If you’re not happy with your garage door, then perhaps you need a replacement garage door.
Here are 10 signs that you need a replacement garage door. Continue reading “10 signs you need a replacement garage door”
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10 Garage Door Maintenance Tips
If you’re keen on saving time and money, then perhaps you want to add garage door maintenance to your list of things to do.
Here’s what we recommend you do:
1. Check everything works
You’ll want to check that everything works on your garage door as expected.
Perhaps you use your garage door every day and will know when something’s not right, or perhaps you only use it a couple of times a month.
Have a look at the opener, door, handle, and lock to make sure that it all works.
Remember to check your automatic garage door opener too if you have one.
2. Check for damage
Perhaps your garage door has been battered by a storm, or has very obvious damage to it due to a car driving into your garage door.
There may be less obvious signs of damage, such as fraying cables, rusting springs or it’s just slow or noisy when opening and closing your door.
3. Check it’s weather proof
You’ll want to check that your garage door is weatherproof.
Rain, snow, storms and sun can damage garage doors, and let in wind and water.
You don’t want the first sign of a leaking garage door to be everything in your garage is wet.
4. Check the screws
Ensure that all the screws and other fittings are tight and secure, and replace any that are missing.
Whilst you might have suitable screws already, you’ll want to check that they are up to the job.
5. Check the frame
Check the garage door frame.
If it’s damaged or rotting, then your garage door may not be as secure or work as it should do.
6. Clean the tracks
Cleaning the tracks regularly will remove the dust and other debris that might cause problems.
You can brush the worst out, and then use a cloth to make sure you’ve got them really clean.
7. Lubricate
Once clean you’ll want to lubricate the rollers, tracks and pulleys.
You can get garage door lubricant as a spray which will make it easier to get to those hard to reach places.
8. How often?
This depends on where you live, what’s in your garage, how often you use your garage, and what you use it for.
You may need to check once a month, or just a couple of times a year.
9. Safety first
Safety must come first.
Obviously you may not have the tools, parts, skills, experience, time or inclination to even think about repairing your garage door, so you might not be able to attempt even the seemingly easy maintenance tasks.
Garage doors are not toys, and are under a lot of tension, and have many moving parts.
We wouldn’t recommend that you fix any major problems yourself.
10. Know your limits
You might not be physically capable of making these checks, or feel comfortable working by yourself carrying out these garage door maintenance tasks.
Perhaps it’s raining or dark, or your children want you to play with them, or you don’t really have the time to spend on your garage door.
If in doubt, leave garage door maintenance to the professionals.
Conclusion
Whether you’re able to carry out these garage door maintenance tasks or not, you might still need some help, advice or guidance, and we’re only too happy to help.
Even if you can’t fix it yourself, you might have still saved time and money by diagnosing the exact problem, and what replacement parts are required, before contacting us.
You might have confirmed that you do actually need a new garage door, or that only a garage door service is required.
Why not Contact Us at 651-702-1420 now, and tell us how we can help you?
10 Tips for choosing the right garage door material
If you’re looking for a new garage door, then perhaps you need help determining the right garage door material.
Here’s what you need to know:
Steel Garage Doors
Pros
- Popular, versatile, cost effective
Cons
- Poor insulator for heat and noise, cheap doors are usually thin
Wood Garage Doors
Pros
- Beautiful, good insulator, durable
Cons
- Expensive, low cost usually means less durable, requires regular maintenance
Aluminium Garage Doors
Pros
- Affordable, versatile, light
Cons
- Easier to dent, easier to break, not ideal for families with bikes, balls and other outdoor toys
Fiberglass Garage Doors
Pros
- Lightweight, customizable, innovative designs
Cons
- Can weaken and crack in cold winters, poor UV radiation protection
What should you think about?
1. Aesthetic
What sort of look are you going for? Is your house modern or traditional? Do you want something beautiful to look at, or does your new garage have to be functional first?
2. What size of garage?
Thinking about the size of your garage and garage door will help you to decide what will work best for you.
Do you want several smaller doors? Do you want a single swing-up garage door? Are you looking at folding doors?
3. How often will your garage door be used?
If you’re constantly in and out of your garage and use it all the time, then you’ll have some obvious requirements, which will help you choose the right material.
4. Who will use it?
If your children use the garage as much as you do then your garage door needs to be easy to use. Will they benefit from an automatic garage door opener?
5. What’s do you use your garage for?
Do you keep your classic car in there? Is there a boat? Your work supplies? A home cinema? A spare bedroom?
Depending on what you keep in your garage, you’ll want a suitable garage door.
6. Security
Again garage door security will be an important consideration, so that what lives in your garage stays there.
7. Insulation
If you’re spending time in your garage, or using it as an additional room then insulation will be important so that your garage door doesn’t leak heat.
8. Windows
You might want windows in your garage door to bring some much needed light if you’re using your garage as another room. Perhaps windows are not important if you’re simply using your garage for your cars and tools.
