Never underestimate ‘curb appeal’
For homeowners thinking of making renovations, it can be tough to know which upgrades provide the biggest return on investment.
That’s important not only for anyone thinking of capitalizing on what’s likely to be a brisk spring selling season – but also for homeowners who are likely to stay put for a while.
One good resource is Remodeling Magazine, which on Thursday published its annual Cost vs. Value roundup. Remodeling breaks out the average cost, average recouped value, and the two as a ratio, for 20 common home upgrades, in 100 major U.S. real estate markets. (The “recouped value” is derived from how much more a house is likely to sell for if it has that upgrade.)
One of the most reassuring findings may be that the biggest bang for the buck doesn’t necessarily come from spending the most. Replacing a garage door was the least-expensive upgrade on the list, and had the best ROI, while the last on the list, replacing a backyard patio, cost an average of $54,130, but homeowners recouped only about 48% of that cost.
The table below lists the top 10 projects, according to national averages.
One of the biggest takeaways, Remodeling said, is that it’s clear exterior work reaps bigger benefits than interior projects. Also of note: there was a slight decline in how much all projects, in aggregate, paid homeowners back, to 56.8% in 2017 from 57.9% in 2016.
That’s because the cost of upgrades rose faster than home values did – not a small thing, given that home prices are on fire.
Remodeling also noted a big gap between what it calls remodeling projects versus outright replacement: the payback for replacement jobs is 76.1%, while it’s 56.0% for remodeling work. That’s testimony to the value of good old-fashioned curb appeal. But it’s also a reminder that even in a hot seller’s market, “most prospective buyers won’t sign a contract without first demanding that broken stuff get fixed,” as Remodeling put it.
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LiftMaster MyQ System
This App is very handy, you can check up on your garage doors open or closed position. If the garage door gets opened while your away you will get an alert informing you that your garage door has been opened.
Stay Connected To Your Home, Away From Home With Liftmaster MyQ System!
How to Maintain Your Electric Garage Door
After installing an electric garage door, regular maintenance is essential to ensure that it continues running as smoothly and as efficiently as possible for many years to come. While many electric garage doors are designed to last more than 10 years, proper care and maintenance will reduce wear and tear and keep the door in a good condition for many more years. It is also very important if you want to maintain your warranty.
Check the Attach Points
Ensure that you check and tighten the garage door attach points at least every two or three months in order to keep everything tight and secure. These include all hinges, springs, pivot points and rollers in the garage. Whenever the attach points need a little tightening, use a wrench and a ratchet to tighten any bolts, screws and nuts that may have loosened. This should keep your electric garage door moving well on the rollers.
Lubricate the Guide Tracks
If you are have a track and chain garage electric garage door, you will need to lubricate the track and chain regularly in order to ensure that it properly aligns and runs smoothly along the tracks. Clean the guide tracks and all moving parts with methylated spirit before applying lubrication.
If you notice a lot of noise being produced whenever you open or close, your garage door, this is your cue apply lubrication. You can spray WD40 or any other garage door lubricant along the guide tracks and your garage should open and close smoothly without producing too much noise. Remember to clean and lubricate all other moving parts as well including the attach points and door hinges to keep everything running smoothly.
Garage Light
Your garage lights should come on every time you open the electric garage door. If this is not happening then your bulb lights may not be working and you will need to replace them. To change the light bulb, simply push down the plastic enclosure, unscrew the bulb, replace it with a new one and then close the compartment by pulling it up then press it in.
Sensors
The purpose of the LED sensors is to sense if there is anything blocking the garage door. This is why your garage door will not close if there is something directly its path. Sometimes however, the sensors may be misaligned or obstructed when they are knocked off by objects stored in the garage. This is quite common especially since the sensors are normally located a few inches off the ground and as such can be hit or knocked down easily by all the stuff that may be kept in the garage.
Ensure that your garage door sensors are aligned correctly and wipe them regularly to remove any dirt or debris that may cause obstruction. Remember to check the check the tendons to ensure that they are not loose or broken since if they are misaligned, they not be able to securely hold the sensors in place.
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How to Insulate a Garage Door
Garage door insulation not only makes your garage warmer during winter, it also acts as a barrier between it and outside noises. Garage insulation can also improve the aesthetics of your garage as well as increase your energy efficiency in the long run. Below is a simple step by step guide on how you can easily insulate your garage door without spending a lot of money.
