Frequently Asked Questions

Depending upon the damage involved to the garage door system, it is possible in many cases to replace a section of your garage door. We can evaluate your situation and give you a recommendation on the best course of action.

R-value is a measurement of thermal efficiency of a garage door, or how well it insulates. This number is calculated based on the thickness of the insulation and its chemical properties. Therefore, most of the published R-value numbers reflect only the R-value of a section, not of the installed door. A door's insulating capabilities can be greatly affected by the door's construction.

Insulation is an important factor to consider when purchasing a garage door. If you plan to spend a lot of time in your garage, or if you have a room directly above or adjacent to your garage, you will want to purchase a door that offers a high R-value. If your garage is not attached to your home, or you are not concerned with insulation, you can purchase a door with a lower R-value or no insulation at all.

The strength of a steel garage door is measured by its gauge number. The lower the gauge number, the thicker and stronger is the steel.

Headroom is the distance between the top of the door and the lowest point of the ceiling or any obstruction such as a garage door opener rail, pipes, or ductwork.

Standard headroom applications require 12" to 18" of space between the bottom of the opening header and the unobstructed ceiling. However, we can supply custom-built applications. Varieties of special track options are available and make it possible for many unusual garages to be fitted with doors. By using the low-headroom track, it is possible to install a door in an area that has as little as 6 1/2" of headroom.

Other special track applications include:

1. Vertical lift track, for use in situations where the ceiling is extremely high and the garage door has room to lift straight up.
2. Follow-the-roofline track, which is used when the ceiling of the garage is pitched at the angle of the roof, making it desirable for the door to follow the same angle, thus providing an additional overhead room.
3. Hi-lift track, which is used when the ceiling is unusually high, but the door must still retract to a horizontal position.

​Yes! Low headroom kits are available. If your door came with extension springs, the needed headroom can be reduced to 4-1/2”. Torsion springs systems can be reduced to 4-1/2”. For more information, contact us at 888-550-3667.

The window section can be placed in either the third (2nd from top) or the fourth (top) section.

The lower the gauge is, the thicker (and stronger) the steel. For example, 24-gauge steel is thicker than 27-gauge steel. However, a “sandwich” constructed door with two 27-gauge steel skins and a bonded insulated core is stronger than a “steel frame” door with a single 24-gauge steel skin.

Most steel doors can be painted with any high-quality exterior paint (Do not use oil-based paints).

A garage door opening is very large. Insulated doors will help to reduce the transfer of heat or cold air into your garage. This is important for a number of reasons:

1. If your garage is attached to your home, the air in the garage can travel through the doorway to your living area.
2. If you use your garage as a workshop, your comfort will be a top priority.
3. If your garage is below another room in your home, air can travel through the ceiling of the garage into the floor of the room above. An insulated door will keep temperatures in the garage fairly stable to reduce the temperature fluctuation in the room above.
4. An insulated door is generally quieter and has a more attractive interior than a non-insulated door.

Steel doors may require less maintenance than a wood door. Most steel doors are pre-painted with a factory-applied baked-on coating. We recommend an annual cleaning of the exterior of the door with a common household detergent and warm water at least one time per year. Some wood doors are unfinished and need to be primed and painted or stained on all six sides of the door upon delivery. We recommend visual inspection of the paint or stain finish on wood doors one time per year to confirm if another finish application is necessary.

Vinyl Garage Doors considered more expensive than the steel in regards to upfront costs. When product warranties and maintenance are included, vinyl is often the more cost-effective between the two. Vinyl is highly resistant to dents, while steel tends to develop dents or dings when struck by a ball or other objects.

There are several tests you can perform to tell if your door is balanced. Before testing your door, disengage your electronic opener.

1. Raise your door in 1' increments, and the door should stay in place.
2. When you lower the door, the door lowers in a controlled manner and doesn't slam down.
3. When you raise the door, the door rises at a controlled pace.
4. When the door is fully raised in the open position, the bottom of the door should be aligned with the bottom of the header of the door opening.

If an electric garage door opener has been installed on your door, it may not be necessary to have a lock. Newer electric openers function as the lock, making it improbable that an intruder would be able to lift your door from the outside. If you have an older opener, check to see if your door can be lifted from the outside. DASMA, the trade association for the garage door industry, discourages homeowners from attaching a lock when an opener has been installed because too frequently, a child or other family member will accidentally lock the door. If someone then tries to open the door using the electric opener, the opener will pull against the lock causing the door to be damaged. If no opener is installed on your garage door, a lock is highly recommended.

