HOW TO PROTECT YOUR GARAGE FROM EXTREME TEMPERATURES

Does your garage do more than serve as a storage place for your car? If your garage doubles as a workshop, office, or game room, then it’s important to have an insulated garage door. When you insulate your garage properly, you’ll achieve maximized thermal efficiency with optimized reduction of air infiltration. That way, in any temperature, a well-insulated garage will give you a viable space all year, keeping you fully comfortable. You’ll keep as much cold out as possible during winter, and as much heat out as possible during summer.

Protection in Cold Weather

Even if the temperature were to drop below freezing, when your garage is winterized, you’ll save a lot of money and time.

Insulate the garage walls. Proper installation of insulation in your garage requires that you closely study the installation guide. Be sure to choose the right insulation thickness for the walls of your garage. Typical mistakes people make are: not fastening the batt insulation securely; cutting it too short or too long for the location; or not properly supporting it. Keep in mind that the insulation must fit snugly; nevertheless, don’t jam it in too tightly.

Insulate the garage door. A large variety of products is available to you for insulating the garage door, including a specifically designed kit to do so. Effective insulation options include foam board, reflective barriers, and Fiberglass batt insulation.

No matter which option you choose, first you’ll have to cut the insulation to fill your garage door panels. Next, secure them with adhesive, each piece firmly in place. If your garage door doesn’t have recessed panels, the job will be easier.

 

For most folks, the prospect of insulating the garage by yourself is too overwhelming. If it’s all too much, then hire a dependable professional to install a modern-designed insulated garage door for you. If you are located anywhere in Marietta, Georgia, then consider hiring a trusty professional from a reputable garage door company such as Marietta Garage Door Repair.

Insulate the entire garage. If your garage ever becomes too cold, it can damage not only your car, but also anything else you have in storage. Are your washing machine and dryer kept in the garage? If your washer still has water left in the pump or lines, it can freeze and crack. The same risk is possible with your vehicle’s fuel gels, which can freeze in the combustion engine. Another possibility that can arise is that paint can separate and become ruined during prolonged periods of freezing temperatures.

Repair or replace your weatherstripping. Weatherstripping will create an effective seal between your garage door opening and the garage door. If you notice any cold draft leaking into the garage between the garage door frame and the garage door, then take away any of the existing weatherstripping if you see that it is cracked or brittle. Scrape off any sealant that remains, using a putty knife and pry bar or flat scraper. Make sure the surface is as clean and even as possible. After you remove the old weatherstripping completely, then measure correctly in order to apply the new weatherstripping. To align it, close the garage door and make sure the rubber flap slightly flattens against it. You will have an effective seal and the garage door will operate smoothly.

Install a unit heater in the garage. Weatherstripping and insulation will keep your garage protected from extremely cold temperatures in winter weather, but if you’d like to be extra warm, then add a unit heater. (On the other hand, if you’re located where your winters are mild, then an electric unit heater is probably all you’ll need, since you’ll need heat only once in a great while.) You can heat your garage with minimal construction costs and space requirements. Overall, gas-fired units are normally cheaper to operate, but they’re more difficult to install since they require a gas supply and exhaust venting. There’s also the electric model, which is easier to install yet more expensive to manage. A particularly efficient electric option is the mini-split heat pump, which provides efficient cooling and heating for your garage with a mere 3″ hole through an outside wall.

 

Protection in Hot Weather

During summer, your main objective is to enhance the airflow throughout the garage. Taking even just one of these measures is definitely worth considering:

 

Insulate the garage ceiling. If you use paper-backed batt insulation, ceiling wallboard isn’t needed. Install the insulation with staples, paper side down, or put the insulation in place using netting. You can also apply staples to fasten the netting. Professional garage door technicians advise you to do both.

 

Plant a tree close by. A hardwood or deciduous tree is an aesthetic and economical way to cool your garage down during summer. (And, it even keeps your garage warm during winter.) Plant the tree between the garage and the position of the sun in the warmest part of the day. The leaves will provide shade. (In winter, the bare branches will allow sunlight to come through, providing warmth.)

 

Leave the garage door open slightly, about a foot from the ground, and add a fan, too.

 

Wall insulation keeps out summer heat with desirable efficiency. Use wallboard or other paneling to encapsulate the material. You’ll prevent pets, toddlers, and teenagers from tearing things out.

 

Install a stationary vent on the roof. This is an inexpensive way to create an exit point for hot air that gets trapped in the garage’s attic. Or, if your budget allows it, install a mechanical exhaust system. Fans will draw cooler air from the garage into the attic. This will cool down the attic as well as the space below.