Gather Your Materials
The materials you will require will include; your insulation material, construction or foam adhesives, a tape measure, a sharp knife, a step ladder and maybe a powerful suction cup. There are several insulation materials you can choose from; the most common being foam board insulation. All these materials are easily available at all local hardware or home improvement stores.
In this project, we can use rigid foam insulation liner as our garage door insulant but you can choose any material that is appropriate for your climate and easy to install on your garage door. Generally, foam board and reflective insulation materials are ideal for insulating flat garage doors that have no panels.
Measure the Garage Door Panels
To determine the sizes of the rigid foam insulation liner, you will need to fit into the garage door panels, use a tape measure to measure the sizes of the garage door panels. For flat garage doors, you won’t have to measure the door panel rather; measure the size of the garage doors so that you can determine how you will cut your pieces to fit in the walls.
Cut The Foam Board and Fit them on the Garage Door Panels
Cut out the rigid foam insulation liners into the shapes and sizes of the garage door panels. Fit them on the door panels using your hands. You can also apply pressure by pumping in using a cup suction to ensure that you pieces fit snugly inside the panels. If you had cut the materials to be slightly smaller than the garage door panels, you can fit them into the panels with foam adhesive to ensure that they fit tightly and securely into the spaces.
If there are any spaces or breaks between pieces, seal them with aluminum foil to reinforce the thermal barrier as well as to secure the insulation material in place.
For flat garage doors, you can simply align the insulation material on the walls using the foam adhesive.
Use Construction/Foam Adhesive
When insulating your garage doors, ensure that you only use foam adhesive that is designed for such purposes. After fitting the insulation material in place, press the wall firmly in smooth strokes in order to create a stronger bond between the garage door and the insulation material.
Basically, insulating a garage door is a simple Do-it-Yourself project that anyone who has the time and is willing to put in a little effort can complete in an afternoon.
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How to Change Rollers on a Garage Door
Like all the garage doors moving parts, rollers also get worn out after some time and will need to be replaced in order to keep the garage door working effectively. When rollers should be replaced will depend on how much the garage door is used but it is recommended that they are replaced every five years. If you notice a screeching noise whenever you roll up or close your garage door, this may be an indication that the rollers are wearing out and that they need to be replaced.
Fortunately, when the time comes to replace your rollers, you may not have to incur a lot of money in that this is a simple Do-it –Yourself project that anyone can do. The supplies you will need are also easily available at most hardware or home improvement stores. They are also very cheap and may cost you less than a $100. Below is a simple step by step guide on how to replace your garages rollers in less than an hour.
Gather the Materials Needed
Ensure that you have the following materials; New Replacement Garage Door rollers, a large flat-headed screwdriver and ratchet with 3/8 or 7/16 socket. You will also need a 5-6ft ladder.
Safety Precautions
Before you begin, Make sure that you have unplugged the garage door opener in order to prevent someone else from accidentally pushing the button and opening the garage door on your fingers.
Pull down the safety release cable in order to disengage the door from the track. Keep the garage door closed all the way.
Steps To Change Rollers on a Garage Door
- Start by unscrewing the bolts on the hinge, only take one hinge off at a time. Then take the hinge off the door and remove the old roller and replace with a new roller.
- Repeat the same process with each of the remaining hinge and roller.
- Your rollers should be able to function smoothly for at least another five years.
Have your helper plug in the garage door opener once you are done.
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Tips for Lubricating a Garage Door
Your garage door is probably one of the most useful and hardworking conveniences in your entire house. To keep it functioning effectively, the garage door requires proper maintenance which includes lubricating all its moving parts. In addition to working as it should, lubricating the moving parts of your garage door will reduce the noise produced when opening and closing the door as well as add more life to these parts. It will also save you money worth of repairs in the long run.
Below is a simple guide on how to properly lubricate a garage door.
Choose the Right Lubricant
The type of lubricant you use to lubricate the parts of your garage door is very important . Fluid Film is the best lubricant for garage doors. Fluid Film bubbles and gets into all the small crevasses of the hinges and rollers. Lithium based sprays work well are very suitable and convenient in that they neither attract dust nor gum unlike engine oil and common grease. (DO NOT USE ANY GREASE)
Use a Fluid Film or a silicone-based lubricant to complete this exercise. You can also use WD-40 to clean the tracks as they have dust-resistant properties. Alternatively, you can simply wipe the tracks with a dry cloth.
