Choosing The Correct Garage Door

If you are looking to increase the value of your property, then you may want to think about the advantages of investing in a new garage door. It is a simple, reasonable and very effective way to do just that. An attractive looking garage door can often reflect upon your house and make it stand out more from the homes nearby, thus making it a bit more individual and unique. If you pick something to enhance your home, then this will give a much better overall appearance to the outside of your property.

Automatic or Manual?

Manual doors are not as popular as electric ones and may be thought of as old fashioned. After all, who uses a television without a remote control nowadays? What would you think of someone that did? However, that doesn’t mean they are completely antiquated – not at all, just much less in demand.

Here at Hollington Doors, we specialise in installing electric garage doors. Just press a button on your remote control and hey presto! Many of our customers contact us just to update their current manual door (or doors) to electric.

Which Way Should a Garage Door Open?

When choosing your garage door from new, you need to decide which way you would like it to open. We can either fit double doors that open and close as a pair, or an overhead one that pulls up or down. This will depend on the look you wish to create and the space that you have. Overhead garage doors is more common to homeowners because in many cases it is more easily accessible and more compact making it easier to store, but of course, each case is personal.

Garage Door Materials

Then there is the material that the garage door is made from. The obvious fabrics are Wood, Steel,  ABS Plastic, Fiberglass (GRP) and Sectional which are insulated. Each one has different benefits, but ultimately, most people will choose the material type that goes best with their house.

Wooden Garage Doors

Hollington’s wooden/timber handcrafted garage doors are created from the very best quality timber including oak, mahogany, cedar, hemlock, spruce, iroko, and pine. Attention to detail is a priority to us as we make sure that each wooden garage door lives up to the specifications and quality that our customers should expect. Wood’s natural character and appearance is always very appealing to our customers.

Sectional/Insulated Garage Doors

A sectional garage door can be a very good choice for different reasons. These are also bespoke as are all our doors, but are provided with extra insulation making them more draught proof, however, still reasonably priced. These are also available with a window alternative.

Steel Garage Doors

Traditional solid steel garage doors are a low maintenance option as they will not rust or need painting like some fabrics. These are well known for their toughness and sturdiness. They are made from corrosion resistant hot plunged galvanised steel to ensure that they remain secure, reliable and trouble free.

GRP Fibreglass Garage Doors

GRP stands for Glass Reinforced Polyester and garage doors manufactured from this fabric are also a low maintenance option as they normally have no joints, seams, rivets or fastenings. An occasional wipe is enough to keep them looking top notch.

ABS Plastic Garage Doors

Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene is a mouthful so ABS is much easier to say! As you would expect, garage doors made from this are a lot lighter in weight than the traditional garage door. However, even though it’s lightweight, this fabric is still hardwearing. This type of door matches very nicely with homes that have UPVC windows.

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7 Reasons Why DIY Garage Door Repair Isn’t Smart

When the kitchen faucet drips, you can typically head to the local home store and get the parts you need to fix the issue. When there’s a hole in the drywall, all you have to do is purchase a couple of items and you’re ready to patch, sand, and paint. When there’s a problem with your washing machine, you can do some research and solve the issue within a matter of hours. However, when there’s a problem with your garage door, your first reaction should be to call a professional. Here are a few reasons why:

1.   Torsion Springs Can be Seriously Dangerous

There are two types of garage door spring systems: extension systems and torsion systems. The latter – while reliable and commonly used – are very dangerous from a maintenance and repair perspective.

“Torsion springs are normally mounted horizontally above the opening of your garage door,” one expert notes. “When you pull the door down, cables attached to the bottom corners actually force the springs to wind up, in turn energizing the system. When you open the door, the springs then unwind and their energy transfers to the door, helping it to lift up and making it easier to open.”

Sounds simple enough right? Well, once these springs become compromised, they can become dangerous – or even deadly in extreme circumstances. The springs store mechanical energy when they’re tightened. If a spring breaks, the tightly wound coils quickly convert that energy and unwind in a violent and unpredictable manner. If you’re nearby, the springs could hit you in the face, eyes, arms, or chest.

2.   You Can Make the Problem Worse

When you embark on a DIY garage door repair, you have all the right intentions. You’re probably trying to save some time and money. However, you may actually make the situation worse. Should you mess something up – which is quite likely – you could cause additional damage to the door. It’s also possible that you could trigger damage to the garage itself or any of the items inside the garage – your car included.

3.   Falls are Dangerous and Deadly

Each year, thousands of people are injured or killed in home-related accidents. And, almost without exception, the number one leading cause is always falls. The Home Safety Council says falls account for roughly 6,000 deaths annually.