 

Insulate the garage overhead door. For a metal garage door, add a layer of rigid insulation that’s 2″ thick, attached to the inside of each panel with contact cement. Or, an insulated sectional overhead door is a superior alternative.

 

Attach an adjustable rollaway awning onto the garage’s sunny side. The shade will cool things off during the summer.

Article source here: HOW TO PROTECT YOUR GARAGE FROM EXTREME TEMPERATURES

Marietta Garage Door Repair: Check These Things When Your Garage Door Is Not Working

You are just pulling into your driveway from a long road trip, and you have been longing for your bed for the past 10 minutes. You finally turn onto your street. Next, you turn into your driveway. You hit the button to open your garage door. It starts to open. You get ready to pull in, but it suddenly reverses closed. Or – the door didn’t open in the first place. Or – the door did open, you drove into the garage, but the door will not close. Whatever the issue with your garage door opener, you need to get it fixed. Depending on what kind of expensive equipment you keep in your garage, keeping the door open all night may not be an option for you. Keep reading to see some common problems that will cause your garage door not to work, and in some cases, some easy fixes you can employ.

 

Door does not respond to opener, but responds to wall switch

If you arrive home and press the opener button and nothing happens, your next step will be to go to your wall switch. If you press the wall switch and the door works correctly, you know that you are having issues with your opener. The most basic issue could be the remote or transmitter batteries. In order for the opener to work correctly it has to be receiving power. If your garage door system is not responding to your remote, change the batteries. Hopefully this fixes the issue and you will be able to move on with your day. If you have multiple transmitters in multiple vehicles, the batteries should be changed in all of them. Once the batteries are properly in place (all plus and minus signals line up), check that each remote can properly operate the door.

 

Photo eye is not aligned

In 1993 the law around garage door systems changed. All doors (manufactured after that date), must have a photo eye safety system. These photo eye sensors are located on the bottom of each side of the door. The sensors send a laser beam across to each other. Anytime this beam is interrupted, it signals the door that something is in the path and the door should stop. This was created as a safety precaution to prevent doors closing on people. If your door opens with no problem, but doesn’t want to close, this could be the issue. The photo eyes can become dirty or misaligned, which would cause the door to be unable to close. A quick fix is to clean the photo eye lenses (use a soft cloth and mild cleaner). The photo eye lens is similar to a camera lens, so it should be treated with the same care. Because of the location of the sensors, it is very easy for garbage and environmental debris to build up on or around the photo eye. Once clean, give it a try and see if the door will work correctly.

 

If not, the eyes may be misaligned. The eyes should be pointing in the same direction and at the same exact angle. They will not work if there is a misalignment. Make sure the photo eyes are standing at the same height, and you can use a laser level to ensure that they are pointing along a straight line at each other. This is important because if the beam between the two photo eyes is interrupted, the door will not work.

 

Track out of alignment

In order for your door to move, the track must be lined up properly. If the track is misaligned, this can cause your door to jam, it can cause gaps between the panels, and the track itself could become damaged. The heavy door only makes any of these issues even worse. One way to know that your door is misaligned is to listen closely. Do you hear a rubbing sound? This could indicate a track misalignment. To realign the track yourself, you would have to unscrew the screws holding the track and frame together. The next step is to take a rubber mallet and gently tap the track back into position. Use your level to make sure the track is now straight. Once you have determined the track is straight, you can tighten the screws back onto the frame. If your door will not move at all on the track – do not attempt to fix it yourself. In this case, it is best to employ the services of a professional garage door repair company.

 

Spring Issues

If your door is having spring issues – you will need expert help. Garage door springs do all the heavy lifting, and the springs are installed using a great amount of torque. If you are having trouble with your door opening or closing, or you hear a loud bang (similar to a firecracker going off), that could indicate garage door spring issues. Garage doors can come with one or two springs. If your door has two springs and one breaks, it will most likely be recommended that you change both springs. Due to safety concerns, it is best that an expert technician handles this for you. If you think you are having spring issues, do not open the door. Leave it in a closed position until a technician has had a chance to look it over.

 

In Marietta, GA locals agree that the company to call is Marietta Garage Door Repair. We offer 24/7 expert service, and our local technicians are knowledgeable and friendly. We regularly work with all the major brands (Craftsman, Wayne Dalton, Clopay, Sears, LiftMaster etc), and our staff believes in putting the customer first. If you are in the Marietta, GA area and are having trouble with your door, give us a call! We are happy to give you a free consultation. If you aren’t in the area, do a search to find a reliable garage door repair expert close to you. It is always the safest option to hire an experienced professional.

Article source here: Marietta Garage Door Repair: Check These Things When Your Garage Door Is Not Working