9 Tips for Buying Your New Garage Door
Buying a new garage door is a significant investment, so it’s essential to make an informed decision based on your needs and budget. Some general considerations are to look for a door that’s durable, energy-efficient, secure and installed by a reputable dealer or technician.
Before purchasing a new garage door, consider these 10 garage door buying tips to make a confident decision:
1. Material
Garage doors can be made from various materials, such as steel, wood or vinyl. Each has its benefits and considerations regarding durability, appearance and maintenance requirements, so be sure to research.
2. Style
Garage doors come in different styles, such as traditional, modern, carriage house and modern/contemporary. Consider your home’s architectural style and choose a door that complements it.
3. Insulation
Insulated garage doors can save energy and improve your garage’s comfort level during all four seasons. Consider the door insulation’s R-value and select a model that meets your needs.
4. Durability Features
A high-quality garage door should withstand daily use and varying weather conditions. Look for features such as galvanized hardware and tracks, nylon rollers, and torsion springs.
5. Budget
How much you’ll spend on your new garage door can vary depending on factors such as the size, material, style and insulation value. Cost will vary based upon your selections.
6. Accurate Measurements
To get an estimate for a new garage door, it’s crucial to get accurate measurements of your existing garage door.
7. Brand and Warranty
Clopay® Has some of the best warranties in the industry.
8. Security
The most secure garage door is a closed garage door.
9. Reputable Dealer
The quality of the garage door installation can significantly affect the door’s performance and life span. Make sure you select a reputable dealer with experience and expertise in garage door installation who provides excellent customer support for the lifetime of your door.
Contact Us for a New Residential Garage Door
Consolidated Garage Doors, Ltd. provides you with SOLID service to help you find the perfect garage door. Get in touch with us for a new door and professional installation that will provide you with peace of mind.
Pros to Having Windows for Garage Doors
Are you in the market for a new garage door for your home? You’ll have many options regarding the style and materials, enabling you to choose a customized product that meets your unique needs. One important decision you’ll make involves whether to select a garage door with windows.
What Are the Pros to Garage Door Windows?
Installing a garage door with windows can provide many benefits for homeowners.
1. Boosts Curb Appeal
If you drive or stroll around your neighborhood, you’ll likely notice various garage door designs and styles. You’ll have numerous options for customized windows that enhance the appearance of your garage and home. If you’re planning to sell your house eventually, the right windows can make it more attractive to potential buyers.
2. Makes Your Garage Seem More Spacious
While the actual dimensions of your garage will not be affected, windows can make the space seem larger. This quality is vital if you spend a lot of time working in the garage or using it for other purposes besides parking your vehicles.
3. Provides Natural Lighting
A windowless garage may work for some homeowners, but choosing a model with windows allows the sunlight to stream inside during the daytime. You’ll increase visibility in the room without needing to turn on the lights, and the interior will be brighter and more appealing.
4. Reduces Utility Costs
Are you trying to lower your household expenses? Windows in a garage door allow natural light to enter, so you may not need to turn on the lights during the daytime hours. If you use your garage frequently during the day, the sunlight can enable you to use less electricity, which could lead to lower utility bills.
5. Minimizes Security Issues
Many homeowners are concerned about windows because they may allow people to see inside the garage. However, most manufacturers design these products with the windows toward the top of the door. The height prevents passersby from looking in, enabling you to maintain privacy and security.
Your Source for Garage Door Windows
As the longest-running Master Authorized Dealer for Clopay® doors in the region, Consolidated Garage Doors, Ltd. serves homeowners in Batavia, St. Charles, Geneva and beyond. We offer an entire collection of durable, attractive Clopay residential products — many of which come with an assortment of attractive window options.
When you choose us as your garage door provider, you’ll receive the SOLID SERVICE, SOLID SALES and SOLID PRODUCTS we’ve been delivering for decades — we’ve been SOLID since 1976®. Our experienced team can help you choose the perfect door and window combination for your property. We’ll also perform a fast, professional installation.
Explore Your Garage Door Window Options Today
Visit our Batavia, IL, showroom today to get a closer look at our attractive, durable garage doors with windows. Do you have questions about whether windows are an appropriate choice for your property? Call us at 630-761-1976 or submit our online contact form today.
Reasons to Add a Garage Door Camera
Security cameras are a constant presence these days. You can find them in public places, businesses and wherever else potential security and safety risks loom. A home’s garage is another area that could benefit from a security camera installation.
The Benefits of a Security Camera in a Garage Door Opener
Advancements in technology now enable you to purchase a garage door opener with a camera to bolster your home security efforts. Installing these devices provides a host of benefits.
