• How Can a New Garage Door Decrease Your Energy Costs?

Like most people, you’ve probably been wondering how to make your house more energy-efficient. To do that, you may wish to decrease your home’s carbon footprint or reduce your energy bill, maybe both!

Whatever your reason, you’ve most likely heard a wide range of recommendations on things you can do to accomplish your goal. One noteworthy aspect that many people ignore is how a new insulated garage door can play a role in your house’s energy efficiency.

What’s an Energy-Efficient Garage Door?

An energy-efficient garage door is the one that reduces the energy costs in your family by helping to regulate the temperature in your home.

Which garage doors are most energy-efficient?

The most energy-efficient garage doors are insulated ones, made up of numerous layers of steel, with the most efficient products for insulation being polyurethane and polystyrene.

When it comes to efficiency, an insulated garage door goes a long way towards keeping your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer. An insulated garage door will avoid the air in your home from getting away, therefore saving energy.

How does a New Garage Door Decrease Energy Costs?

If you are looking for ways to make your garage or your home more energy-efficient, here are a few reasons you need to begin with your garage door:

1. It Lowers Energy Usage & Ultimately Energy Costs

Lower energy usage equates to decrease energy costs, but the question remains, how can a brand-new garage door lower energy usage?

Now, you might have discovered a pattern where everything comes back to the insulation. Recent studies have shown that correctly insulating and air sealing your home can decrease heating and cooling expenses by 15%. It’s easy to ignore your garage door when it comes to insulation, but it undoubtedly makes an important distinction.

2. It Regulates the Temperature in Your Home

You probably don’t spend a lot of your time in your garage; however, it’s still an extension of your house. If your garage is not insulated, cold and warm air can radiate from your attached garage into the rest of your home through shared walls. And if you find yourself adjusting your thermostat constantly, this may be the reason behind it.

You can save time and lower energy costs by updating to a new insulated garage door.

3. It Can Make Your Car’s Battery More Efficient

Your vehicle is probably not what you wanted when it comes to decreasing energy costs in your garage, but it is an excellent bonus offer. Severe heat in the summer is punishing on your automobile’s battery. Elevated temperature can trigger liquid in the battery to vaporize, reducing its lifespan.

It’s Time to Upgrade Your Garage Door

Having a standard residential garage door and having an energy-efficient garage door for your home is different, and the difference is vast. If you want to upgrade your garage door and transform it into an energy-efficient one, great, we have got you covered.

Contact Door Doctor’s “Garage Door Installation Experts” today and get a modern garage door installed with no fuss whatsoever. We take pride in offering garage door repair and installation services to all our valuable clients and delivering the best in class customer services with full dedication.

Don’t wait; start reducing your energy cost and take part in reducing the carbon footprint.

• Should I Replace Both Garage Door Springs?

Yes, you might be tempted to save some money on labor and parts by replacing just one spring, but you should replace both garage door springs when one breaks.

Garage doors have two springs (left and right-wound), one on either side of the door. The springs exert the force that makes your door light enough to be lifted. With a broken garage door spring, homeowners sometimes wonder if they need to replace both springs or if they can only replace the malfunctioning one. Read on to learn why you should always replace both garage door springs even when only one breaks.

Why Is a Balanced Garage Door Important?

The main function of springs is to keep your garage door balanced, ensuring that both sides of the door rise up and down simultaneously. If one spring breaks, it still throws off the function of the door, as now the two sides will rise and fall at different speeds.

You will also hear more noise when using your garage door, and the other spring will wear down faster with the higher workload, trying to balance out the issues on the other side of the door.

The average life expectancy of a garage door spring is about 10,000 cycles, including both open and close. For most garages, that means about seven to nine years according to the number of cycles, but some springs break within four or five years with frequent use.

If you notice increasing gaps between the coils in your springs, it indicates that the springs are failing and may need to be replaced.

What Is an Unbalanced Garage Door Dangerous?

If one spring breaks, several things can occur:

• The door may close suddenly.
• Loose springs can crack or may fall out of the brackets.
• Your garage door might slow down or speed up. It may even become unpredictable and put you & your family in danger when you enter or exit your garage.

A malfunctioning spring leads to warping on the tracks due to wear on the wheels. The motor also experiences greater demand for power when the garage door is pushed up, so you’ll need to be replaced soon.

Can a Garage Door Operate With One Spring?

No, both springs have to work together to pull the garage door up and bring it down gently. When operation relies on one spring, it presents safety concerns and can also lead to wear and tear on the door.

Also, you should never try to balance a garage door yourself. While replacing both springs is Imperative for your door to function again, only a professional can provide the repairs you need. Our garage door repair technicians at Door Doctor understand how to perform tests on the door’s balance.

Garage doors are quite heavy, they weigh hundreds of pounds, and you don’t want to put yourself in harm’s way. The safest option is to get help from us with the replacement of both springs.

Contact Door Doctor for Spring Repairs and Replacements

Now you know why a balanced garage door is essential - it protects you and your family. If you have a problem with your Garage Door Opener, or if you’d like a garage door spring replacement, call Door Doctor now.

