The Cold is Here!

As we put away our tank tops and shorts and bring out the coats and scarves, we often forget about “winterizing” other aspects of our lives. Winterizing your home is a simple, but crucial task we must not forget. Most of us can agree that during the cold months, some things we all want are warmth, comfort, shelter, and a peace of mind. Keeping your humble abode warm and cozy, doesn’t just mean turning up the furnace and getting the extra blankets out of the closet. Don’t leave your home out in the cold this winter. Winterize your home inside and out.  This may involve adding a few tasks onto your to-do-list, but it will save you time and money in the future. A few suggestions for your “winterizing” checklist:
·        
Gutters- Clogged gutters can lead snow and ice run off straight to your basement and cause flooding. Be sure the water has a place to “run-off” to.
·        
Roof- Have your roof inspected by a professional. 
·        
Doors and Windows-Inspect your doors and windows.  Forecasters are predicting record lows this winter.  It may be time to upgrade your windows and doors. 
·        
Fireplace- Be sure to have your flue and chimney checked. Many fires originate in the chimney because creosote, which is flammable, and soot build-up on the chimney walls.
·        
Furnace-have it inspected and be sure to change the filter. It is recommended to change the filter once a month.
·        
Stock up! Be sure to have rock salt, snow shovels, and other necessary snow/ice removal equipment in your home so you don’t get “snowed-in.”
·        
Batteries for smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Heaters, fires, and furnaces can increase the amount of harmful toxic carbons emitted. Keep yourself and your family safe and prepared in case of any incident.
·        
Plumbing- To avoid freezing pipes, turn off all outdoor water faucets and drain hoses and AC pipes. If there are any exposed pipes, insulate them. Also, know where to locate your water main in the event of an emergency.
·       
 Garage Doors-winter tune ups can help prevent damage that the cold weather can have on your garage door.

Safety, Safety, Safety!

75% of garage door accidents involved two types of injuries:

- Doors falling on people

- Body parts getting caught in a door panel.

So to keep your family, pets, car, and home safe from hazards, follow the garage door safety tips below:

1. Make sure that garage door remote controls are out of the reach of children.
2. If the garage door is moving, do not stand in or walk through its path. Set a good example for your children in this regard.
3. Inspect your door and fittings monthly for parts that may be broken or worn.
4. When opening the door, avoid placing your fingers in between the door’s joints.
5. Learn how to operate the door’s emergency release feature and make sure that it is close by at all times.
6. If the garage door opener does not reverse when an object interrupts its sensor path, have this repaired by a technician immediately. Children could easily be trapped and seriously harmed by malfunctioning doors.
7. If you keep your door opener remote control in your car, never leave any connecting door between the garage and your home unlocked. Thieves or home invaders could steal your remote from the car and access your house through the garage.

How to replace garage door hinges and rollers.

Rollers and hinges should be replaced with your garage door up.

First you will be required to unscrew the bolts that are attached to the hinges.

Move the hinge outward from the door to move away from the roller track.

You should do the same to the other new hinges that you would like to install.

When reattaching the hinge, tip the roller back into the track, and position the hinge.

1. If you are dealing with a bottom hinge, remove all tension from the cable by unwinding the springs.
2. 
   
3. (Note: This is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, if you are uncomfortable with this contact us at Mighty Garage Doors)
4. 
   
5. Remember, the weight of the spring itself exerts a good amount of force, so, if disconnecting the cable is too difficult contact a professional (some cables are permanently attached to the lower bracket, making replacement an art form)
6. 
   
7. Do the roller replacement routine described at the beginning of this section.
8. Once all bolts are fastened down, remove all clamps, braces, etc., and test door manually a few times. Then, reengage the garage door opener if you have one, and make sure it works smoothly.

Teach your children about garage door safety.

Discuss garage door safety with your children. Explain the danger of being trapped under the door. Do not let them play with or use the puds button or transmitter.

When using the push button or transmitter, keep the door in sight until it completely closes. Teach children to never play under or near an open garage door. Do not allow children to run under a closing door.

Liftmaster Debuts new Operators

The LiftMaster Elite Series™ Belt Drive 8550 and the Premium Series Chain Drive 8360, Both debuted at IDA 2011. Liftmaster plans to make these two operators their flagship models.

These two new models bring something to garage door motors that could have never been dreamt of just a few years ago. Both models can be linked to Apple computers iphone devise. This makes it possible to both open and close your garage door from thousands of miles away. The operators are also accessible through your computer.

Liftmaster is the first garage door operator company that has brought this type of service to their product line.

Top 5 Garage Door Issues

It's funny how many garage doors we repair that could have been easily dealt with by regular preventative maintenance. We've created a top five list to help you prevent costly issues you may have to handle.

Issue #1

Old Rollers

Through out the life of a garage door, rollers can move up and down the track system thousands of times. And just like tires on a car they wear out. To prevent costly repairs due to roller breakage, replace your rollers every 5-10 years.

Issue #2

Photoeye adjustments

The garage door, for most households, is the highest traffic area of the home. With kids, grandparents and pets using it as the main entrance it can be easy to bump, nudge or even remove the safety sensors on the garage door. If your garage door doesn't close, the first thing you should check is your safety sensors and adjust accordingly.

Issue #3

Lubricated operator/motor rail

Not all garage door openers need to be lubricated but the ones that do should be done so every 1-2 years. Screw drive operator rails need regular lubrication. Chain and belt drives never need lubrication, even if some garage door repair companies say otherwise.

Issue #4

Operator/motor adjustments

Over time your garage door motor can lose some of the strength it has. A simple solution is adjusting the limit switches on your machine. The adjustment can be located on the side of most motors.

Issue #5

Garage door hinge lubrication

Lubricating your garage door hinges is a great way to keep them from breaking do to regular use. Simply take some lubricant, such as WD-40, and lightly spray them once a year for a quieter running door

I hope these simple solutions will help you in your garage door maintenance issues. If you need any more advise contact us via twitter.

Garage Door Service Pt. 1

It's easy to forget about regular garage door maintenance with our busy schedules. Besides, who ever wakes up in the morning and thinks, "Today I want to focus all my time and energy on how to repair and maintain my garage door"? Well luckily, we do. At Mighty Garage Doors, based out of San Diego, CA, we repair, replace, and sell garage doors and garage door parts. In this series, I hope to answer a few of the commonly asked questions about garage door service.

In the first part of this series, I'm going to focus on preventative maintenance of garage door operators. In the garage door industry we call them operators, but they are also commonly called motors or openers. If your garage door motor is giving you a hassel, either opening or closing you may have a broken spring on your garage door. If that is the case then immediately call Mighty door for fast friendly repair of your garage door springs. If the springs are not

broken, then the first place to look is your photo eyes, near the bottom of the garage door. Operator sensors that are not properly aligned, will not allow your door to close. Next, make sure your operator rail is properly lubricated with industry specific lubrication. You should only have to lubricate a garage door rail once every two years. Thirdly your travel limits or your sensitivity control could need adjusting. It's easy to adjust those with flathead screw driver. The adjustments are normally located on the side and back of the powerhead.

The three suggestions I have listed, can help your garage door

get back to working order 65% of the time. This saves you some greenbacks, and it saves us the time spent fixing something that you could have easily done. The above suggestions are only suggestions. If they do not help get your door back to working order, or if they make things worse, we can not be held responsible and highly recommend calling Mighty Garage doors for service.

Tweet