1. Monitor a Vulnerable Area
Unauthorized individuals often select the garage as an entry point to the rest of the home. Or, if your property contains a detached garage, they may choose it as their target, especially if it’s far away or out of sight from the house. A security camera in your garage allows you to monitor this area, even if it’s out of your sightline.
2. Track Arrivals and Departures
A garage door opener camera can take a photo every time someone opens or closes the door. If you discover a break-in or items missing from your garage, you can check the recordings to see if an unauthorized individual entered the area.
3. Implement Remote Monitoring and Control
Many openers provide access to smart technology that allows you to monitor and control its functions from a remote location. Suppose you arrive at work and suddenly realize you might have left the garage door open. You can use your smartphone or tablet to check the camera feed and close the door with a quick key tap. You can also open the door to allow a delivery person inside to drop off a package, then close it after the individual leaves.
4. Receive Instant Alerts
Another advantage of a garage door opener camera with smart technology is that you can receive an immediate alert on your mobile device whenever someone attempts to enter your garage. You can then check to see if the individual is a family member or an unwanted guest.
5. Gain Night Vision Capabilities
While some burglars ply their trade during the day when no one is home, others prefer the cover of darkness. A garage door opener with a camera can provide clear night vision so you can see intruders in the dark. If you detect an uninvited nighttime visitor, you can call for help without needing to inspect the area. You can also see if nocturnal animals are attempting to seek shelter inside your garage.
Contact Us for Garage Door Opener Cameras
If you live in Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles or the surrounding area, the team at Consolidated Garage Doors, Ltd. can meet your security camera requirements. As a ProVantage Authorized Dealer, we can provide a high-quality, technologically advanced LiftMaster® garage door opener with a camera you can trust to protect your property 24 hours a day.
Providing SOLID SERVICE, SOLID SALES and SOLID PRODUCTS is the cornerstone of our business — we’ve been SOLID since 1976®. Contact us to learn more about your garage door opener camera options today.
6 Ways to Prepare Your Garage Door for Fall and Winter
For many of us, the onset of autumn and its cooler temperatures provides a welcome respite from the summer heat and humidity. The fall is also the time to prepare your property for the upcoming winter season, including your home’s garage door.
1. Conduct a Test Run
If you’re like most homeowners, you probably don’t pay much attention to how your door is functioning. Performing a quick test can often reveal potential signs of trouble that you can correct before they become significant repair issues. Take a moment to open and close the door and ensure that it moves smoothly, and listen for any excessively loud or unusual noises.
2. Inspect and Clean the Photo Eyes
Testing your photo eyes at least once a month ensures that your garage door closes correctly. If the photo eyes are not aligned, your door will not close. In this case, you can make slight adjustments by hand until they align. Adjust the non-lit sensor first. Once it lights up, it should be in the correct position, and your door will close properly.
If the photo eyes are dirty, the system’s reverse mechanism may not operate properly. You can clean the photo eyes using a soft cloth and mild cleaner.
3. Perform a Visual Check
You can learn a lot about your garage door’s health by inspecting it. Check for signs such as loose or frayed cables, rusted springs, damaged panels or anything else that appears amiss. Inspect the weatherstripping at the bottom of the door to ensure a tight seal. An experienced garage door technician can help you fix these issues in the early stages.
4. Lubricate Moving Parts
While most garage door maintenance tasks require the services of a trained professional, lubricating the moving parts is one job you can do yourself. Use white lithium grease or silicone spray to lubricate the rollers, hinges and springs. It’s vital to use extreme caution when lubricating these parts, as excessive lubrication can cause runs or drips on the face of your door and your vehicles.
5. Do a Fall Cleaning
The start of fall is an excellent time to clean your garage door and the area around it. Remove dirt, grass and debris that may have accumulated over the summer. Ensure the sensors are clean and unobstructed to prevent them from malfunctioning.
6. Change the Batteries
Cold winters can take a toll on batteries. Preparing a garage door for fall and winter should include replacing the batteries in the opener, remote control unit and keyless entry pad, especially if it’s been a year or longer since the last change.
Contact Consolidated Garage Doors, Ltd. for Help With Fall Preparation
Consolidated Garage Doors, Ltd. can handle fall prep for a garage door in Geneva, Batavia, St. Charles and the surrounding region. We strive to deliver SOLID SERVICE, SOLID SALES and SOLID PRODUCTS — we’ve been SOLID since 1976®. Our experienced technicians will perform a comprehensive inspection and troubleshooting steps to ensure your garage door is ready for the changing seasons.
Call us at 630-761-1976 or contact us online to request a service appointment today.