• How to Stop Your Garage Door from Opening on its Own

The garage door is an essential part of your home; it adds to your home’s curb appeal and gives you and your family an extra level of safety and convenience. Our garage doors are important to us; we use them multiple times a day, which puts more stress on the door than we realize. And we only realize how vital our garage doors are when they stop working correctly.

Also, automatic garage door openers are prone to various problems, most of which are reasonably easy to fix with routine troubleshooting and maintenance. But one of the more perplexing issues is when the door opens and closes by itself.

It seems quite ghostly, having your garage door operate with a mind of its own. It can be a security problem when it opens to expose your belongings when you aren’t home. A garage door that closes on its own is also a safety concern, especially for children.

Garage doors are complex mechanisms, and when any part of the device fails, no matter how small, it can affect the entire door. When a garage door opens on its own, it may indicate a problem with the mechanism.

Below are four reasons garage doors open on their own:

1. Radio Interference

Garage doors typically use radio frequencies to open and close. Whether you’re using the buttons inside the garage, the passcode entry, or your remote opener, the openers and garage door have to be on the same frequency.

Other devices may also use the same frequencies. Police radios, CB radios, and your neighbour’s garage doors may be on similar or even the same frequencies.

Two different garage doors can accidentally be programmed to the same channel, which can create problems. When your neighbour uses their remote to open or close their door, it may cause your door to open, too!

If the frequency is the problem, you’re lucky—we have an easy fix. We can just reprogram your garage door’s openers, and it should be back to working order.

2. Debris Below the Door

Electric garage doors generally make our everyday lives easier. From saving us from clearing our cars of snow and ice in the winter to keeping our cars dry in the rain, they do a lot for us. Garage doors have many parts that work together well, including a lot of safety features.

Your garage door has a sensor near the ground to ensure nothing is stuck underneath the door when it closes. If the door goes up on its own after you close the door, check for any debris the sensor is picking up.

The door will not close if anything is blocking its path. Be sure to double-check there is nothing below the door if it continues to open after you close it.

3. Remote Opener Issues

Check the remote opener. If the remote opener’s batteries are failing or dirty, it may cause the door to open on its own.

The remote’s batteries may be out of order or may just not be appropriately positioned. Try double-checking their position or change them to see if your garage door stops opening on its own.

4. Circuit Board Issues

When your garage door descends on command but then immediately reverses itself, the problem is usually with the door’s wheel binding in its tracks or with the sensor eyes along the side tracks. But when the door begins to descend independently, the problem may lie with the opener’s logic board or the circuitry inside the motor unit itself.

Don’t worry if this happens though, our garage door technicians at Door Doctor can easily solve this problem.

Count on Door Doctor to Repair Your Garage Door

When your garage door begins acting up, it can cause a massive disruption in your day-to-day life. If your garage door opens up on its own and you can’t figure out why it’s time to call our professionals.

At Door Doctor, we’re ready to fix any issues with your garage door to get it working like brand new again, and we can stop your garage door from opening on its own. Get in touch with us today to schedule your service or repair!

Like most other things, garage doors don’t last forever. We take care of them by maintaining them and addressing any issues—minor and major—but they still break down. Having a broken door is a good reason to replace it.

However, many people decide to replace their garage doors for reasons other than a breakdown. If you’re unsure if you need a new garage door or you want one but cannot justify it, think again. You might be surprised to learn the reasons why replacing your current door (that may still function) for a newer and modern option is such a great option.

Here are the 6 main reasons to consider replacing your garage door:

To Increase Your Home’s Value

By replacing or repairing your home’s garage door, you’ll increase the value of your home and its curb appeal. If you ever decide to sell your house, you’ll be happy to know that it’s going to be worth more simply because of the repairs that have been done to it.

To Replace a Door that is No Longer Working

By replacing a door that no longer works, you can improve the efficiency of your home. Let’s say that you are no longer using the garage door because it does not work, or its tracks are broken. By replacing it entirely, you’ll have the beauty of automation, which will allow you to open and close the door at the touch of a button.

To Improve Cooling & Heating Efficiency

If you have an older, poorly insulated garage door installed, it is probably losing heated or cooled air regularly. This can be an issue because you’re left with a higher utility bill due to heating or cooling loss. Replacing the door is essential for saving energy costs, which will save you money over the long term.

To Improve Aesthetics

Older garage doors can look shabby and unsightly, which is why you should consider buying a new residential garage door for your home. Apart from increasing your home’s value, it will also enhance the look of your property, which in turn can make you feel more at home.

To Store Items Safely

An older garage door may simply not be safe for your items. If there are dents, holes, or any other problems with the door, it can be incredibly problematic because your possessions in the garage can be destroyed due to weather and other elements. Replacing the door on your garage is an excellent way for you to keep your possessions inside as safe as possible, which in turn allows you to feel confident in them being stored away.

To Improve Security

Your old garage door may not be as secure as it used to be. The lock might not be working, or you might have issues keeping it closed, which is why it is imperative to get a new garage door to improve the overall security of your home. You can ask us for an opinion if you are having trouble deciding.

Door Doctor is here for you