Are garage doors weatherproof?

This is a difficult question to answer? How do you define weatherproof?  Is a weatherproof door one that is resistant to rusting or corrosion? Is a weatherproof door one that is well insulated?

Nevertheless, the level of waterproofing will more or less have a correlation with the price of the door. Manufacturers will often have little weatherproofing on canopy/retractable doors, but roller or sectional doors will protect against the worst elements.

There are some important points to consider if you are looking to purchase a door that is weatherproof:

1. Is the door protected with rubber seals along the side and bottom of the door? Some garage doors will come fitted with side guides (brush strips) and a draught strip along the bottom of the door that will stop draughts and leaves.
2. Is the door insulated? An insulated garage door will help regulate the temperature not only in your garage but also to the rest of your house (if your garage neighbors your home), saving heating costs and keeping you warm.
3. Is your garage door corrosion resistant? Is it finished with a protective finish? All garage doors should be finished with a protective coating which will lengthen is life span protecting your door from any rust.  Wooden door should be appropriately treated to minimize the chance of any rot that may form.

The importance of an insulated garage door

The amount of insulation found in a garage door can have not only a dramatic effect on the temperature of your garage but on the temperature of neighboring rooms. The amount of insulation that a garage door provides is represented by an international measurement called the R-value.

It is important to select a garage door with an R-value that is consistent with how you intend to use your garage.

Do you heat or cool your garage? Well, insulation will prove very important. A well-insulated garage door will help maintain/regulate temperature while keeping your heating or cooling costs down.

People who enjoy working in their garages may want their garage to be more insulated.

If your garage is attached to your house, the insulation value of your garage door affects the insulation of your whole house.

Can a garage door be painted?

The bottom line is that we would strongly discourage any consumer from painting their garage door.

First off, most manufacturers will void any applicable warranty if an applied finish is not carried out by the manufacturer themselves. Secondly, it is common for consumers to apply incorrect types of finishes which can cause the paintwork/primer to peel, bubble or disfigure the door, revealing the door’s material composition.

The doors best suited for painting are metal doors. The majority of metal doors come with a minimum of a primer finish making them suitable for painting; however, most people leave them as they are. Wooden doors can be painted or treated as required, yet it’s always suggest that you follow the manufacturer’s recommendations/instructions.

How much should I spend on a garage door?

Like anything in life, I higher priced product is usually of greater quality – garage doors are not an exception to the rule. There are a number of factors which invariably affect the price of a garage door including but not limited to:

• Dimensions of the door itself
• Style (Georgian, Europa, Vertical)
• Finish – (Steel, Timber, GRP)
• Colour
• Lifting Gear
• Other extras – (Windows, Accents Pieces, and Automatic Openers).

The aforementioned factors can vary the price of a garage door significantly. For example, timber is significantly more expensive than its steel counterpart; likewise, a garage door of 14′ wide will be more expensive than a door 7′ wide given everything else is the same.

How much you should pay for a door is dependent on your lifestyle and how you intend to use your garage. We would always recommend that you understand all of the options available and speak with a company that is able to give advice and aid you in your choice of door.

Can all types of roller shutters be motorised?

Yes, motorisation and automation of new or existing roller shutters are possible in the majority of cases; however, we would strongly discourage automation of an existing roller garage door (due to cost and potential problems).

Automatic roller garage doors are constructed with a secure barrel situated at the top of the garage door curtain. The motor is located on the inside of the barrel, specially balanced and engineered to withstand the test of time. Due to the high level of technicality and engineering required to design and develop a quality roller door motor, there are only but a few manufacturers of roller shutter motors worth mentioning.

The majority of large roller door manufacturers use French-based Somfy as the motor manufacturer of choice.  Their quality and workmanship is next to none while offering a stunning customer warranty should anything go wrong.

How long does the light on the opener stay on for?

Most if not all modern-day openers include a courtesy light which will automatically switch on when the garage door is activated.  After a period of inactivity, the light will switch off to save electricity during periods of non-use.

How long will the light stay on for? This period of time is configurable from only a few seconds to a number of minutes.  The standard light bulbs can be replaced with energy-saving bulbs to minimize electricity consumption further.

Can I automate a canopy door?

Yes canopy garage doors can be fitted with an electric opener. Canopy garage doors do require a bow arm converter before an electric motor can be fitted to the door.

If you are looking to purchase a new garage door, we would recommend that you consider a retractable garage door instead. These doors are suited much better for automatic operation at a cost that is fractionally higher. You will find that your opener will function not only more reliably but more smoothly.

Most garage door installers can supply and fit a automatic garage door opener to a canopy door.

Do I Need a Frame with My New Garage Door?

You will need a frame for all garage doors except sectional & roller doors. Can you use an existing frame? This will depend on the quality of the frame. In most cases, it is best to replace a wooden frame due to rotting. Steel frames usually last a considerable more amount of time.

As such, you can buy a new up & over or side-hinged door and install it to your existing frame OR purchase a new frame with your door.

Available in steel, modern-day frames are either primed, powder coated or are a plastisol coated steel; however, the less-popular timber and GRP alternatives are available. Manufacturers of Up & Over and Side Hinged Garage Doors usually supply a factory-fitted frame as standard.

Releasing the door from the operator

If your automatic garage door opener is stuck closed because of a power failure or due to a problem with the unit itself, you may still be able to open the door manually.

That’s right, modern day operators allow you disengage the garage door’s automatic operation providing full access to your garage.

As a means of caution, close the garage door so it is fully closed.  You will notice a dangling, red pull-cord three-quarters the length of the boom away from the garage opening. With the garage door now closed, simply pull the red release cord down toward the floor.

This should disengage automatic operation and allow you to manually open/close the garage door using your own strength.

Electric garage door only goes up a foot then stops

When you attempt to open your electric garage door, does the door go up about a foot or two then stop?

This could be one of two things. If you apply pressure upwards when the door is lifting, will it go up all the way? This problem is more than likely due to a problem with a torsion spring. For most doors, torsion springs can be replaced at an affordable cost.

Otherwise, you could be looking at a problem with the motor and/or garage door. As garage doors age, they require maintenance to keep them evenly balanced. An opening garage door can find itself getting stuck in a stationery position because an usually large amount of force has been detected required to open the door. Usually, a garage door service will mend any problems seen.

If the door closes again shortly after opening, the opener will require that you tune/adjust its force sensors.