Garage Door Buying Guide
Whether you’re a new homeowner or are refreshing the look of your existing home, buying a garage door is an exciting opportunity for you to breathe new life into your home’s exterior. Many homeowners replace their garage door once in their lifetime, so finding the perfect mix of function, fashion, and affordability is an important part of the process.
To help you make the decision best for your home, our buying guide offers a collection of garage door information below, including overviews of garage door styles, materials, insulation, brochures, garage door comparisons and more. We also offer information on how to measure and install your garage door when you’re ready to make the switch.
Ways to Prepare Your Garage Door for Spring in Illinois
When spring arrives, it’s a good idea to make sure the winter weather hasn’t taken its toll on your garage door. Preparing your garage door for spring ensures that it’ll work properly for the next several months so you won’t have to face any unexpected problems.
Here are some different ways you can prep your garage door for the spring season.
Check Your Garage Door Equipment for Wear and Tear
Look out for these problems with your garage door:
- Frayed cables: Cables need to be intact to keep the garage door in the tracks. Frayed cables should be replaced right away to maintain a safe operating environment for your door.
- Rusty metal parts: If your tracks, screws, rollers, bolts, springs or hinges are rusty, contact Consolidated Garage Doors for repairs
- Cracked or damaged panels: Panels need to be replaced right away to ensure safety with the operation of your garage door
- Loose bolts or screws in the track brackets: Tight bolts and screws keep the track in place, so your garage door operates better.
- Worn weatherstripping: Check the weatherstrip along with the perimeter of your garage door. An intact weatherstrip is a seal around the entire door to prevent elements from getting into your garage.
- Bent tracks: Any bent or damaged tracks should be repaired or replaced immediately.
*If you are experiencing any of these issues with your garage door, contact Consolidated Garage Doors for professional services and repairs
Run Safety Tests
Before performing any of these tests, please check your owner’s manual or your manufacturer’s website for a copy of the owner’s manual.
Test the safety features of your garage door to make sure they’re working correctly, including:
- Auto-reverse: The auto-reverse function makes the garage door operate in reverse if it hits something, which keeps people, cars, bikes and other objects safe. Make sure your garage door auto reverses by waving an object in the path of the photo-eye sensors
- Emergency release: The emergency release cord disconnects the trolley from the opener carriage, so you can manually open and close the garage door. We recommend going to your owner’s manual to see how to properly connect and disconnect
*If you are experiencing any of these issues with the operation of your garage door, contact Consolidated Garage Doors for professional services and repairs
Prepare for Power Outages
The springtime is known for severe weather that can cause power outages. Make sure your garage door will remain operational by using the manual release lever to disengage (*see owner’s manual) the opener from the garage. You can also rely on backup batteries of your DC opener if you have them.
Do a Garage Spring Cleaning
Since your garage door opens to the outdoors, it’s constantly exposed to harsh elements, particularly in the wintertime. Your garage can fill with dirt, grime and dust, which can affect the components of your garage door. Clean your garage door inside and out to remove these contaminants and improve its appearance.
A thorough garage spring cleaning includes:
- Cleaning the outside of the garage door: Rinse the grime off your garage door with a hose. Then, wash the door with water, dish soap and a soft brush or rag, starting at the top and working your way down. Finish with another rinse to wash the soap suds off.
- Cleaning the inside of the garage door: Dust off the sections of your door, clear away cobwebs and sweep the floor. Use hot soapy water to get the floor clean, and use a hose with low pressure on tough stains.
Remember to avoid cleaning moving parts with water because it could cause the parts to rust or get damaged.
Prep Your Garage Door for Spring With Consolidated Garage Doors
While you can do some maintenance on your own, an experienced professional should perform the more complicated services. If you have any concerns about your garage door, call a professional. They can do some basic maintenance and identify and repair problems with the garage door or its mechanisms. Using Consolidated Garage Doors to prep your garage door for spring prevents future emergency problems and saves money.
Consolidated Garage Doors has been SOLID since 1976®, helping local homeowners with their garage door maintenance, repairs, and replacements. Our garage door services cover all your spring preparation needs, including:
- Strut repair.
- Panel repair.
- Cable repair.
- Garage door window inserts.
- Hinge repair.
- Roller replacement.
- Spring repair.
Consolidated Garage Doors provides SOLID SERVICE, SOLID SALES and SOLID PRODUCTS for St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia and the surrounding areas. Request service for your garage door online or contact us for more information.
The Most Common Garage Door Problems
A reliable garage door can ensure you have access to your garage whenever you need it. Regular maintenance can increase your garage door’s reliability, extend its life and give you valuable peace of mind.