While you’re always susceptible to a fall, you should do everything you possibly can to avoid situations where falls are particularly dangerous. This includes climbing ladders to fix garage door issues.

4.   Improper Use of Tools

Nobody wants to drive to the local home store, just to buy a tool that may only be used once for a specific job. Unfortunately, many garage door repairs require very specific tools. This means homeowners often try to get by with the wrong tools, which results in unsafe work conditions.

Not only does the risk of using the wrong tools increase your chances of further damaging your garage door system, but it could also damage the tools themselves. Furthermore, when it comes to power tools, one wrong move could lead to injury.

5.  Falling Garage Door

Did you know that steel garage doors commonly weigh more than 100 pounds and wooden garage doors can weight several hundreds of pounds? In other words, this isn’t something you want to lose control over. Should the door come crashing down, it could damage (a) the door itself, (b) the floor beneath the door, and (c) anything standing in between the door and the floor. That last item could include you, your car, a pet, or just about anything else.

While it may seem unlikely that you’d do something to cause your garage door to suddenly come crashing down, this is actually quite common in DIY repairs. Improper disconnection of the door restraints is a huge risk that shouldn’t be overlooked.

6.   Using the Wrong Parts

Every garage door has its own individual nuances. Some have very specific requirements in terms of parts and materials that can be used. As a DIY repairman, you may not be aware of this. As a result, you’ll probably end up purchasing whatever replacement parts you can find.

At first, everything may seem good. The door goes up and down. However, days, weeks, or months down the road, shoddy repairs can come back to haunt you. This could result in additional damage or even injury.

7.   Fixing the Wrong Thing

Garage doors are fairly simple mechanisms, but the average person needs to spend some time studying how they work. If you’re attempting to fix a problem without doing any research in advance, you may actually end up addressing the wrong issue.

Much like human illnesses, there are often “referred symptoms” with garage doors. If you aren’t careful, you could end up fixing the symptoms as opposed to the problem itself. This is a waste of money and may make your problem even worse.

Contact Your Local Overhead Door Expert Today

As you can clearly see, your garage door isn’t something you want to tackle on your own. While it may look like a simple contraption, it’s by far one of the most complex and dangerous mechanisms in your home. The good news, however, is that help is never too far away.

Contact your local expert today!

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Common Issues with Garage Doors and Solutions

Your garage door may suddenly have problems when operating. The problems vary and are often easy to tackle. For the repairs and adjustments that appear tough to handle, consult the manual or hiring for garage door repair services. This article explains the common problems that may cause your garage door to stop working.

Squeaking as the door opens: the hinges or springs of your door may squeak when it is being opened. This is common for the door because it is used daily. Before you think of contacting a professional technician, spray a lubricant on the door (at the hinges and springs). Ensure to use a lubricant that is specified for garage doors.

Rust spots at the bottom of the garage: this often occurs during winter when salt is used to melt ice. The door may also have been affected by a chemical splatter during a driveway cleaning. In this case, you need to remove the debris from your garage door by cleaning it thoroughly using water and soap.

Black residue: your garage door can be filled with black marks on its exterior. These marks are brought by the coated oil on the torsion springs. These require an annual washing of the entire door to remove the marks.

Failure to open using the wall switch or remote: several issues may cause this problem. First of all, consider replacing the remote batteries. The other cause may be the wrong positioning of the safety photo eyes of the door opener or breakage of spring. For this, consult a professional technician. Also, confirm that the motor unit has been correctly plugged in.

A rough opening: at times the door may not open smoothly but with a noisy and jerky motion. This happens when the garage door or its opener is not well-maintained. You need to consult a garage door professional for a check-up.

A frayed cable: when this happens, door owners usually try to adjust or repair the springs. This is not advisable since a serious injury can result from high spring tension. Consider hiring a professional in garage door repair services.

Problems with closing: the door may not close to the end or open immediately after closing. In this situation, the first step is to check for any substance that might be blocking bottom sensors of the garage door. The door might also be hitting something causing it reverse; remove all obstructions. Sometimes the garage door lights flash when it doesn’t close properly. Check on the pattern that the light flashes. It can be an indicator of the problem. Confirm the meaning of the pattern in the manual. Make the adjustments then test the door. If it’s still experiencing problems, try to open it manually after disconnecting the opener.

The motor keeps running: sometimes the motor won’t stop running. This calls for adjusting of your limit switch. This can be done well by the garage door repair services. You may also need to check your manual for additional steps of troubleshooting.

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Dangers of DIY Garage Door Repair