Garage door
A garage door is a large door on a garage that can either be opened manually or by a garage door opener. Although of many designs, most garage doors are sectional, upward acting, and self-storing. Garage doors are necessarily large to allow passage of automobiles and/or trucks.
Garage doors can be made out of many materials, but steel, wood and vinyl (polyethylene) are the most popular depending on the geographic area.
A common material for a new garage door is roll formed steel sheet to look like a raised panel wooden door. A design mimicking carriage house doors has become quite popular since about 2002, and many manufacturers clad the exterior of a steel door with composite or vinyl boards to give it the look of an outward swinging door. A more economical alternative for carriage house garage doors is steel stamped to look like a carriage house door.
Maintenance
A typical garage door may weigh hundreds of pounds, and is typically sprung by a torsion or extension spring to counterbalance the weight of the door. The great force on these springs can make them dangerous to replace for the inexperienced or incautious handyman. Many cases have been reported where even experienced garage door technicians have suffered severe lacerations and/or broken bones in the replacement of garage door springs. Garage door torsion springs are rated in cycle life, with 10,000 cycles being the industry standard minimum, and upgrades available to around 100,000 cycles. The average spring breaks about every 7 to 12 years. If a garage door has two or more springs and one breaks, all springs should be replaced to maintain proper balance.
The leading causes of garage door failure and/or replacement include lack of maintenance and being hit by vehicles. A proper maintenance schedule for a garage door includes lubrication of the rollers, bearings, pulleys, and springs once a year; washing painted steel surfaces several times a year; painting or refinishing wood surfaces as necessary; and making proper adjustments to the counter balance system as necessary to maintain door balance. A properly balanced garage door should be able to be stopped mid-travel without drifting down or up when operated manually.
Garage doors operated by an electric opener should be tested twice a year for proper reversing. To test place a roll of paper towels on the ground and see if the door reverses on contact. If not call a qualified, certified door technician. (Door technicians are certified by the International Door Association.[1]) Another danger area for doors are the bottom brackets. These brackets are under tremendous tension and should only be touched by a qualified door technician.
Links to Investigate
IDC Doors from Minneapolis, MN specialize in custom garage doors. They are beautiful, check out their residential garage doors photo gallery!
See also