Understanding the most common garage door problems and what you can do about them can help you keep your garage doors functioning soundly.
Problems That Occur With Garage Doors
Common garage door issues include:
- The garage door won’t open: If you activate your garage door opener and nothing happens, first check to make sure the opener itself is working and has functional batteries for the remote. Also, double-check to make sure your garage door is unlocked. If the garage door opener is fine, the issue could be a broken spring. Springs balance and lift your garage door, and they can last up to 10,000 to 20,000 cycles. At the end of their life, a professional can safely replace them.
- The garage door gets stuck: It may be a sensor issue if your garage door partially opens or closes before getting stuck. Make sure the sensor lens on your garage door is clean. If it’s not the sensor, it could be a problem with the track, springs or the door’s balance, which will require a service call from a technician.
- Your garage door slams shut: If a garage door is slamming shut, a spring may have snapped, meaning there is nothing gently lowering your garage door. You will want to contact a service professional immediately to safeguard your door’s structure and fix the problem.
- Your garage door starts making strange sounds: A popping sound when you open or close your garage door could indicate that your rollers are worn down. Squeaking can be caused by worn rollers or poor lubrication on the rollers or bearings.
- The garage door starts to close and then goes back up: This common garage door issue may be caused by a problem with the sensor. In some cases, there may be debris on the sensor lens or track causing the issue. Check if the sensor lens is loose or damaged and wipe down the tracks to see if that fixes the problem.
Preventing the Most Common Garage Door Issues
Regular maintenance can prevent some garage door problems. By properly lubricating your garage doors and having a professional regularly inspect and service them, you can catch small problems before they cause a performance issue. Consistent, professional maintenance every two years can help prevent breakdowns.
Contact Consolidated Garage Doors
If you’ve run into garage door problems that require maintenance or service, contact the technicians at Consolidated Garage Doors. Our team delivers SOLID SERVICE, SOLID SALES and SOLID PRODUCTS to St. Charles, Batavia, Geneva and the surrounding communities in Illinois. Our family-run business has been offering garage door services, installations, maintenance and repairs for more than 42 years.
Request service today to have our team come out to diagnose and address your garage door problem.
What Is Garage Door R-Value?
If you’re considering adding a new insulated garage door to your home, you’ll see a lot about “R-value.” This term is used quite a bit in the garage door repair and replacement industry, but it can seem confusing if you haven’t upgraded your garage door before.
This article will help you understand how to evaluate garage doors based on the R-value. The more you know about the R-value for garage doors, the more confident you’ll be when selecting a new insulated garage door.
How the R-Value for a Garage Door Works
The R-value is a number showing how well a garage door insulates the space it encloses. Why does this matter? Let’s say your garage is attached to your home, which is extremely common across the country. During cooler weather, you want to make sure heat doesn’t escape from the garage. Likewise, in the summer, you don’t want to lose cooled air through your garage. A well-insulated garage door helps keep the temperature in your home stable and your bills down.
An insulated garage door can help prevent heat transfer and contain any hot or cold air within the garage. The R-value is expressed as a number, such as R-8, and represents a material’s resistance to heat flow. The higkher the R-value, the better the material insulates.
Generally, thicker insulation means higher R-values, but the type of material and its density matter, too.
What Garage Door Features Affect R-Values?
As you look through different types of garage doors, you’ll see a variety of R-value ratings. Garage doors that look similar may offer very different R-values because of a few factors:
- Door thickness: A thicker garage door material helps trap in hot or cool air and improves R-values.
- Door material: The R-value of garage doors differs based on the materials used to construct the doors. Solid wood is naturally a better insulator than thin steel.
- Door insulation type: The insulation used along with the garage door material can also affect the R-value. Insulated garage doors are often made with polyurethane or polystyrene.
Purchasing the Right Garage Door Based on R-Value
Understanding what the R-value means on garage door specifications sheets is an excellent start. However, R-value is just one consideration when you’re thinking about upgrading your home with a new insulated garage door. Ultimately, you want to find the right garage door for your home based on all the available information, as well as the way the garage door fits in with your home’s unique design.
At Consolidated Garage Doors, we’re here to help you understand the full extent of your choices. Get in touch with Consolidated Garage Doors today to get an estimate for your garage door replacement.
Contact Us Today Click to Call
What Is the ROI on Replacing Your Garage Door?
If you’re like most homeowners, you’ll want to upgrade your property from time to time. Some investments, such as new window dressings, allow you to showcase your preferred designs and personality. However, they don’t necessarily increase the perceived or actual market value of your residence.