9. Do your homework
If you’re not sure what garage door material will be best for your needs, then why not ask friends and family about their garage doors, and read online reviews?
10. Budget
Whilst it’s never a good idea to buy things on price alone, you’ll want to have some idea of what your new garage door will cost.
Conclusion
If this has helped you determine what your new garage door material will be then why not order your new garage door today?
If you’re still none the wiser, why not Contact Us at 651-702-1420 today, and tell us what you need from your new garage door?
10 Tips for finding the right Minnesota garage door repair contractor
If you’re looking for a Minnesota garage door repair contractor, then perhaps you know what you should look for, and what’s important.
If not, here’s what we recommend.
1. Does the business have a physical location?
Having a physical location will enable you to gauge the size of the business, and know that there are a number of employees.
However, you won’t want to know that you’re paying more than you should do for your garage door repairs, so that they can afford a fancy office in an expensive area of town.
2. Has the business got testimonials from satisfied customers?
Testimonials are really important and provide proof that the Minnesota garage door repair contractor has done work for others, and is capable of fixing problems.
3. Is the business listed in Business Directories?
Again, if the Minnesota garage door repair contractor is listed in the expected business directories such as Angie’s List it will reassure you that they are genuine.
4. How long has the company been in business?
If the company is new it may not have the same sort of reputation or experience as a more established company. It may employ fewer contractors too, which means that you won’t get the immediate service you require when your garage door isn’t working properly.
5. Experience
Your garage door is not something you think about or replace often…until it doesn’t work properly.
Newer or less experienced garage door repair businesses many not have seen of lots of different makes of garage doors or older types of automatic garage door opener before.
This means they may not carry the parts and so are not able to fix your garage door as quickly as you’d hoped.
6. Does the company have the right level of insurance?
Having the right level of insurance is essential so that in the rare event that something does go wrong, the contractor is covered and will put things right at no expense to your whether you’re the homeowner or the business owner.
7. Does the company have well-stocked vehicles?
Carrying the tools, parts and accessories required in a well stocked vehicle allows an experienced contractor to fix the vast majority of problems, in one visit.
This means you will be able to open or close your garage door again, and get on with the rest of your day without having to wait for parts to be delivered or take more time off work.
8. Does the company offer a free estimate?
Providing a free estimate shows that the company wants to help its potential customers, and not just looking to make a quick buck.
If you’re not offered a free estimate, you might want to look elsewhere.
9. Locations
Does the garage door repair company you’re considering cover your location? A company that covers a wide range is likely to be kept busy, and so be good at what they do.
Some contractors may charge a premium for travelling further, or not be able to see you until the next day.
10. Availability
A reputable Minnesota garage door maintenance company will understand that your family and home might be vulnerable because you can’t open or close your garage door, or that it’s damaged.
They’ll make sure that they send somebody round to have a look at it the same day, and more than likely, fix it there are then.
A smaller company may not be able to visit for a few days, leaving you at risk with a damaged garage door that doesn’t work properly.
Conclusion
If you need your garage door or automatic garage door opener fixing, want a new garage door, then why not Contact Us at 651-702-1420 today?
We’ve been established since 2001, offer free estimates, and have well stocked vehicles. Why not see what services we offer, and what our customers say about us?
AA Garage Door joins the IDA
In June AA Garage Door joined the IDA (International Doors Association) at www.doors.org.
Commitment
We did this for some reasons, the main one being to show our dedication to our products and services, and more importantly, our commitment to our customers.
Joining a recognized trade association also provides us with additional credibility and to show our potential customers we know what we’re doing.
Those looking for an experienced Minnesota garage door repair company to carry out services and maintenance, as well as install a new garage door or automatic garage door opener will be confident that we can do the work to the high standard they expect.
Benefits of Joining the IDA
Already we’ve seen immediate benefits, and have learned much from the website. We’ve been able to learn from others too, and are keen to share our new found knowledge with our customers.
The IDA also provides us with opportunities for training, so in the future, we might go on training courses, to find out about different ways to help grow our business, and learn about new products, and how to better meet the needs of our customers.
Being a member will help us when we look at bigger jobs, such as maintaining the garage doors for new commercial customers. Our membership will show that we are capable of providing an excellent service, and a great product.
When we recruit new garage door contractors, we will be able to reassure them that they are working for a company that belongs to a recognized trade association and all the benefits that brings.
Delighted
AA Garage Door owner David Sands added, “I’m happy to announce that AA Garage door is now a member of the IDA. It’s something we as a business should have done years ago.
We’ve worked hard to build our business and our reputation, and now we’ll be able to help even more customers save time and money, by standing out from our competitors.
We’re looking forward to providing a better service to all our customers in and around Minneapolis and St Paul as a result of our membership of the IDA.”
Conclusion
If you want to book your garage door repair or service, or to find out more about new garage doors or automatic garage door openers, why not call us on (651) 702-1420 today for your Free Estimate?
See why so many people choose AA Garage Doors.