National Garage Door Safety Month

The International Door Association has deemed June National Garage Door Safety Month. Your garage door is the largest heaviest moving object in your home. Over 77% of garage door related injuries occur at a person’s own property.  Keep your family, pets and automobiles safe all year round by following these simple tips.

Every month inspect your garage door and the surrounding mechanics.  Look over your cables, springs, rollers and tracks.  Look for any objects, such as leaves or other debris, that may be in the way of these areas that would cause a problem.  If you hear a lot of grinding or scraping apply a spray lubricant to keep the tracks running smoothly.  The average life span of most springs and cables is approximately 10,000 cycles or roughly 6 to 10 years.  Please consider calling a professional to replace these items, as they are tension mounted and may cause injury to the do-it yourselfer.  Do not operate the door if you feel there is an area that needs repair.

Since 1993 overhead garage doors are required to have auto reverse sensors to indicate if an object is in the way of the door as it closes.  Check these sensors monthly by placing a soft object, such as a roll of paper towels, in front of the sensor.  If the door does not automatically move back up, check the wires to make sure they have not been chewed on or disconnected in any way.  Over time the sensor itself may become dirty, wiping each lens with a soft cloth ensures the beam does not get interrupted.  If the beam seems broken it could indicate the brackets have become misaligned. Tightening the brackets may solve the problem, if not, you may have to replace them.   If your garage door does not have sensors it may be time to upgrade to a door that does to avoid an injury.  

Talk to your children about garage door safety.   Encourage them not to play with the opener or the remote.  Make sure your opener is placed at a height that small children cannot access.  Instruct your kids not to leave bikes or toys in front of the garage or inside where they could get run over.  Never open or close the door when kids or pets are close by.   If you have older children, teach them how to use the emergency release pull…. make sure you know how to use this as well!

Staying safe extends to when you go on vacation as well.   Inform a trusted neighbor of the days you will be gone and have them notify you if they see any odd activity near your garage door.  Take remote controls out of your car and keep them in the house until you return.  Some newer garage door models have a vacation mode feature that can be activated so your remotes are disabled.  Upon your return, simply deactivate this setting from the wall control in the garage and you are back in business.  

 A little prevention and knowing what to look for can save you and your family from a garage door related injury.  A.B.E Doors and Windows cares about you and your home, if you feel your garage door could use a little love please contact us at 610. 398. 2430.  

This post first appeared on https://www.abedoors.com

 Organize Your Garage to Fit YOUR Needs

 Now that you have spring cleaned your home from top to bottom, let’s move your focus outside the home to your garage. Has it been awhile since you were able to park your car in it?  If your car does fit, are you tip-toeing around stuff to get to your car door and hoping you don’t knock anything over?  If the answer was yes to either of those questions, let’s look at some practical solutions that translate well for any garage space. 

                                   Before                                                                                          After

The first step is to clear out the garage from top to bottom.  As you remove items place them into three piles.  Trash, Keep and Donate or Sell.  Really assess the item…when was the last time you used those roller-blades?  If it’s been over three years, it’s probably time to let it go.  Have some bags and boxes handy for the items you donate and make a plan to drop them off later that day.  Try not to bring it back into your home or garage. While the garage is empty give it a good sweep.  It is also an excellent time to check your garage door opener for wear and tear. Make a note if you see something that needs repairing.

The next step is to sort the items you are keeping.  Grouping them into like categories will help you determine how to organize your garage area.  Examples would be: toys and sports equipment, lawn & garden, tools and perhaps holiday items.  Now that you have your groupings, take a look at the garage space and create different zones for those items.  If your garage is attached to your home you may want to designate that space near the door to be used as a pantry or an area for coats, shoes and school belongings. 

Utilize vertical and overhead storage solutions to your advantage.  A simple pegboard with an assortment of hooks can hold all your tools.  A clever trick to remember what goes where is to trace the outline of the tool onto the pegboard!  A solid shelf and some sturdy S hooks can help create a sports zone for bicycles, golf equipment and sports gear that may only get used at certain times of the year. When installing any overhead solution, always make sure they do not impede the opening and closing of your garage door.  

Wooden pallets and PVC pipe are two inexpensive ways to corral all your long handled garden tools.  A small shelf can hold potting supplies, gloves and smaller gardening implements.   As you put things away it’s a great idea to label things.  That way everyone knows where items belong. 

 You’ve worked hard.  Take a moment to enjoy the fruits of your labor and the reclaiming of your car’s parking spot.  If you have energy left, lace up those roller-blades and take a loop around the block.