Other improvements can pay for themselves because they make it easier to sell your home or even increase its value. These can include redoing a master bathroom or turning an unfinished basement into a usable living space. But only one type of renovation project offers a more than 95% return on investment (ROI) of your money, and that’s a garage door replacement.
Request an Estimate Click to Call
How Does ROI Measurement on Garage Doors Work?
The ROI of a purchase is the percentage of the project’s cost compared to how much value it brings towards increasing the value of your real estate. Divide the cost of the project by the increase in value and convert to a percent to calculate the ROI.
For instance, let’s say you invest $10,000 to upgrade your kitchen. After the renovation, you have an appraiser evaluate your home and find that the upgrades increased your home’s market value by $5,000. That means you had a 50% ROI because you’d divide $5,000 by $10,000 and then turn the result into a percentage.
A 50% ROI is not bad. However, the closer you can get to 100%, the better. That’s why most homeowners appreciate knowing that the average ROI of a garage door replacement was 97.5% in 2019, according to the Cost vs. Value Report.
Why Is the ROI of a New Garage Door so High?
Why is the ROI on garage doors is so high? Garage doors increase home value, sometimes in very unexpected — but concrete and reliable — ways.
- Security: Older garage doors can become safety and security problems as they age because they don’t have all the advancements of a more modern garage door system. Potential home buyers often want to see a garage door with modern security features.
- Curb appeal: A very old garage door can make a house look worn out or out of date with the rest of the neighborhood. New garage doors add visual appeal to the outside of the property. They can refresh and enhance any landscaping and outdoor revitalization project, too.
- Environmental soundness: New garage doors tend to be energy efficient, especially if they’re insulated. Some come with windows to cut down on the need to turn on artificial lights when you’re in the garage. Over time, that’s less money spent on utilities and a more environmentally-friendly home.
Upgrade Your Garage Door to Increase Your Home’s Value
The next time you consider an upgrade for your home, think about a garage door replacement. The ROI is attractive, and so are the results! Check out the many styles of residential garage doors available from Consolidated Garage Doors, then contact us to set up a free estimate appointment.
Request an Estimate Click to Call
Is It Safe to Repair a Garage Door Yourself?
Although you might be an avid DIYer, you should never attempt to repair a garage door yourself. Even if you love DIY projects and are generally handy, garage door installation and repair professionals caution against fiddling around with the inner workings of any garage door system. The issue isn’t that you’re not good at working with tools or solving problems. It’s that diagnosing garage door problems can be tricky. Additionally, it is dangerous to fix a garage door yourself. You could put yourself and other members of your family at risk.
5 Potential Dangers of DIY Garage Door Repairs
Why shouldn’t you try to assess and solve garage door concerns yourself? Here are the top five do-it-yourself garage door repair dangers:
- Electricity: Any time you’re dealing with electricity, you could get a nasty shock. Even if you think you’ve turned off the flow of electricity to your garage, you could be mistaken.
- Tools: Ordinary tools don’t always work for garage door repairs. Trying to use the tools you’re familiar with could damage the system, and learning how to use an unfamiliar tool on the fly can lead to poor quality work.
- Warranties: Your garage door opener came with a warranty when it was new. Generally speaking, doing any DIY repairs will void your warranty. Eager homeowners often find that their garage door opener warranties aren’t valid anymore because they tinkered with the components rather than hiring a professional.
- Clutter: Your garage might not be the neatest place in your house. If you have kids or pets, they might keep coming in and out of the garage while you’re trying to work. This is not a safe space for garage door work, especially if you’re unsure of what you’re doing.
- Training: Maybe you were able to install your dishwasher or new sink successfully last year. However, being able to do some DIY activities doesn’t mean you can do them all. Repairing garage door systems requires on-the-job training. Without this training, you’ll likely wind up wishing you had called a professional.
A Few Garage Door Tasks You Can DIY
You don’t have to sit by and do nothing with your garage door. There are a few repairs and maintenance items you can handle yourself.
The first is keeping your garage door clean and free of debris. Periodically, wash down the part of your garage door facing the outside. Give it a good scrub, particularly in the spring and fall. Make sure that nothing is sticking on it, such as dead leaves or bird droppings.
The second is painting your garage door. Many homeowners give their garage doors a fresh coat of paint every few years. This is a terrific DIY garage door job that won’t put you in any danger, as long as your space is well-ventilated and you use proper paint safety measures.
Call Consolidated Garage Doors to Repair Your Garage Door
If your garage door squeaks loudly or has stopped working consistently, get in touch with a professional at Consolidated Garage Doors. When your garage door needs servicing or repairs,contact Consolidated Garage Doors.