hours of the night. You need to pick the garage door lock yourself.
What you’ll need is a diamond pick and an L-key. Insert the L-key at the bottom of the lock hold and fiddle the diamond pick around the top part of the hole. Repeat the process until you can rotate the lock.
If you want to install a slide lock for your garage door, you need to have these three components – a slide lock, an exterior cylinder, and a lock cycle. Install the lock handle first, inserting the spindle into the square hole beside the operating lever. After the installation, turn the handle 90 degrees to secure the slide lock in place.
Take note, though that the exterior handle and side lock alone cannot lock the door. You need to install the lock cylinder so you can activate the release lever and put the bolt in place. If you want to ensure utmost security for your garage door, call Champion Garage Door Repair. They have an expert team who are skilled at anything about garage door locks. They offer slide lock installation services and garage door repair services as well.