Lubricate the rollers and all moving parts
Spray a lithium based lubricant on the inside of the rollers and on all the pivot points located on the track brakes. This will help the rollers glide smoothly over the track and keep reduce the friction on the pivot points. The outside of the rollers do not require lubrication.
Ensure that you also apply lubrication on all the moving parts of the garage door. These should include the stems, the hinges, torsion springs, and the top of the chain rail, the arm bar, and the lock.
When lubricating the torsion springs, apply only a little bit so that it does not run down the springs. Only Lubricate metal hinges at their pivot points. Plastic hinges do need any lubrication and applying a lubricant may cause them to break.
Don’t apply lubricant on the guide track
The guide track should not be lubricated as applying lubricant can cause the doors to slip or become unbalanced. Wipe the guide track with a clean cloth or clean it with WD-40 if you like to remove any dirt build-up that may be preventing the garage door from gliding smoothly along the tracks.
Allow the lubricant to even out and penetrate
Open and close the garage doors several times after properly lubricating all the door parts. This will help the lubricant penetrate into the parts and even out the distribution of the lubricant. Your garage door should now open and close smoothly without making too much noise.
If you still hear noise after applying lubrication, you may have missed a part or more. Follow the noise to determine what part is producing this noise then lubricate it and your garage door should operate without making noise.
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How to replace a Garage Door Torsion Spring
When your garage door’s torsion springs wear out, they can break or become warn and not function properly. If one of your garage doors torsion springs breaks, it is advisable to replace both to avoid a situation where the other one breaks and you have to repeat the replacement process all over again. Garage door torsion spring replacement is not as simple as changing or replacing rollers but it is not rocket science. With the right tools, it can be done.
It is important to note that torsion springs replacement can be highly dangerous because of the high-tensioned springs. Anyone who chooses to make this a ‘Do-it-Yourself’ project must exercise as much caution as possible to avoid getting injured in case of an accident.
Below is a step by step guide on how to replace the torsion springs on your garage door. If you are not comfortable doing this, it would be wise to contract the services of a professional.
Get All the Materials You Will Need
These should include; new torsion springs, eye protection gear, a chalk or coloured felt pen, proper torsion rods and vice grip or clamps. Torsion springs are not widely available at the home depot; you will need to buy them from a garage door company or order from an online store.
Safety Precautions
- Open the garage door all the way up and use clamps to hold it in place.
- Unplug the garage door opener in order to prevent any other person from accidentally closing the garage door.
- Do not stand in the path of the spring. Remember that the spring is under high-tension. If anything goes wrong, it could snap and cause you serious injury.
Getting Started
- To remove the torsion springs, insert the torsion rods fully into the winding cone holes to ensure that they don’t slip during the exercise. Hold the bar very tightly and unscrew the two square bolts located on the spring cone. Once you unscrew the bolts, the total weight of the torsion spring will shift to the rod.
- Ensure that you have a good footing.
- Unwind the torsion springs making sure to count the number of turns it takes you to completely remove the spring. This will help you know the exact number of turns you will need to make to wind up the new springs you intend to replace. If you lost count all you need to do is measure the hight of the door. What ever the hight is of the garage door is the number of full rotational turns of the spring.
- Disconnect the brackets that are holding the torsion springs together.
- Remove the cable from the drum on both sides of the garage door and unbolt the drum from the shaft, then take it off in order to remove the spring.
- Replace the new springs. Align them such that the red side of the spring faces the right side when you are looking into the garage from outside. This is the right way to install the springs. If you place the red colored spring on the left, the springs will appear flipped. Keep the old center bearing in place as you install the new springs.
- Reattach the cables to the drums on the shaft making sure that both cables have equal tension. Use a pair of Vise Grips to hold the tension while winding the springs.
- Tighten the new torsion springs and adjust the tension accordingly. You can wind it up the exact number top times it took you to remove the old ones. You will have now completed replacing your garage door’s torsion springs.
- Finally, take off the vice grips or clamps you had put in place to hold the garage door.
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Garage Door Won’t Open
Most likely is caused by a broken spring.
Garage door springs are what counter balances your garage door to make it very easy to open the door. When a spring breaks there is usually a loud ”BANG” and your garage door won’t open. Without a wound torsion spring you would have a very difficult time lifting the door, some residential doors in Kelowna can weigh anywhere from 100 to 300 lbs. Garage door spring replacements costs vary, based on the size of the door.
