Most of us don’t sit around thinking about our garage doors. But there could come a time when you are in need of a new garage door and that’s when you’ll be met with the untruths about them. There are quite a few, and for someone who is in the market for a new garage door, it can make the process of shopping for one kind of daunting. So, we’d like to help fix that for you.
Before you go out and purchase the first garage door you can find, take a look below at some of the things that people tend to believe about garage doors, but that are actually untruths.
Untruth #1 – Garage Doors Are No Different from One to the Next
A garage door is a garage door is a garage door, right? Nope! The truth of the matter is that you don’t have to look any further than the material that different garage doors are made of to see that they often are very different from one to the next. They are usually made of varying metals, woods, and sometimes of aluminum. Each specific type of material has its own attractive qualities. Metals are usually chosen for their durability and strength, woods for their character and beauty, and aluminum because it’s very lightweight. There are even some garage doors that are all glass.
You’ll also find that you can have garage doors with different thicknesses, and obviously you can have different sizes of garage doors too. You may find that you’d like your double garage doors to be a little thinner so that they don’t weigh quite as much. Double garage doors are usually 16 -by- 7 ft. A single garage door is only about 9 -by- 7 ft. Some doors will be as thin as 1 3/8”, while others will be 2” thick.
Untruth #2 – No Garage Doors Should Be Insulated
This is so very far from the truth. There are many reasons why a garage door should be insulated. Especially for those of us who use our garage doors as the main entryway into the house, an insulated door can help keep cold or hot air from getting into the house all the time. You also have a lot of homes that have a bedroom above the garage. Keeping the air in the garage from getting too hot or too cold will make for a more comfortable temperature in that bedroom. Finally, people who spend a lot of time in their garages have good reason to install a weathertight insulated garage door. Don’t believe this myth because it’s just simply not true.
Untruth #3 – A Garage Door Should Be Repaired by the Homeowner, It’s Easy!
Some of you may be very handy kind of people. You’re good at repairing things in your home or on your car. That’s really helpful in those situations. But, you shouldn’t think that just because you can do those other repairs that you should also be able to easily fix your garage door. If you don’t have any experience with doing repairs on these doors, you could end up really hurting yourself if you attempt to fix what’s wrong on your own. While there’s nothing wrong with performing some of the regular maintenance on the door yourself, you should let us help you with the repairs. You can contact us at Cliff’s Overhead Doors for anything having to do with your garage door. We’re experts in this area and we’re ready to help.
Untruth #4 – A Garage Door Just Takes Care of Itself
If you don’t do some regular maintenance on your garage door, you could end up paying for some expensive repairs. Your garage door needs maintenance just like most of the other things in your house. This is a huge moving piece of your home. You should do inspections and maintenance at least once a year, but experts recommend doing semi-annual tune-ups at a minimum. If your family uses your garage door more than the average household—2-3 cycles of up and down a day—then you should do more maintenance than twice a year even. For help with knowing more about what you should be doing to care for your garage door, refer to this guide.
Untruth #5 – Garage Doors Have to be Really Loud
Garage doors do make noise, but they don’t actually all sound like a jumbo jet is crashing into your house. Some of what makes noise are the components of your garage door. Many of them are metal, and metal on metal can be very loud. This is one of the reasons it’s so important to perform your regular maintenance on the door. Lubricating metal parts will cut down on the noise they make. You’ll also be able to see that everything is well-balanced so there’s not a lot of shaking and vibrating going on that makes for a noisy garage door. You should always listen for any new noises the door starts making. If you hear anything out of the ordinary, don’t hesitate in contacting us. It may be that something is in need of repair.
Untruth #6 – Garage Doors Can’t Hurt Anyone
Unfortunately, there are people who have learned the hard way that this is not true. The US National Electronic Injury Surveillance System reports that people have more than 10,000 garage door accidents every year. Fingers get crushed, heads get banged, skin gets scraped or cut, and in some rare cases, people have died. There are also incidents of damage to vehicles and other items that were inside of or around garage doors. Most of the occurrences were due to doors that weren’t functioning properly.
The parts of the garage door system that are responsible for most accidents involving this door are the automatic reverse mechanisms that cause the door to open back up when something has been detected passing under the garage door. There are two types—mechanical and photoelectric. These mechanisms need to be tested as part of your maintenance regimen. Some manufacturers of garage door openers even suggest testing them once a month to make sure they’re in good working order. Testing them is easy and something you can do yourself. If you find that yours aren’t working properly, you should get in touch with us immediately, as this could cause someone to get hurt.
Untruth #7 – I Can’t Afford Garage Door Repairs
Many repairs that are needed to fix garage doors won’t end up costing much at all actually. The biggest thing to remember here is that the longer you let a problem go, the more expensive it may end up being because the problem becomes bigger. Here are a couple of things you can do to make sure your garage door doesn’t end up needing expensive repairs:
- Keep up with regular maintenance so that you can catch any issues before they turn into a larger problem. Maintaining the components in good working order will prevent you from having to have any repairs, in most cases. Check out our tune-up program for help keeping your garage door in good shape.
- Don’t wait to find out the cost until after the repairs have already been done on your garage door. You should ask before the professional even comes to your home. Asking over the phone when you’re making an appointment is the best idea. The representative should be happy to give you a quote for the work that you need done.
Untruth #8 – Always Buy the Cheapest Garage Door Opener You Can Find
Just like all garage doors aren’t the same, neither are all garage door openers. It’s true that you’ll be able to find a garage door opener online that may be cheaper than what you see from specialized dealers, but that garage door opener is very likely not the quality you want it to be, and it’s probably missing some of the components you’re expecting to get. You should think about the fact that your garage door, the thing this opener will be lifting and dropping, is the largest moving piece of your house. You want to make sure that it’s being moved in a safe manner and that you can rely on your opener for its quality.
If you do decide to go with a less expensive garage door opener, make sure you know what you’re getting included in the deal. Some of these cheaper versions will not come with a wall unit that is programmable. They’ll come with just a simple single button that is pushed to open and close the door.
Now That You Know the Truth
If you live anywhere around St. Thomas, you should contact us at 519-631-1507. We can help you find the garage door that will fit your home, and we can answer any questions you have about anything that goes with it.
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