The two types of springs used on garage doors today are extension and torsion springs. Extension springs are attached on either side of the door and stretch along the horizontal track when the door is closed. Torsion springs are typically located just above the top section of the door and are mounted to the header. They are wound springs and do not expand or contract when the door is moved. Some homeowners prefer torsion springs because these springs offer more safety and provide better balance to the door for smoother operation.

Two common insulation materials used in garage doors are polyurethane and polystyrene. Polyurethane and polystyrene both have some distinct advantages and some disadvantages. Both materials are commonly misrepresented and misunderstood. Polyurethane foam is a two-part system. It begins with two chemical blends that when mixed together expand and cure to fill the garage door panel.

During the expansion, the foam flows and completely fills the inside of the panel and comes in complete contact with and becomes fully adhered to the steel skins of the garage door panel to form a composite structure that is of exceptional strength and rigidity. Polyurethane foams are very stable when encapsulated (fully enclosed) inside a garage door section.

Polystyrene foam board must be attached to or inserted into the door sections. The foam must be held in place by mechanical means or by bonding the foam to the door skins by using adhesives (glue).

Insulating with polyurethane provides a superior product with higher insulation properties and a stronger unitized section.

You can make sure your garage door is properly balanced and is not sticking or binding:

1. Lift the door about half-way open as shown. Release the door. If properly balanced, the door should remain in place, supported entirely by its springs.
2. Raise and lower the door to see if there is any binding or sticking. The door should move easily, without dragging or becoming difficult to move. An easy rule of thumb is that a 10-year-old child should be able to lift and lower the garage door with little or no effort. If the door is hard to lift, the door must be serviced and adjusted by a professional authorized dealer.

Each style of the "drive system" has its advantages. Chain drive and belt drive openers work well in all types of applications. Screw drive openers are better choices when you have a one-piece tilt open door, as they run slightly slower, and allow a smoother movement of the one-piece type of doors.

Belt drive openers are the smoothest, most quiet openers we manufacture and have an excellent reliability record. They are recommended for use whenever noise and vibration are important considerations. If there is a living space above or near the garage, the belt drive openers will minimize the amount of noise generated by the opener. Chain drive openers have been in production for the longest amount of time, and offer dependable performance year in and year out. Regardless of which type of opener you choose, all of our drive systems are very reliable and require virtually no maintenance throughout the life of the opener.

This is rarely the possible or appropriate way to replace your opener. Due to changes in the design of the systems, and for warranty purposes, it is strongly recommended that all new components are used for the new opener. In addition, although it may seem to be an easier way to install a new opener, it may actually be more difficult to attempt to replace only the motorhead.

​AC Motors are less expensive and easy to manufacture. Speed is constant and hard to control efficiently. DC Motors are more expensive as they are more complex to manufacture. Also, additional components are required to make them work with the standard AC current found in homes. Speed can be controlled more easily with a DC motor and more accurately. They have a quick response to control signals. Due to easier speed control, DC motors can be used in applications where powerful but in control, performance is desired, such as the Liftmaster soft start/stop feature.

Safety should be a key consideration when selecting a garage door or opener, a garage door will be the largest moving item in your house, and failures can cause serious injury. Doors can vary dramatically in the safety features they include.

A special panel edge design, prevents finger entrapment between panels, inside and outside of the door. Rolled over edges on stiles, panels and reinforcing reducing the risk of cut fingers. In-line wheels and tracks that do not protrude behind the door, reducing the chance of finger entrapment at the sides of the doors. Locking bar end covers preventing injury to fingers.

• An automatic reverse function so if the door comes into contact with an obstruction on its downward journey it goes back up, or if it comes into contact with an obstruction on its upward journey it automatically stops.
• An optional extra, safety infra-red beams can be fitted to the opener, so the door will automatically stop and reverse if the beam is broken whilst the door is closing.
• Mount garage door opener control buttons out of the reach of small children (at least 5 feet from the floor), and where you have a clear view of the door.
• Don’t let children play with the garage door remote controls. Explain remote controls are not toys.
• Set a good example for children by discussing garage door safety and explain the dangers of being injured by the door.
• Know how to use the door’s emergency release feature. The owner’s manual provides instructions.
• Visually inspect your garage door each month. Look at the springs, cables, rollers, and pulleys for signs of wear. If any of these components appear damaged, contact a qualified garage door professional for inspection or repair.
• Do not attempt to remove, adjust or repair cables and springs, or anything to which these parts are attached or fastened. A trained door system technician using proper tools and instruction must make repairs or adjustments. These parts are under high tension and can cause serious injury if not held properly.
• Test your garage door opener’s reversing mechanism monthly by placing a 2 x 4 board or a roll of paper towels in the door’s path. If the door does not reverse after contacting the object, call a qualified garage door professional for repair.