Now lets pick out the best torsion spring for your garage door. Here are some options you may not have been aware of:
Round
Wire
Has been around for a long time and has been the preferred choice for standard doors that have low cycles like homes and farms
Square Wire
Fact: Will gain 30% more cycles then round wire.Square wire is ideal for high cycle doors like parkade doors and car dealership doors.
Galvanized Springs
Are typically used for high moisture areas like car washes or coastal cities that have a lots of rain.
Need More Cycles?
Springs come in many different sizes. 6″, 3 3/4″, 2 5/8″, 2″
Oil Tempered Springs
On residential garage doors, the most commonly used torsion spring is the oil-tempered kind. Oil-tempered springs are known to be strong and reliable, and they seldom experience premature wear. Due to their blackish shade, oil-tempered wire springs are easy to tell apart from other torsion springs. While some homeowners favor the silvery look of galvanized and coated metals, others remain content with the tried-and-true performance of oil-tempered wire springs.
Now you are more informed about springs, lets pick the best spring for your garage door.
Wayne Dalton Conversion Kit
If you have a Wayne Dalton door chances are you have a Torquemaster Spring assembly. This spring assembly’s have a low cycle count ranging from 5,000 – 6,000 cycles. If you use your garage door 4-5 times a day your springs are only going to last 3-4 years. Valley Garage Doors offers a much better solution for these doors. We have a Wayne Dalton Spring Conversion Kit. The kit comes with 15,000 – 20,000 cycle spring, new hollow shaft, two new end bearing plates, center bearing plate and a new pair of right/left cast aluminum drums.
Standard Spring Assembly
Garage Door Won't Close
Garage door maintenance is very important to the health of your garage door.
Most of the time doors wont close because there is something in the way blocking the sensor’s beam. There are safety sensors secured to the bottom of the tracks. If they get blocked or bumped out of place the door will not close. Some openers will have a light blink indicating something is wrong or in the way.
Garage door repairs are typically caused by lack of garage door maintenance. Overhead doors have many moving mechanical parts that need to be lubricated every six months. Lubricating the torsion springs, rollers and hinges is very important. Make sure you use the proper lubricant, don’t use heavy grease. Grease may seem like a good idea but that is not the case for garage doors. Grease will collect dust and dirt, which will then get into the bearings causing them to seize up and not rotate properly.
Valley Garage Doors has annual garage door maintenance plans to ensure your door will run safely and smoothly.
Check Your Photo Eyes Make Sure The Two LED lights Are On
Check The Cables.Are They Off The Drum?
Emergency Release Cable Make Sure Trolley Is Connected to Opener
Garage Door Won't Close Because Of Broken Cables
There are two cables that connect to the bottom of the door, then to the shaft above the door where the springs are located. As the door opens the cables wrap around the aluminum drums lifting the garage door to the open position.
It is very important to look after the cables on the door, if a cable starts to fray or come apart the overhead door can drop and damage the door or even land on anything under the door. Garage door cables come in many different sizes based on the weight of the overhead door.
Below are some examples of what a damaged cable looks like.
Galvanized Cable
Different Sizes Of Cables
Stainless Steel
The heavier the door the bigger cables you will need.
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Garage door opener problems are very common. Sometimes, you may need to call in a garage door expert to check and fix whatever the problem is. However, below is a troubleshooting guide on you can use to identify what could be causing your garage door opener issues. Most of the time, these problems can be resolve with simple Do-it-Yourself fixes.
The Remote Keypad or Batteries
If you press the remote to open or close your garage door and nothing happens, the first thing you should do is check whether or not the problem is with your remote control device. If the keypad is well aligned and working properly, check the batteries. You may have fitted your remote with the wrong batteries or your batteries may have expired. Replacing the batteries could be a simple fix to the problem.
Power Break Switch
First check the garage door opener switch on the wall. You may have locked it without knowing it. The remote control will only work if the garage door opener is on. If it is on and the remote is still not working, the problem could be in in the main switch. You may need to check the main power switch your home and reset it if necessary.
Sensors
Sensors are safety mechanisms that are designed to prevent the garage door from closing in on a person or object. Once the sensors detect that there is something in the doorway, the garage doors will not close.
