Washing a roller garage door

It is inevitable that your garage door is going to get dirty especially when it is exposed to the elements. Garage doors are manufactured with “cleaning” in mind. How are you supposed to clean your garage door? Grime, dirt or dust can be quickly removed from the door with a cloth/sponge dipped in soapy water - it’s that easy.

Many consumers believe that they have to resort to using a pressure washer or other cleaning utensil, but this is not the case. The vast majority of today’s garage doors come with a manufacturer’s warranty on the finish ensuring that your garage door will survive the test of time without losing it’s “new” look.

A universal garage door opener remote

Are you looking for a universal garage door remote control? If you’re planning to replace your existing remote control or to combine multiple remotes into a single pad, it could be the best solution.

There is no such thing as a remote that can operate any garage opener - for good reason. There are however, remotes that can operate on different frequencies, functioning with different brands.

Remote control operating frequency will usually differ by manufacturer and even model. Modern-day remotes adopt different rolling-code technologies to prevent an eavesdropper from recording the transmission.

Automatic roller shutter door without power

So you’re considering purchasing an automatic roller shutter door but you’re worried about access to your garage during a power cut. Fear not.

The vast majority of roller garage doors on the market have a manual release which is situated on the side of the motor. Yes, you can open the garage door manually by operating it this way. When the power returns, returning to an automated mode is trivial.

Now, if the garage door opening is the only access to your garage, you might share a real concern. Just how are you supposed to gain entrance to the rear of the door if you can’t open the door from the outside? Roller garage doors can be fitted with an external mechanical override switch which will provide a manual mechanism to open/close the garage door during a power outage without sacrificing the security to your garage.

Lubricating a roller shutter garage door

What is the best way to lubricate your roller garage door?

First off, let’s discuss what NOT to use. Do not use thick oils or grease to lubricate to your door. Both of these types of lubricants will gather dust, grime and sand over time. The garage door will end up being worse than before the grease/oil was applied.

Roller garage doors should only have lubricants applied to the guide rails of the garage door curtain.  Applying lubrication elsewhere could hamper your door’s normal operation.

The best form of lubrication is a silicone spray. This gives a clean lubrication to the door. Before applying the lubricant, rub down the guide rails with a cloth to remove any webs or dust that has gathered. Once complete, apply a fine spray of lubricant down the guide rail, but do not apply too much.

Other similar substitutes may work well, but again it’s all about small quantities.

Garage Door Opener will not do anything

If you have an Electric Garage Door that will not do anything when you push the button, there’s a few things you can look at to investigate the problem.

1. Is the the opener plugged into the an electric socket outlet?

2. Is there power coming out of the electric socket? Try plugging another electrical device into the same socket and seeing if it works.  There is always the possibility that there has been a short in the wiring. If this is the case, call a qualified electrician.

3. Another option could be to use an extension lead to plug the opener into another wall socket.  This might be a better option than having to lug a nice piece of electrical equipment into the garage.

4. If all fails, you probably have a mechanical or electric fault with your opener. Before you shell out hundreds to repair your opener, consider purchasing a new garage door opener. It could save you money, hassle, and time.

Electric Garage Door Replacement Remote

Are you looking for a replacement garage door remote control? Have you thought about adding another remote control to your existing installation?

Depending on the age of your electric garage door opener this may or may not be possible.  All the big garage door opener manufacturer’s provide the ability to add or replace remotes.

Programming a new remote control with a opener is easier than you might think. Manufacturers include simple easy-to-follow instructions making it quick even for you technophobes.

If your garage door opener was manufactured before 1980, it is almost certain that a new remote for your opener will no longer be in circulation.

Remote controls differ in price depending on the features of your opener and the manufacturer of the system.

Should I install manual lock for electric door?

Electric garage doors are designed to prevent unauthorised entry protecting not only the contents of your garage but you and your family. Newer electric openers function as the lock where as an older opener would usually require a manual lock.

We strongly discourage homeowners from attaching a lock once an opener has been installed. Accidentally locking the door can cause the opener to pull against the lock causing unrepairable damage to the garage door.

If you know that your garage door is not going to be used for a while because of a family holiday, for example, the vast majority of openers feature a digital lock.  The digital lock can only be lock/unlocked from with inside the garage meaning that a remote control for the door will still not be sufficient in opening the garage door until the digital lock has been unlocked/disarmed.

Please Note: If no opener is installed on your garage door, a lock is highly recommended.

Minimum required headroom space

Have you considered the amount of headroom space required for fitting a sectional garage door?

This all depends on if you plan on automating the garage door.  Automatic garage door openers are fitted against the the ceiling of the garage; this requires additional room between the ceiling and the top of the garage door opening.

With all the benefits offered by an automatic garage door, it’s still worth considering automating your garage door as an option.

Today’s garage doors are designed and manufactured to maximize space for efficiency. Manual sectional garage doors require as little as 70mm of headroom space; whereas, electric garage doors require double the amount of room (140mm).

Space-saving Garage Doors

Does your garage feel very squashed?  Would you like to be able to park right in front of the garage without having to move your car to open/close the door?

Roller garage doors offer a terrific space-saving design. These space-saving qualities are not only felt outside, but on the inside of your garage too.  Roller garage doors roll up into a neat curtain located on the wall behind the opening maximizing the width of your opening without losing any of the depth within your garage and removing the need for a timber frame around the opening.

Foremost, roller doors are ideal for short driveways because the door rises vertically and does not kickout.

Most manufactures offer the option of a discreet, unobtrusive box that resides up near the roof of your Garage.

Automatic Garage Door Spares

Do you have a dilapidated automatic garage door opener that you’re looking to revive?  Are you looking for a company selling spares or parts for your opener or even searching for a company that will carry out the repairs on your opener?

Truthfully, if your opener has passed its warranty date, you’re probably out of luck. Unless the spare part is from a popular manufacturer or is a part that is known to regularly break, you won’t find too many companies stocking the part you’re looking for.

“Why?”, I hear you ask. Consider the cost implications of an individual spending hours attempting to fix a garage door opener.  Good, quality engineers are not cheap.

Then there is the cost of the spare parts themselves.  Other than the bare-bones frame, electric openers are comprised of complicated circuit boards. Fixing a broken circuit often means replacing the entire circuit board.

Taking these costs into consideration (with the chance that the same problem or even ANOTHER problem might rear its head), it is often best purchasing a new opener with a warranty.  It will likely save you cost, time, and hassle.