In a lot of cases with garages today, they are an entry point into your home. The last thing you want to have is an unwanted intrusion through your garage. It is important to consider the features that will be included with your door and opener, to help prevent this from occurring.

• Does the door have double bar locking?
• Is it fitted with a pick resistant lock design?
• While on vacation or away from home for extended periods of time, unplug the garage door opener unit or use a wall vacation lock console security switch, which is an optional accessory to most openers.
• If your opener doesn’t have a rolling code technology system, be sure to change the manufacturer’s standard access codes on the operator and remote control. By using the standard factory settings, your garage is vulnerable to break-ins by anyone with the same brand of remote control.
• Consider purchasing a garage door opener with rolling-code technology, which changes the access codes each time the transmitter is used to prevent code-grabbing.
• Wireless keypads, which activate the garage door opener with a personal identification number (PIN), are available for most garage door openers. This allows family members to open the door without the use of a key or remote. Never disclose the PIN or leave it written down. Any mounting location for a keypad or wall button must be in direct line of sight with the door.
• Never leave the remote control in the car or with a parking attendant. It should be treated like a house key.
• Always lock the door from the garage to the inside of your home. It’s a small inconvenience for safety and security.

It is recommended that you wash your steel door a minimum of one time per year with: One cup of Tide® (or other common detergents which contain less than 0.5% phosphate), dissolved into five gallons of warm water. NEVER BLEND CLEANSERS OR DETERGENTS WITH BLEACH.

The use of a well-soaked cloth, sponge, brush (with very soft bristles), or low-pressure spray washer is recommended. Once the door is washed, thoroughly rinse with clean water to eliminate the possibility of residue. In addition, the lubrication of rollers and hinges is recommended on a yearly basis. Visually inspect springs and cable for wear and binding once each year and contact a professional garage door dealer/installer if the damage is suspected. Do not attempt to remove, repair, or adjust springs. HIGH SPRING TENSION CAN CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.

The two major contributing factors to the breakdown of the doors' finish (ultimately resulting in rotting and warpage) are sun and moisture. Annually examine your door for any signs of paint finish cracking or peeling or for any cracks in the wood door section. If the door is painted, the manufacture recommends that it be repainted every 1-2 years to protect or seal the door against the elements. Failure to do so will result in the voiding of the warranty. If the door is stained, reapply stain as needed per the stain manufacturers' recommendations. In general, the clearer the stain, the more it will need to be reapplied.

Minor cracks in the wood should be repaired by filling in the area with an exterior grade caulk compound and then refinished following the previous instructions. Failure to repair cracks could potentially lead to more extensive section damage in the future. If extensive damage occurred to the door, the door manufacturer recommends that the door section be replaced. Failure to do so could result in damage or injury to property or individuals in the garage.

Steel Hinges: Sparingly lubricate with all-purpose machine oil. Also, lubricate wheel to axle bearings. Plastic Hinges: No lubrication is generally required, however silicon spray may be used if necessary. Springs: Wipe over with an oily rag. Locks: Your lock does not require special maintenance, however, if the key becomes stiff, a spray lubricant is recommended. Do not grease the lock. Opener Chain: Lubricate with Chain Lube

Receive a 30% Tax Credit (up to $1500) when you install an approved, insulated Garage Door.*

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which changes several provisions in the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 (HR 1424), entitles homeowners a tax credit for qualified energy-saving improvements they put in place on their primary residence. Included in the approved products are qualified garage doors. The tax credit equals 30% of the product price up to $1500. The credit applies to the product purchaser only and does not include labor. The maximum credit of $1500 is for any and all combined qualified products for the home including windows, entry doors, and garage doors. The qualified improvements must be installed on an existing home between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2010.

Residential garage doors that have a U-factor of equal to or less than 0.30 qualify for this tax credit.

Additional requirements are:

1. The garage door must be installed on an insulated garage (conditioned space).
2. The garage door must be part of the customer’s principal residence.
3. The garage door perimeter must have the means to control air infiltration.
4. The garage door must be installed in the years 2006, 2007, 2009, or 2010.
5. The garage door must be expected to remain in service for at least five years.

Taxpayers receive a tax credit of 30 percent of the qualified energy-efficiency improvements installed during 2006, 2007, 2009, or 2010, up to $1,500. The cost of installation does not qualify.

​A Manufacturer Certification provided by the garage door dealer or found on the manufacturer’s website and the dealer’s breakdown of the door cost and the cost of labor should be obtained by the homeowner. Copies should be kept for homeowner records, but do not need to be submitted with the tax return.​