Q. When should I replace a garage door with a new one?

Here's a question we get all the time. Our friends here at Amarr have a great answer.

A. If your garage door does not operate, the door is a potential hazard. Do not try to fix on your own, instead contact a professionally trained garage door dealer. Another reason to replace a garage door is to enhance your home’s curb appeal. According to the 2010 Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report, garage door replacement is the #2 remodeling project in regards to return on investment. The report states that replacing your garage door will return 84% of the cost at the time of home sale. Lastly, your current garage door may be fading, sagging and just in need of a replacement. If you have a wood garage door that needs re-painting, replacing it with a new pre-painted steel garage door may be a better value. Painting a garage door adds significant weight to a door which may affect the spring and the performance of the garage door and opener.

Cheers,

Shawn Black Garage Doors Unlimited  

858-751-2580 | http://www.gdugaragedoors.com/

5 Reasons Your Garage Door Needs Our Service!

1.    Children: kids are the highest at risk and lead the statistics when it comes to garage door injuries. Teaching your kids to good garage door safety and keeping their bikes and pay equipment properly inside will cut down your risk of injury.

2.    Weather: Living in San Diego is we don’t have the same kind of weather concerns as other parts of the country but Southern California is rated for 110mph wind gust, or an exposure C rating. This means the wrong garage door can be a big mistake. If you are in parts of San Diego like Romona or Alpine you should consider a triple layer door.

3.   Cars: Forgetting to open your garage door while in a rush to get out of the house can be a costly mistake. Ask about our garage door monitors and if you happen to run into this kind of problem we will be happy to come out to give you a free estimate, no questions ask. = )

4.    Substandard Repairs: There are plenty of dishonest individuals chuck and his truck kind of companies out there and even as many that don’t grasp what they're doing. Sometimes, their repairs can work for a moment, however one you can be sure if they come back for a “do over” it won’t be free and will they will probably find a new cause of your problems. If you've got any issues, do you yourself a favor and have San Diego’s best garage door repair specialist come out. Garage Doors Unimited has factory trained technicians ready to service your door and do it the right way the first time.

5.    Lack of normal Maintenance: Most homeowners never realize that like most mechanical items in their home the garage door & opener needs to be serviced. You should check with the recommended service times from the manufacturer but a good rule of thumb is twice a year have them lubed and tuned, and balanced.

Here is a little help to get you started on updating your old openers with a new safe, quiet and reliable model!

Cheers,


Shawn Black Garage Doors Unlimited  
858-751-2580 | http://www.gdugaragedoors.com/

My Garage Door Won’t Close!

Chances are you have run into this problem before and it is one of our most frequently asked questions. There are a number of things it could be but more times than not it’s the little sensors at the bottom of the door. Below is a break down from LiftMaster on how to handle this problem.

 

 The LEDs on both the sending and receiving sensors will glow steadily when the wiring connections and alignment are correct. The amber LED on the sending sensor will glow regardless of alignment or obstruction. If the green LED on the receiving sensor is off, dim, or flickering (and the invisible light beam path is not obstructed), alignment is required.

Note: On the older safety sensors both LED lights are green. The receiving sensor is the sensor that the green light goes out when you pass your hand in front of the sensor. The sending sensor stays solid. 

1. Remove the receiving sensor(green LED) from bracket. You can do so by taking off the wing nut.
2. Point the sensor away from the sending sensor, so that the LED light is completely off.
3. Once the LED light is off, wait 10 seconds.
4. Slowly rotate sensor back until it lights again. When you have a strong green light, put it back into the bracket and put the wing nut back on.

NOTE: If you are unable to get the door closed and the safety sensors are the issue, the garage door can be closed by pressing and holding the Door Control push bar until down travel is completed.

 If you are still running into issues be sure to contact us, if we can assist you on the phone we will. If not we have factory trained service technicians ready to assist you in your time of need. For more information about our garage door service feel free to give us a call at 858-751-2580 or visit us at www.gdugaragedoors.com and click on the contact us page.

