An Important Layer of Security for Your Garage & Home

If you’ve never heard of ‘consumer paralysis’, you’ve probably experienced it. It can happen when you’re shopping for something and are faced with so many options, you don’t know which one to choose.

Nowhere is consumer paralysis more likely to set in than when you’re trying to find new locks for the entry doors of your home. In addition to the almost limitless designs, colors and finishes, there always seems to be a new technology, like biometric locks or Bluetooth-enabled locks, vying for your attention and offering higher levels of security.

But, interestingly, if you’ve ever looked for locks for the largest door in your home, your garage door, you’ve probably wondered why there were so few options. While garage door openers keep the door closed, your choices for locks beyond that are generally limited to regular cylinder locks opened with a key.

Now You Have a Choice

Garage door opener manufacturer, LiftMaster, is famous for its wide selection in performance, features, and durability. So its no wonder that earlier this year they released a new option for securing your garage door. 

The LiftMaster 841LM Automatic Garage Door Lock is an add-on accessory that combines the security of a deadbolt lock with technology that allows for monitoring the lock from anywhere with your smartphone using LiftMaster’s exclusive MyQ® app.

The 841LM automatically locks and unlocks every time you open and close your door, so you never need to worry about if the door is locked. And you can check if the door is open or unlocked through your phone. Those features combined with the strength of a deadbolt lock, give your garage and home an added layer of security in a place where it might be needed the most, considering that the garage is a popular way for thieves to get into your home.

To learn more about the 841LM and all of LiftMaster’s products, please call or visit us here at Markham Garage Door, we’re happy to help.

How to Choose a Garage Door Installation Company

We’ve talked before about the fact that, if you suspect that you need a new garage door, it’s probably one of the only times on your life that you’ll ever buy one. That means it’s tough to know how to go about finding a garage door, how much to pay and how to get it installed.

While we’ve told you before about how to spot garage door scams, today we’ll tell you what to look for in a garage door company that tells you they are the most reliable choice.

1. Check Them Out Online

The beauty of the internet is it gives you a great place to shop for garage doors without leaving your home or even picking up the phone. You’ll find lots of options when you search for a local garage door company online. A few of them will catch your eye for different reasons. When you’ve made your ‘short list’, make sure to go beyond their website and check them out on third-party rating sites, like Houzz and Homestars, to get a better idea of the work they do.

2. Check Them Out in Person

First, if any company gives you an over-the-phone quotation to install a garage door, be suspicious. To get an accurate idea of what’s involved in an installation, and to show you what doors are available, the company should be willing to visit your home free-of-charge. When they do, see if they arrive in branded uniforms and driving branded trucks. Also, pay attention to the vibe you get. Your intuition is invaluable and usually quite right in these situations. If things don’t feel quite right, they probably aren’t.

3. Ask About Their Products & Services

The company you choose should offer doors from many different manufacturers so that you have more options to choose from. Also, find out what other services they offer. In addition to installation, maintenance and repair, look for emergency services, other products for the garage, like door openers, and garage door replacement parts too.

The garage door and installation company you choose can make the difference between years of trouble-free use from your new door and lots of headaches. The bottom line is that you want to use a company that can prove they have done lots of successful installations in your area, and that installs only top quality doors and parts. Call us here at Markham Garage Doors and we’d be happy to arrange for an estimate to install your new garage door.

Just How Valuable is Your Insulated Garage Door?

First, just to be clear, when we ask ‘how valuable is your insulated garage door?’, we’re talking about straight-forward, money-in-your-pocket valuable. It’s not something that most homeowners consider about their garage doors – that it actually saves money or is a way for them to get more money.

We realize that might sound a bit far-fetched. We don’t necessarily mean you can make money by projecting movies onto it on a Friday night and charging admission (but think about the popcorn and soft drink revenue too!). To give you an idea of where we’re going with this, just think of some of the basic ways your garage door protects your hard-earned cash.

It Protects Your Belongings

Without a secure door on your garage, everything in it would be there for the taking. But with a good solid door, you now have a space to keep many of the things you would otherwise keep in your home, so you have more living space.

It Helps Your Car Last Longer

Without an insulated garage door, your car would be under more stress to start-up in colder winter temperatures, potentially increasing maintenance costs and decreasing its lifespan.

Yes, these ‘money-saving’ traits of a garage door might be a bit of a stretch, but we mention them just to start you thinking about all the other ways your garage door is valuable, in an actual bottom-line way – especially if it’s insulated.

Here are just a few ways you can actually have more cash in your pocket with an insulated garage door.