The sensors are designed with photo eyes that must be properly aligned or ‘must see each other’ in order for the garage door to close. If these sensors are misaligned or obstructed such that they are not directly aligned, the doors will work in reverse often closing instead of opening all the way down.
If your garage door is not closing, check to see whether the sensors are properly aligned. If they are not aligned, use your hands to adjust them until they are properly aligned. When doing this, also check that there is nothing obstructing the sensors’ LED light. You can clean the sensors using a clean piece of cloth or even an ear bud.
If the sensors are clean and properly aligned buts still not working, check the wires just to make sure that they are not broken. If the problem still persists, there is a last test you can perform so that you can be sure that the sensors are working fine.
Block the sensors and hold or push down the control button on the wall. The doors should close as pressing down the control button usually overrides the sensors. If the garage door still doesn’t close, then something is definitely wrong with the sensors.
Radio Frequency Interference (RIF)
Some LED bulbs have radio frequencies that clash or interfere with the garage door frequencies. To determine whether or not this is the problem, simply switch off the LED bulbs. If the garage door opener works when the LED bulbs are off and refuse to work when they are switched on; this could be the could be the problem. If this is the problem, the only solution will be to stop using the LED lights.
Dead Circuit Board
If all the solutions above fail to resolve the issue, you may want to check the circuit board to ensure that it is not dead. The circuit board can be damaged if it may have been hit by lightning strikes. If this is the case, you will have to replace it.
Damaged Capacitor
Capacitor fails in electronics are very common. Like batteries, capacitors can go bad after a certain period of time. Check the capacitor to ensure that there are no signs of bulging or leaks. Sometimes however, a damaged capacitor may have no signs at all. The only solution will be buying a new one.
Worn Out Gears
Grounds up bits are signs that the gears are wearing out. Ensure that chains are not too tight as they could break.
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Garage Door Getting Stuck HalfWay
Automatic garage doors are designed to open and close when activated by a remote control. With regular maintenance, these doors can function smoothly and effectively for a long time without any problem. However even with regular maintenance, something could still go wrong causing your garage door opener to malfunction.
A common problem with garage door openers is when the door gets stuck halfway and refuses to close all the way down or closes smoothly but when it gets halfway, it reverses and opens all the way up. Apart from being a big inconvenience, such situations are potentially dangerous as they can also act as easy access points for burglars. This can be a security risk especially if the main house is attached to the garage.
Before you call in a professional however, below are some of the things that you should check first in order to avoid spending money on unnecessary repairs or on a problem that you could easily fix. Of course, if the issues below do not seem to be the problem, you can always call in a garage door expert to diagnose and fix the problem.
Obstructed or Misaligned Sensors
Garage door sensors are designed such that they can only work when the infra-red beams are properly positioned. In lay man terms, the infra-red sensors or the photo eyes should continuously be able to ‘see each other’. The garage doors should only close when the infra-red beams are in a constant path.
If there is any obstruction in the doorway, the infrared beams will be interrupted and the garage door will not close. The sensors are mainly a safety mechanism designed to prevent any accidents that could happen if the garage doors were to close in on a person, an animal or an object caught in the garage’s doorway.
If your garage door is not closing all the way down, it could be that the sensors are detecting an obstruction in the doorway or that the sensors are obstructed.
To diagnose the problem, first check that there is nothing blocking the doorway. If you do not notice any obstruction, check the sensors to ensure that they are properly aligned. Sensors can easily become misaligned if they are knocked or hit by any object or person that comes into the garage. If there is any misalignment, tighten the wing nuts holding them in place and turn the sensors slowly with your hand until they are accurately aligned. While doing this, clean the sensors using a cloth to remove any dirt or debris that may be blocking the infrared beams.
Misaligned Tracks
Another issue that could be causing your garage door to get stuck or reverse halfway is misaligned tracks. If the tracks are misaligned, they can cause a lot of tension and friction. Too much tension or friction can cause the opener to reverse hence opening all the way back. If your garage door gets stuck halfway, this could mean that there is something that is blocking it. It may be that it is being obstructed by a protruding nut, misaligned cable or any other thing. Check the rollers tracks and hinges for anything that may cause the door to get jammed.
If you think that the problem may be caused by a pulley or spring, call in a professional to handle the issue. Springs and pulleys are highly tensioned and can come crashing down potentially causing serious injury.
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