Category: Garage Door Repair

Summer is on its way and if you’re anything like me you have mixed emotions about what we are in store for. On one hand spring training is here making it difficult for even the most dedicated to put in a full work week. On the other hand, it’s hard to pull off a sick day when you come back to work looking like a lobster from a ball park sunburn.  Like I said there are pros and cons.

Spring time maintenance for your garage door is probably another thing you have mixed feelings about but these couple of tips will help save you money, time and frustration.

Test your door balance- heavy doors should not feel heavy if the springs are done correctly. If the door feels light great! If it feels heavy call someone out to prevent damage to the door and or the opener.

1. Surge Protectors for the garage door openers-When the mercury starts to rise the power grid takes a strain from ac units trying to keep up with the climbing temps which can cause small power surges. These surges can damage mother boards in garage door openers. A $10 surge protector can help protect those hard-working garage door openers.
2. Lube your garage door and the garage door opener- This simple thing makes a big difference in how your garage door operates and significantly extends the life of all your garage door parts and hardware.
3. Make sure your garage door seals- with higher temps comes bigger critters change out bad bottom seal to keep these unwanted visitors out!

Taking a few moments to prepare for summer now can make your summer run so much smoother. Just like remembering that sun screen for that hooky day at the ball park.

The Phoenix metro area is beautiful and unique, but all that beauty comes at a price.  Dust, dirt, grumpy plants, the occasional overwhelming rain storm and flat out mean critters comprise a long list of things trying to get into our homes every day. Most of us take precautions around the house to keep unwanted things out like using screen doors. using a pest control service or simply cleaning out the rain gutters. One area is often over-looked and it’s the area we use the most. Our garage. A few simple steps can make a big difference in the cleanliness and safety of your garage.

All garage doors have some form of barrier at the bottom of the garage door to prevent the unwanted from getting in.

It has many names such as

• Garage door bottom seal
• Garage door threshold seal
• Garage door bottom weather seal or weather-strip

Acts as a barrier

Garage door bottom seal acts as a barrier that stops leaves, dust and those scary pest’s that give us all the heebie jeebies from entering our homes.  It also helps protect custom epoxy floors from fading or getting damaged and if you have a climate controlled garage you could be losing 30% or more of your cooling if your door doesn’t seal properly. It’s amazing how many things can be solved or prevented by just keeping up on some basic garage door maintenance. Check your bottom seal twice a year to be sure it is in good shape and creates a nice seal with the garage floor. If there are gap’s it is a piece of cake for anything that comes along to slip into your garage. Get it fixed!

How to fix it.

Depending on the type of garage door changing the bottom seal is relatively simple to do just slide it out of the bottom retainer, (that’s the track that holds the bottom seal). Now clean out any debris or other undesirable character’s left behind in the bottom retainer. Next spray a form of lubricant into the holding tracks of the bottom retainer to make it easier to slide in your new bottom seal. Once you’ve got the new seal in place slide it so you have about 3 inches of extra bottom seal sticking out on both sides of the garage door and then fold the excess back into itself. The reason for this last step is garage door bottom seal is made of vinyl and the extreme heat we have here in the valley causes it to shrink over time.

Hiring a pro

Changing out the bottom seal on a garage door in most cases is straight forward and doesn’t need the trusty hands of a pro. But sometimes, as much as you hate to do it, you need to call in a professional.

Things to pay attention to

• Damaged garage door panels or hardware. Call a pro.
• Poisonous snakes or anything that can create an emergency room visit in the door or bottom rubber. Call a pro.
• Wooden doors with dry rot. Call a pro.
• Severely uneven garage floor/ concrete. Call a pro
• If your garage door is 25 + years old the bottom rubber is most likely no longer made. Call a pro.

At Pacific Garage Door Service we are always happy to answer questions over the phone if you get in a bind.

Replacement

Do you have a broken garage door spring and you are thinking of replacing it all by yourself? Don’t. This
may not only cause great injury, but also a simple mistake can do so much damage that you would need
a completely new door. It can also lead to different other repair or safety issues –

• Damage to other door mechanism components such as rollers, hinges and cables
• Damage to other garage contents or vehicles near the door
• Door panels can get seriously damaged if the door falls heavily without any resistance
• Door comes off its track or becomes jammed
• Leading to extensive repairs or re-balancing, door weight shifts unevenly
• Excessive strain is placed on automatic door openers

Garage door springs are responsible for an uninterrupted and smooth operation of a door. So in case of
a broken garage door spring, the best and the smartest choice would be to hire a professional who can
do what needs to be done. Still not convinced? Well, here are some reasons why opting for a
professional garage door spring replacement is a wise choice.

1. Safety
Your garage door weighs a lot. It is because of the large springs that are used to operate your garage
door. So, if you are not a professional, it could be extremely risky for you to work with these, as they can
cause serious injury. It is always better to hire a professional who knows exactly how to repair and install
garage door springs than to get hurt.

2. The right tools and parts
It is difficult to have all the right tools in your house that are needed for garage door springs repair. A
professional, on the other hand, will have exactly the tools that are needed for the job. If you try to fix
the garage door spring yourself, there may be times when you have gotten the wrong part. It can be
extremely frustrating. This is not the case with a professional.

3. Experience and skills
A professional who has gained years of experience has all the required knowledge and skills to fix your
garage door springs, for example, Pacific garage door springs repair professionals. Moreover, they can
repair your garage door quickly as well as efficiently.
In conclusion, it can be said that that best way to avoid the hassles of repairing your garage door springs
yourself is to hire an expert.