When your commercial garage doors begin to break down or exhibit wear and tear, they become a liability for your business. Here’s how to tell when it’s time to repair or replace your garage doors:

1. Garage doors don’t open and close properly

When your overhead doors are in good condition, you should not experience any issues with opening and closing. The doors should open and close smoothly, without any noise. However, if you start to notice them rattling or shaking upon opening and closing, or they come to a sudden halt, it may be time to repair or replace them.

There are typically two main reasons why garage doors stop opening and closing properly: the tracks may need to be lubricated or the motor may be broken. Excessive vibration could require a full garage door replacement. Ask your overhead door maintenance professional to troubleshoot these two issues before ordering a replacement.

2. Garage doors are slow to respond

It may seem harmless, but a garage door that responds too slowly could be a serious hazard to you and your employees. At a push of a button your garage door should respond within seconds and, if it doesn’t, it could cause an accident. Most garage doors become slow to respond because of motor issues. The repair could be as simple as replacing the batteries, but it’s also possible that the sensor could be broken.

3. Garage doors are no longer secure

Your overhead doors are essential for protecting your property. Whether you own a warehouse stocked with goods, a car repair business and high-value car parts, or anything in between, keeping your valuables protected against break-ins is non-negotiable.

If your garage doors are no longer providing the security your business needs, it may be time to replace them. Even seemingly small damage like dents or chips could make your business more vulnerable to theft.

4. Garage doors are old and worn

As a business owner, you want to make a quality impression. If your garage doors are old, worn, or unattractive, you may be discouraging people from purchasing products or services from you.

Your curb appeal communicates a lot about your business and if your garage doors are old, you  may inadvertently telling people that you don’t take pride in your work. Replacing your garage doors can help to elevate the appearance of your property  and provide your business with a range of new, modern security features.

From regular maintenance to the newest technological upgrades, contact Haws Overhead Doors for all of your commercial garage door needs.

The post Should I Repair or Replace My Commercial Garage Doors? appeared first on WM Haws Overhead Doors.

Garage door installation and maintenance is complex work that requires knowledge and skill. Next time you need a garage door installed or repaired, call the professionals instead of tackling the work yourself.

DIY maintenance can sometimes save you money, but it’s important to know when it’s time to call in the professionals:

1. Save Time

Professional garage door installation can save you time. When you hire a professional for garage door installation, you’re hiring a qualified installer who will get the job done in a timely manner. Instead of spending hours of your own time researching how to install a garage door, simply call up a professional to do the work.

2. Warranty-Backed Work

If you install or repair your own garage door, you may be voiding its warranty. Garage doors need to be properly installed by a qualified professional, so that if anything does go wrong, you won’t be liable for things that would be covered under a warranty. If you make mistakes in your installation or repair, you could void your warranty and end up spending even more money to fix the damage.

3. Installation & Repair Requires Special Tools

Some DIY tasks can be performed with tools most homeowners have lying around the garage, but garage door installation requires special tools. Instead of spending the money to buy or rent the tools yourself, or risk doing the installation or repairs without the right tools, it’s best to hire a professional to take on the project.

4. Garage Doors Are Heavy

Garage doors are designed to be heavy so that they provide security for your home and its contents. Garage doors weigh more than 100 pounds and are dangerous to lift by yourself. In addition, if you don’t have the right tools to secure and support the weight of the garage door, you may experience support failure.

5. Avoid Injuries

If you don’t have the right skills or tools to complete a garage door installation or repair, you could risk serious injuries. Garage door installation and repair is physically tough work, often requiring the use of a ladder, and if you’re not properly trained or prepared you could fall or hurt yourself.

6. High Tension Can Be Dangerous

Garage doors use springs to raise and lower, and these springs have to be strong enough to lift the heavy weight of a garage door and keep it under high tension. Over time, springs tend to naturally slacken and need to be tightened. If you don’t know how to tighten springs, low tension will cause them to be ineffective, and high tension could rupture the spring. Ruptured springs can cause flying shrapnel, which can be very dangerous to the inexperienced DIYer.

7. Avoid Damage

Personal injuries aren’t the only damage you can do when repairing or installing your own garage door; you could cause structural damage to the door and even your home. If you don’t properly balance or fit the door, you could cause serious structural risk to your entire garage. You may not even notice the damage until it’s too late to be fixed.