This post first appeared on https://www.abedoors.com

Bundle up!   That’s what you heard from your mom as you walked out of the house every day in winter. She was determined to keep you warm and comfortable as you ventured into the chilly air.  The same principle applies to areas of your home.  Having sufficient layers can help keep the heat in and make your home more comfy as well.  Insulation in your walls and attic is common place, but what about your garage?  An insulated garage door can afford you many benefits. Here are a few to consider.

As the humble garage space has evolved over the years it has taken on a multipurpose use.  No longer is it just a space to house a car or two, but it has become an extension of your home.  Many of us use this area to do woodworking or tinkering on our cars. Some utilize the space as a workout area or a place where your teenagers can play their drums or guitars without deafening the entire household.  For these very reasons an insulated door can help maintain heat generated by a portable heater so these activities can be enjoyed all throughout the chillier months. 

A warmer space can also mean the difference of your car starting or not.  If the temperature outside is 20 degrees, your garage is about 30 degrees.  An insulated door increases that temp to around 42 degrees, which gives your vehicle a little extra edge when temperatures are below freezing. 

If your garage is attached to your home, you probably have a door that connects to a small mudroom or hallway off your kitchen.   Each time that door is opened your home feels the effects of that blast of cold air.  Having an insulated garage door can help buffer that cooler air so your home maintains it’s temperature.  

Does anyone in your home work the early shift?   Or perhaps you have a night owl in your midst?  Insulated doors are denser and therefore rattle less.   That means less disturbance for those of you already asleep.  The denser door is also a great sound barrier……those drums that are being practiced on will cause less rift in the neighborhood.

Let’s be real, your garage door takes a lot of abuse.  Besides the daily opening and closing, it receives the occasional bump of a basketball, catches the falling bicycle and sometimes feels the back bumper of your car.  The stronger core of an insulated door adds rigidity to the panels and helps it absorb these impacts better.  The less damage done to the door over the years can equate to less repairs and longer duration in general.

A.B.E Doors and Windows carries the Raymor Innovation Series garage doors which offers a polyurethane insulation.  Please contact us at 610-398-2430 if we can be of assistance in selecting a garage door for your home. 

 Other articles you may be interested in:

www.abedoors.com/blog/1/2016/09/index.cfm

www.abedoors.com/blog/1/2015/02/index.cfm

This post first appeared on https://www.abedoors.com

On April 1-3, 2016, visit A.B.E. Doors & Windows booth at the LVBA Spring Home Show at Stabler Arena (124 Goodman Drive, Bethlehem, PA 18015).  

The A.B.E. Doors & Windows booth will highlight some of our garage door, window, and door products, such as:

• ProVia entrance doors
• ProVia storm doors
• ProVia windows
• Raynor garage door
• Richards-Wilcox operating garage door with a Liftmaster belt drive operator
• Wood garage door
• Andersen patio door

Admission to the home show is $7 per person (children under 12 are free).  Free parking is available.

For more information about the LVBA Spring Home Show, visit their site at http://www.lvba.org/Homeshow/.

This post first appeared on https://www.abedoors.com

With Spring just around the corner, you should take a few minutes to go through our garage door spring check up to ensure that your garage door works properly throughout the season.

1. Inspect the rail / track.  Make sure the rail is securely connected to the wall, free of any obstacles, and properly greased.  If it is bent or damaged, have it replaced immediately.

2. Inspect the rollers and axles.  Make sure the mechanism is securely connected to the garage door and lubricated.

3. Inspect the brackets / hinges.  Make sure the brackets / hinges are securely fastened to the garage door.

4.  Inspect the spring assemblies.  If springs require repairs, do not attempt to repair them yourself because they can be very dangerous due to the powerful tension.  Contact a certified garage door repair technician immediately for garage door spring repair.

5. Test the door balance.  With the door closed, disconnect the garage door opener and lift the door open manually. You should be able to lift it smoothly, with little resistance, and it should stay open by itself three or four feet above the floor. If it doesn’t, that’s a sign that you need to get a trained garage door tech in for a look.

6. Check the door’s weatherstripping.  If the weatherstripping is damaged, jammed or missing, adjust or replace it.  Older wooden garage doors without such protection should be sealed or painted and then weatherstripping can be applied.

Additionally, if you have an automatic garage door opener, you should perform the following spring check up.

1. Inspect the belt.  Make sure that there is not too much slack in the belt.

2. Check force setting.  Make sure the operating force of your garage door is properly set by holding on to the bottom of the garage door while it’s closing. It should reverse direction easily. If not, see the owner’s manual for how to adjust the setting.

3. Test the automatic reversing mechanism.   Open the garage door all the way, put a length of 2X4 on the floor below it, and lower the garage door onto the wood. The garage door should change directions when it makes contact with the board.  Call a technician if it doesn’t change direction without much effort.

4. Check additional safety devices.  Examine safety devices such as photo eyes or edge sensors. If they’re not working, it should be clear after even a quick check.

