26 February

Top 10 Questions about Garage Doors by Arden Mellor

Posted by mega

Do you use your garage – I mean for your car? Many garages are storage areas and workshops, while the vehicles sit outside, at the mercy of the elements. But no matter what you use your garage for, your garage door is important. Without it, your belongings, including your vehicle, would be open to thieves. So although many of us take garage doors for granted, there are some things you need to know about them. And our top 10 garage door questions will reveal those things.

1. What’s R-value and why is it so important?

The R-value on a garage door tell you how well it insulates. You might think that it isn’t important to insulate your garage, but there are several reasons why it’s necessary. If you happen to spend more time than usual in your garage, like if you have a workshop there, for example, then you’ll definitely be aware of the importance of insulation.

But your garage is also affected by its connection to the rest of your house, particularly if you have a room above it. Of course, if your garage isn’t attached to your house, you can get a garage door with a low R-value, or even no insulation at all.

So check the R-value of a garage door before you buy it. The higher the number, the better its insulation properties. For example, if you have a good quality 1-3/8” garage door, the R-value could be as high as 6.5. For a lower-priced door, with a 9/16” thickness, the R-value could be around 4.4.

2. What’s headroom, backroom and sideroom?

Headroom is the amount of space inside the garage between the top of the garage door and the ceiling. Backroom is the inside length of the garage, from front to back. Sideroom is the distance between the sides of the garage door and the side walls of the garage.

You need to know these dimensions when you’re installing a garage door because the hardware needs a certain amount of room to operate freely.

3. If I’m replacing my garage door, how do I remove the torsion springs?

Torsion garage door springs are under extreme pressure and, if not handled properly, could release with enough power to kill you! You need specific tools and training. Therefore, it’s highly recommended that you have a professional do this job.

4. How many cycles should the torsion springs be on my overhead garage door?

Torsion spring cycles are figured out mathematically. You take the average number of times your garage door goes up and down every day, multiply by 250 days, and multiply again by 10 years. The reason they use 10 years is because that’s the average life of a garage door.

You have a choice of 4 torsion spring cycles for garage doors: 25,000 cycles, 50,000 cycles, 75,000 cycles or 100,000 cycles. So you just have to know how many times your garage door will be opened and closed every day, and figure it out from there.

5. Can I paint a steel garage door?

You can definitely paint a steel garage door. If you use a good quality latex paint, it’ll last a long time. But don’t use an oil-base paint – it’ll bubble and peel off.

You can paint other garage doors, too. Wood garage doors look great when painted or stained. Fiberglass garage doors can be painted, too. The great thing about painting a garage door is that you can match it to the décor of the rest of your house.

6. How can I tell if my garage door is unbalanced?

You should be able to lift your garage door with one hand, no matter what the size. Garage door systems are specifically designed to take the weight off the door. If you can’t lift the door easily, then it’s probably unbalanced, and you need to call a professional garage door installer to fix it.

7. What are the advantages of aluminum garage doors?

Aluminum garage doors are easy on the mechanisms because of their light weight. Therefore, they last longer. However, there isn’t much difference between aluminum and steel garage doors if the door is 12 feet wide or less.

And, of course, when the garage door is finally worn out, aluminum is recyclable, which is really good for the environment.

8. How do I find out what high-wind rating I need for my garage door?

In high-wind areas, garage doors can be blown off their hinges – then they become very dangerous projectiles! So special steel-reinforced garage doors are made, using heavy-duty hardware, that can withstand winds from 75mph to 170 mph.

There are many areas, especially in the United States, that are subject to these very high winds. These areas have local standards for garage doors, depending on the severity of the winds. You can find out your local standards by contacting the building department of your local city hall.

9. Do I need to do anything after my garage door is installed?

It’s important, after your garage door is installed, that you totally familiarize yourself with the operation and safety guidelines. Make sure you have owner’s manuals for the garage door, and for the garage door opener, too, if you have one.

Your manual will outline the operation and maintenance requirements you’ll need to know to make your garage door last as long as possible. Also, garage door safety has been a source of great concern in the past. With new technology, it’s not as much of a problem anymore, but you do need to follow certain guidelines to avoid injuries.

10. What’s the best kind of garage door opener to buy?

There are many garage door openers on the market. Many of them are good. Some of the more popular ones are Genie garage door openers, Liftmaster garage door openers and Marantec garage door openers.

Which one is best for you is really a matter of choice. There are certain garage door openers that are designed for certain styles and sizes of garage doors but, on the whole, they all do the same thing – they automatically open and close your door so you can comfortably get in and out of your vehicle away from the elements.

In Conclusion

There are many choices when it comes to garage doors. There are wood garage doors, aluminum garage doors, fiberglass garage doors and steel garage doors. There are many styles to choose from, too. Many people like the retro style of the old carriage house garage door. Most people have their garage door match the rest of their house.

And of course, there are many manufacturers, too. Some of the more well-known ones are Clopay Garage Doors, Wayne Dalton Garage Doors, and Genie Garage Doors.

If this is too much information for you to handle all at once, then just relax comfortably at your computer and check out all the online garage door websites. You’ll find everything you need to know about garage doors online. And if you haven’t started to build yet, you can even get garage plans online. It’s all right there, at your fingertips.

So do some research and planning and, before you know it, it’ll all come together in the shape of a beautiful garage door!

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About the Author:

Arden Mellor is a successfully published freelance writer, one of experience and diversity. The knowledge brought to you through Arden’s articles has been designed for simplicity. The world is much too complicated, and Arden’s contribution to the world is to bring the complexities of life into a simpler arena, one that anyone and everyone can understand and use. Arden writes many informative articles on such topics as garage door parts, vinyl window manufacturers and coastal home plan, and our wishes are that you benefit from the wisdom presented in these articles in making life simple.

This article on the “Top 10 Questions about Garage Doors” reprinted with permission.