At Haws Overhead Doors, we offer installation of a wide range of residential garage doors, as well as service and repair to keep your garage door in great shape. For all of your garage door needs, contact Haws Overhead Doors today.

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That’s why having the right equipment and proper defence against the elements is important for our homes. For your garage, we recommend insulated garage doors.

What is an Insulated Garage Door?

If you think a standard garage door is going to keep your garage insulated during the summer and winter, think again. While most garage door installation involves weather stripping and other protections against the elements, insulated garage doors have added insulation to regulate the temperature inside your garage. This insulation is most often made of polystyrene or polyurethane. While it won’t be quite the same temperature as the rest of your home, it makes using your garage much more pleasant during the summer and winter months.

Insulated garage doors have several benefits that make them a great choice.

Reasonable Temperatures

During the summer, our garages can really heat up, and in the winter, they can be freezing cold. In fact, garages with non-insulated doors can be up to 10 degrees warmer or cooler than it is outside. This makes it difficult to use your garage for hobbies like woodworking, gardening or tinkering with your car. If you keep your car in your garage over the winter, this difference in temperatures could affect whether or not you can start your car in the morning.

Lower Energy Costs

In addition to making your garage more comfortable throughout the year, insulated garage doors can also help to lower your energy costs. This is especially true if your garage is located underneath a living space, like a bedroom or an office. The hot or cold air from your garage rises through to the living spaces above, causing your home comfort systems to have to work harder to keep the spaces comfortable. When the temperature in your garage is regulated, it affects the rest of your home much less.

Quiet Operation

If your garage is attached to your home, you know they can be quite noisy when opened or closed. This is especially true if your garage door is on a mechanized opener system. However, insulation on your garage door not only affects the temperature in your garage, it can also insulate the sound. Insulated garage doors tend not to rattle as much as non-insulated varieties, so you won’t have to worry about waking up the whole house when you leave for work early in the morning.

Strength and Durability

Because insulated garage doors have three layers as opposed to one, whether it’s polyurethane or polypropylene, this makes them stronger and gives them more integrity than non-insulated doors. If you have kids, this is great because it will be better protected from denting which can be caused by something as harmless as a basketball. Your garage door can take a lot of abuse, having insulation could help to protect it.

Stylish Options

We have over 30 years of experience installing garage doors, and over that time we’ve learned that no two houses – or two homeowners – are the same. We know how important it is to have options to fit the style of your home, and that’s one of the reasons to choose insulated garage doors. We get our insulated doors from Clopay, and they’re available in steel, wood and aluminum. In addition to having several styles available to you, we also carry 10 standard and four upgraded colour options to choose from.

At Haws Overhead Doors in Guelph, we carry a wide range of garage doors to fit the needs of your home and your family. Learn more about residential overhead doors from Haws!

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1) Lubricate

With all of the moving parts in your garage door, proper lubrication is essential for keeping it running and working smoothly. The springs, rollers and hinges all need to be lubricated bi-annually, usually in the spring and again in the fall. Lubricating your garage door is a fairly straightforward process that you can do yourself, but be sure to use a non-petroleum-based spray lubricant. We recommend Krown Spray Lubricant for the best end result.

2) Clean the Door & Tracks

Your garage door is very susceptible to salt and dirt buildup. Over the winter, salt and sand that are used to make the roads less slippery can get tracked into your garage on your shoes and on the wheels of your car. In the spring, get your garden hose and spray the bottom of your doors and tracks. This will rinse away any residual salt and dirt from the winter season, which can cause rust and other damage.

3) Keep the Tracks Clear

You should always keep the area around the bottom of your garage door tracks clear of debris or other objects. Never store things close to the tracks, as this can cause damage to the photo eyes if anything comes into contact with them.

4) Perimeter Weather Stripping

Every spring, you should inspect the weather stripping on the sides and top of your garage door and make sure the rubber is still pliable. With temperature changes, it can harden or shrink, leaving room for airflow or for critters to enter your garage. It’s also common for mice to chew the bottom rubber on your door. You should replace it every three to five years, depending on its exposure to the elements and animals.

Weather stripping can change the functionality of your door if it’s damaged. If it’s old, it can drag against the door, and cause it to open poorly. Wooden garage doors should also not have vinyl stripping, as it can drag and open poorly.

If you’ve done the above maintenance and your garage door is still not working as it should, it may require further repairs from a licensed technician. Contact Wm. Haws Overhead Doors for garage door service and repair in Guelph.

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