• sticking panels
• slow or sluggish over head motors
• springs that break
• clickers that don’t function
• breaking garage door motor chain

If you have experienced one of the issues listed above, there are a few things you can do to accomplish a Wayne Dalton Garage Door Repair. The overhead motor for example does not need to be replaced with a Wayne Dalton garage door motor. Even though the garage door system is considered a luxury garage door, you can swap out the motor with a cheaper motor from your local hardware store such as Home Depot or Lowes. These motors will usually have the same amount of horse power and work just as well than the expensive brands at a third of the price.

If your garage door springs have broken, the safest advice is don’t even try to attempt to fix these yourself. Call your local Wayne Dalton repair service or any garage door repair service. Springs are under extreme tension and are extremely dangerous. Too many people get hurt and even die from each year from accidents arising from adjusting garage door springs. Do yourself a favor and (unless you are confident you know what you are doing and have the necessary equipment) call the professionals who are trained to deal with potentially extremely hazardous torsion springs.

Garage door chains and tracks are very easy to fix yourself. You can get all of the replacement parts from any local hardware store and repairing them is easy. Just simply swap out the bad parts with the new parts. Hopefully this article has been useful to get you on the right path to fixing your garage door system. Follow the link for simple advice on fixing Genie garage doors.

Wooden Garage Doors

Although no longer the outright best seller of former years, wooden garage doors have long been among the most popular types of garage door available. Even these days, with modern materials technology, many if not most people think wood garage doors are better for a number of reasons; style, quality and durability to name a few. But it has to be said, there are some areas where wood garage doors don’t stack up so well against the competition any more.

So let’s introduce a little history to set the scene. Prior to the early 1980′s the de-facto standard material for just about all domestic garage doors was wood. The design and manufacture was essentially derived from earlier coach or carriage house (and even barn) doors and given the simplicity and aesthetic appeal of the product there seemed little reason to change.

Even though more modern materials such as steel, aluminum and vinyl were being used to make garage door panels even back then, mostly they were regarded as niche products aimed at commercial rather than residential applications. A significant reason for the lack of interest from the domestic market was simply aesthetics – the new doors just didn’t look anywhere near as stylish and people quite understandably were concerned about the obvious correlation between garage doors and property value.

When a single item can easily account for over one fifth of the immediate visual aspect of a house it’s important to make sure it looks smart and wooden garage door panels certainly achieve that, especially if they are stained or painted to match the wood trim on the rest of the house (doors, window frames, soffits, fascias etc). In fact, it was interesting to note that as metal and vinyl door panels started to gain a foothold they were often made with a fake wood grain effect – imitation being the sincerest form of flattery.

Aside from having a visually appealing natural texture and the flexibility to take an almost limitless number of colors and finishes, wood door panels possess certain other key characteristics worthy of consideration.

The first and (for many people these days) most immediate characteristic where wooden doors are concerned is their cost. Comparing basic entry level wood and steel doors of equivalent size and quality, the price differential for the wooden version averages out at some twenty percent higher. When you start to move up the scale and account for thicker gauge steel and integral insulation then things can move around, but even so you tend to find that on a like for like basis, the equivalent wooden garage door will invariably cost more than its metal counterpart.

Second is the issue of longevity – how long the door will last – which again is not as straightforward as you might expect. Wood, being a natural material, is subject to a process of degeneration over time. It can both rot and warp out of shape, either of which will render the door panel unviable. The extent to which it will do so of course depends on three main factors: how well constructed it was in the first place, the environment it has to cope with, and how well it is maintained,

Steel doors don’t warp or rot as such, but they are easily dented or buckled and they can rust; and none of these conditions is easily treated or masked with a coat of paint (as is typically the case with wood). Vinyl door panels can shatter if hit hard and will eventually degrade and become brittle due to exposure to sunlight (specifically ultra violet).

Which type of garage door “lasts longer” is therefore not an easy question to answer. It depends on a variety of factors that include the material used, the build quality and environmental and operational conditions. It also depends on what is meant by “lasts”. A badly rusted and dented steel door may in fact operate perfectly well but still get replaced long before a wooden door might, simply because most folk cannot stand to look at an ugly garage door (even if it is still functionally ok). The useful lifespan of a wooden garage door is also to a large extent determined by how well its owner looks after it, rather than any fixed duration.

The third feature regarding wooden door panels is weight. There is no question that wood panels are significantly thicker and heavier than either metal of vinyl (it’s also the main reason why these alternative materials first started to appear in commercial applications that required very large garage doors). This is not necessarily either a good or bad thing, it’s simply a fact, but there’s no doubt that the chunkier appearance of wooden door panels looks nicer and exudes an air of quality.

Also, the concept of “secure garage doors” is something of an oxymoron when looking at most standard metal doors, but wooden doors are intrinsically more robust. Wood is also a naturally effective insulator and outperforms all man-made materials used for garage door panels, though once again it’s not quite so simple, since it is quite simple to fit garage door insulation to any metal door (either pre-installed or using a DIY kit) and immediately turn the tables. And the reason you can’t so easily do the same with a wooden panel? It’s already too thick and heavy to take another layer of insulating foam.

So that’s a short and hopefully informative introduction to the subject of wooden garage doors and their enduring popularity. If you’re actively looking to make a purchase then why not check out this guide to buying a garage door for more tips and ideas.

Of course, there’s also always the option of consigning your garage to a more useful purpose in life (how about using your garage as a gun safe or a games room, or a gym or anything really other than a place to park a car)? Then simply sort the car out with a carport (and in keeping with my own prejudices I’m specifically suggesting that you consider one of the many excellent wood carport kits currently available because, well frankly wood carports look great and other types look for the most part outright plain and utilitarian and that’s not what I want stood next to my house).

Remote Control:

One of the first things you should consider when purchasing an automatic garage door is the remote control unit. Some remotes have a single button, whilst some may have two or more. If you have two garage doors, then you should look for a remote control that has two buttons. These garage doors will allow you to control each door separately so that you do not have to open both at the same time.

Drive System:

The next aspect to consider when choosing an opener is the drive system. Screw systems are used to actually lift the garage door and have relatively few moving parts and so require less maintenance. Chain driven systems use a metal chain to move the door along a track. These types of garage door openers are generally less expensive, but can generate more noise than the screw variety of units and may require more maintenance.

Power:

When buying a new garage door opener the amount of power also needs to be considered. You can choose between a door with 1/3, 1/2, or 3/4 horsepower. This decision is essentially based on the weight and type of door you have. If you have a double garage door, then you should buy an opener with a minimum of 1/2 horsepower.

Speed:

Garage door openers also come in different speeds. More expensive types open the door quickly so you do not have to wait so long. However, even these garage doors will always be closed at a slower speed for safety reasons.

Lighting:

One last aspect to consider when buying a garage door opener is lighting. Some models include a security light incorporated into the opener. The light is activated when you open the garage door. Some remote controls can actually turn on the light without opening the garage door as well.

Hopefully these simple tips should help you in your research and purchase of a new garage door opener. Check out also these tips for buying a garage door.