Springtime is the perfect opportunity to get out and get going on any home improvement projects you might have. It’s also the perfect time to make a few upgrades to your garage door. The Overhead Door Company of Omaha has put together a list of things you might want to consider adding, upgrading, or, at the very least, checking out on your garage door while the weather is perfect.

 

Weatherproof Now

Even though the mercury is rising and winter may be the furthest thing from your mind, it’s good to do a little bit of planning to prepare for when the cold returns. Consider adding a weather seal to the bottom of your garage door. This heavy-duty strip of rubber does just as good a job at keeping out the snow and cold in January as it does the showers in April.

If you’re looking to go bigger, it may be time to upgrade to a Thermacore® door from the Overhead Door Company. This series of doors features our sandwich construction of steel-polyurethane-steel as well as between-section seals with thermal breaks to reduce air infiltration. What that boils down to is that your home is protected from the elements every time you close your garage door.

 

Pay Attention to More Than Just the Door

Torsion springs, hinges, rollers, and tracks are vital to your garage door working properly, yet they rarely get the attention they deserve. We’ve talked about the importance of getting these elements checked in the past, but now that the weather is nice you really don’t have an excuse. Rust and wear can severely hinder your garage door’s ability to function properly and sometimes all these elements need is something as simple as a coat of WD-40. However, there are going to be instances where your setup needs a little more care than that. If something major looks off, like a crooked track or a kink in the chain, make sure you call a trained professional to fix it as doing it yourself could result in a major injury.

 

Install a Keypad

Even if you already have an opener in every car – and one in the kitchen drawer for safety – a wireless keypad outside your home can still be a wise investment. Despite your best efforts, there will always be those times when one of your openers seems to magically disappear and in those instances, you don’t want to find yourself locked out.

It’s also a great addition if you have kids. Now you don’t have to worry about them forgetting the opener when they leave the house. They can simply punch in the code whenever they return.

 

Enough with the Noise

Picture this. You’ve settled down for a nice evening in bed. There’s a cup of tea by your side and you’re a few chapters into a great new book. After 30 minutes, your eyelids become heavy and you start to drift into a gentle sleep. All-of-the-sudden, you’re greeted by the metallic grind of your garage door rising. Evening ruined.

We want this to change. That’s why we offer a range of openers (the thing that actually pulls the garage door, not the remote we talked about above) – including the Legacy® 920 Belt Drive Garage Door Opener – that can open your garage almost silently. That means no more late-night wakeups listening to metal-on-metal grinding.

Looking for more ways to improve your garage door this spring? Call us today at the Overhead Door Company of Omaha for more ideas or to schedule your appointment!

(402) 331-0526

It’s February folks, and you know what that means? Winter is still knocking at your (garage) door.

Last month, we here at the Overhead Door Company of Omaha went over some ways to help you maintain your garage door during the winter. However, for those especially frosty February days, it helps to know a few additional tricks to keep it from freezing shut.

 

Sometimes, You Just Gotta Shovel

Nobody likes to shovel. In fact, it’s been scientifically proven that it’s the worst outdoor chore of all time. That said, if you don’t want your garage door to freeze, you have to try your best to keep it clean. Brushing away excess ice and snow in between the times when you go out to shovel the full driveway is usually all it takes to prevent the build-up that causes garage doors to freeze shut.

Feel the Heat

Space heaters crop up in every other room in your house during the winter, why should your garage be any different? Keeping a pair of small, sturdy space heaters handy will not only make the morning trudge to your car a bit easier, they’ll also help to keep the weather seal (that’s the fancy name for that thin piece of rubber on the bottom of your garage door) from cracking and the battery in your opener from draining – just make sure to be mindful of the cords and unplug them when you’re not using them.

Look in the Pantry

Ice melt should be your go-to if you’re trying to eliminate that last layer of frost for your driveway. However, we’ll forgive you if you didn’t want to make a special trip to the hardware store to lug 50-pound bags of it around. In those instances when you need something to break down icy build-up, look no further than your pantry for assistance. Both table and Kosher salt are serviceable replacements for the heavy-duty stuff. Just sprinkle a little seasoning near the weather seal, let it marinate and watch as your garage door returns to its former glory.

Just Add Water

What’s the best way to unstick a garage door? If you said adding water, congratulations you’re right (also, thank you for reading this post a second time). Pouring a small amount of warm (not boiling!) water on the weather seal could be the answer to unsticking it and preventing you from having to take more drastic steps.

 

If you’d like any additional tips or think you might need to replace the weather seal on your garage door, call the trained professionals at the Overhead Door Company of Omaha today!

(402) 331-0526