5. Inspect the cables.  If cables are frayed or worn, have them replaced by a certified service technician immediately.

If your maintenance checkup reveals anything that needs attention or you want to consider replacing your old garage door or garage door opener, call A.B.E. Doors & Windows at (610) 398-2430. Our expert garage door technicians are available 24/7 to help get your garage door working as quickly as possible.

This post first appeared on https://www.abedoors.com

Whaaaaa? Have you guys seen the new garage door screens? We love this idea!

So, what is the deal with garage door screens? Well, they are basically attached to the ceiling of your garage and are easily pulled down when the garage door is open so you can have the door open without fear of bugs or unwanted visitors of any kind sneaking in.

The best part is that it is incredibly easy to use and it has a doorway in it which still allows you to go in an out of the garage easily, in fact more easily than just the regular door. The screen is great quality mesh that allows for great airflow but is not easy to see through so you can still maintain some of your privacy.

This can save you a ton of money in the summer. If you are working on your car and want to have all the natural sunlight it will allow for that! It will also save money because you won’t have to use the electric in there as much and you won’t have to try to blow cold air in there since you will have the natural breeze of nature blowing through! This makes it a great place to even throw a party with some friends at night and let the summer air keep you cool!

We think this is going to really take off, it just makes too much sense not to!

Fort Worth Garage Doors

This post first appeared on https://www.fortworthgaragedoors.co

Lisa lives in Houston, in the Heights, near W. 20th Street. Lisa lives in a part of Houston known as much for its potlucks as its patchy lawns, as much for its charming garage sales as for its struggling football team (the local high school nearly holds the state record for most consecutive losses in a season). It’s a tight knit community where neighbors watch out for one another, and on one evening a few months ago, it was neighbors who called the police when a strange man entered Lisa’s garage as her car pulled in.

Half a minute was all the time the man needed to sneak into Lisa’s garage, but it was not enough time for him to hide. Lisa turned off her car and spotted the intruder almost immediately. One glance in her rearview mirror and Lisa saw his silhouette against the boxes of Christmas decorations recently boxed up and stacked against the garage wall. Her garage door was still open, and the man was backlit. She couldn’t make out the features of his face. Just his size. He stared at her. Then he ran away.

Shaken, Lisa closed her garage door immediately with the garage door opener button just outside the door to the interior of her home. Then she went inside to call the police. They told her one of her neighbors had beaten her to it. Someone, some self-appointed Neighborhood Watch-person, had seen the man loitering on the street as he or she returned from work. Later, the good samaritan watched as the would-be intruder entered Lisa’s garage behind her. The police were summoned immediately.

By the time the police were on the scene, Lisa’s nerves had calmed down considerably. Now she has this advice for her neighbors, including the one who may have saved her life: “Close your garage door as quickly as possible. You never know whether someone will be waiting behind you.”

Fort Worth Garage Door

This post first appeared on https://www.fortworthgaragedoors.co

When was the last time you did a safety check on your garage door? For a lot of people this is one of the last things on their to do list…if it is even on there at all. While we completely understand why it wouldn’t be something on your high priority list but we would also want to encourage you to consider putting it there.

Your garage doors is a giant piece of equipment, possibly the biggest piece in your home. If something goes amiss it can cause a lot of damage or even death. It is not something to take lightly. If the sensor stop working right or the springs snap all of a sudden the door can drop suddenly and it will not care who or what is underneath it at the time. That is why it is so important to keep up on the safety checks and make sure all of the elements are in working order regularly.

We aren’t saying you have to have the garage door checked every day or even every month but in our ideal world you would have everything looked at every 6 months Most garage door will continue to work for decades with the right care so let us help you keep your door working and everyone safe as can be.

It is also better to have a professional take a look at the door at least once a year to check everything since they are well versed in what potential problems to look for.

This post first appeared on https://www.fortworthgaragedoors.co

This post first appeared on https://www.fortworthgaragedoors.co

Are you getting ready for you NYE celebrations? It is insane that 2016 is only a week away! We know the last thing you are probably thinking about at this time of the year is your garage door. However, if you go out and get home to a broken door you will be really happy to know we are open NYE!

We want you to focus your New Years on planning all the great things you are going to do in 2016 not be worried about your garage door working. It is also important to make sure you start the year with positive energy. So, if you get home at 2am on the 1st and your garage door is giving you issues give us a call right away. We have technicians ready and willing to come get your door working right again so you can go to sleep feeling confident that you are safe with your door securely closed.

We never charge extra for emergency service even on holiday’s. That is why it really makes no sense not to call us if you run into an issue even on NYE. Don’t wait and put yourself at higher risk for robbery, instead call us so we can get out there and fix everything up.

This post first appeared on https://www.fortworthgaragedoors.co