Cheers,

Shawn Black

Garage Doors Unlimited

858-751-2580 | http://www.gdugaragedoors.com/

Common Issues

We have a lot of the same questions every day here at GDU and so I thought we should do a post on some of the common issues with garage doors. Luck should have it Amarr has a great list that I will repost here.

Hope these help answer some of questions out there! If you have any questions or would like to find out more information about our garage door service feel free to give us a call at 858-751-2580 or visit us at www.gdugaragedoors.com and click on the contact us page.

Common Issues

• My door squeaks when it opens and closes. Springs, rollers and hinges can squeak and be noisy. This is caused by normal use and does not necessarily indicate a problem. Before calling a professional service technician, use a spray-on lubricant (recommended specifically for garage doors). If the noise persists, call a professional garage door installer for service.
 
• The Cable is frayed.  Contact a professional garage door dealer/installer. Do not attempt to remove, repair or adjust springs or cable. HIGH SPRING TENSION CAN CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.

• Garage door does not open smoothly, but in a jerky motion or with loud noises.  This may be due to the lack of maintenance of the garage door or garage door opener.  Consult a garage door dealer for a service check-up.  

• When I push the button on my garage door remote, the garage door doesn’t open.   This could be due to several issues.  The most common is that your garage door remote may need the batteries replaced.  The safety photo eyes on your garage door opener may be out of alignment or your spring(s) may be broken.  Please consult your local garage door dealer for help. 

• My garage door does not close all the way, but goes back up into the open position.  An object may be blocking the path of the photo eye sensors of a garage door opener or the photo eye sensors of the opener may be misaligned.
 
• I have a black residue on the exterior of the garage door.  These marks are caused by the oil-coating that is on torsion springs.  Care for your garage door with an annual washing of the door to remove these marks.
 
• The bottom of my garage door has rust spots.  These rust spots may be caused by salt used during the winter to melt ice and snow or chemical splatter from a driveway cleaner.  Make sure to clean your garage door with water and soap to remove any debris that may remain on your garage door exterior.

Cheers,

Shawn Black
Garage Doors Unlimited
858-751-2580 | http://www.gdugaragedoors.com/

Do I need a lock on my garage door?

I have been seeing a lot of post and stories about garage door break ins, and because we have this on our FAQ I felt it was important to address this issue. So, the question is do I need a lock on my garage door?

A. 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!! 

In addition to a lock I would recommend a garage door monitor if you are in the habit of leaving the door open.  Most of the break-ins regarding garage doors are simply doors left open.

If any of you have any questions about garage door security please contact me at 858-751-2580 or at our website www.gdugaragedoors.com for further assistance.

Cheers,

Shawn M. Black

Garage Doors Unlimited

www.gdugaragedoors.com

info@gdusandiego.com

How Do I Know If My Door Is Properly Balanced?

Another post from our FAQ list, this has come up recently so I felt I should post it!

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

You can find more information by visiting our website at www.gdugaragedoors.com

Cheers,

Shawn

Garage Doors Unlimited

Ahoy Sailor! My Garage Door Won't Open!

This week we received more than the usual amount of phone calls about openers not working. Now we have tried to explain that when the Navy pulls in ships or subs that all bets are off. The basic reason is that a lot of remotes use a 300 Megahertz frequency in San Diego. 

This is reserved for the government but is not used as much as other frequencies, however when it is used by certain ships we are flooded with calls. My first thought on the matter is if that's the price to keep us safe and have the Navy here in San Diego then..well ok. 

Some do not share my enthusiasm so for those who are at their witts end there is the possibility of adding an external receiver and changing remotes.To get in touch with our service department feel free to visit us here... www.gdugaragedoors.com and click on the top link to request service.

I thought I would also post a great article I found on Sign On San Diego. Its a good read and hope it helps everyone out. Clip on the link below to see the article. 

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/aug/04/garage-doors-glitching-once-again/

Cheers,

Shawn M. Black

Garage Doors Unlimited