1. Lower Energy Costs

If your garage door is connected to your house, especially if it’s underneath a living space, it can have a significant effect on the costs of warming and cooling your home. A couple of years ago, a homeowner decided to see if the claims made by the salesperson were true about how much warmer his garage would be if he installed an insulated garage door.

After installing the door, and armed only with a basic thermometer, pencil, and paper, the homeowner began recording temperatures inside and outside his garage. During a cold snap where the temperatures outside dropped below freezing, the temperatures inside the garage remained well above freezing at an average of 7 degrees Celsius.

2. Lower Furnace & Air Conditioner Costs

You change the air filter on your furnace regularly, right? If your heating and cooling equipment have to do more work, that means your filter needs to be changed more often.

But saving the cost of some filters is just the start of the hard savings you get from an insulated garage door. Furnaces and air conditioners aren’t cheap. Not to mention the fact that they will always break down at the worst possible time. That means, instead of regular repair costs, you’ll likely face ‘emergency’ repair costs. The less work the equipment does, the longer it will last and the fewer repairs it will need.

3. Higher Home Value

You might think, with the hot real estate markets here in Markham and across the GTA, you don’t need to worry too much about increasing the ‘curb appeal’ of your home. But that sort of thinking could mean you leave thousands of dollars on the table. Think about this instead. If you add just one percent of value to a $500,000 home, that’s $5,000. But, if that home is now worth a million dollars, which is below the average price of a detached home in Markham, that same 1% is now worth double, or $10,000.

Beyond being able to show lower energy and repair costs to prospective buyers, consider that insulated doors generally look better, last longer, make the garage quieter, keep out more pollution, and open up the possibility of creating more usable space in the garage (like a workshop or home gym). So now how sweet does your home look to that buyer?

If you’re ready to install an insulated garage door, and ‘pocket’ all the benefits, give us a call at 905-472-9178, we’ll show you what’s possible.

Homeowners Aren’t the Only Ones Interested in Garage Doors

When most people hear the word ‘garage’, they immediately think of the place in their homes where they park their cars (or at least where they are supposed to park their cars!).

But that doesn’t mean homeowners are the only people who have an interest in garage doors. When you think about it, you see garage doors (or at least variations of them) in lots of different places.

Who Else has an Interest in Garage Doors?

The simple fact is that a garage door is a very useful addition to homes or other buildings where a large room or space must be opened in the building so that large vehicles, objects or products can be moved in or out of the space. That said, here are just a few other people and places that use garage doors.

Warehouses & Factories

The doors you see on the loading docks of warehouses and factories are like the ‘big brother’ to your home’s garage door. Usually larger and getting lots more use, loading dock doors help protect the interior of the building while letting space be quickly opened up to move supplies in and finished product out.

Automobile Dealerships & Repair Shops

Ever wonder how they get all those cars onto the dealership floor? If you look closely, you’ll spot a cleverly disguised garage door. The versatility of door designs, which can include glass panels, help them fit seamlessly into the overall design of a car dealership showroom.

Storage Facilities

We only mention this one because of the sheer number of garage doors that a self-storage facility can have – one on every unit.

Architects & Building Designers

If you think you’re concerned about the look of your garage door, imagine the importance for the architect who designs the building. On a home, garage doors make up more than one-third of the overall look of the house. How important is that for a finished architectural design?

From firehouses to boat houses, garage doors do their job in more places than most of us realize. If your business is in need of new garage doors to meet your needs, contact Markham Garage Doors today! From steel doors to security shutters, we have it all! Fill out our online form for more information from our team.

You Need a New Garage Door Opener When…

Garage door openers can last a very long time. If you don’t use your door too often, or if you simply ‘got a good one’, your door opener can work efficiently for decades.

But that longevity can also hide the signs that it’s time for a new opener. It’s simply human nature to ‘adjust’ to the things around us. As things gradually change, we adjust to the changes and don’t really notice they’ve happened.

Kinda like watching your children grow up.

But, while not realizing that your ‘little boy’ is now shaving is just one of those foibles of life, not realizing that you need a new garage door opener can be actually become a safety hazard and even be a threat to your home security.

To underline this, consider that your door is the largest and heaviest moving object in your house, and its opener controls its actions. If there is any question about whether you need to replace the opener, do you really want to risk the consequences?

In any case, if your garage door opener has one or more of the following characteristics, it’s definitely time to replace it.

1. It’s Over 20 Years Old

The garage door opener safety features that so many of us take for granted today were not always in place. And many of the openers made before the new safety features were required by law are still in operation. If yours is one of them, it should be replaced regardless of how well it works.

Why? Your family’s safety is at stake. Before the early 1990s, door openers were not required to have any automatic reversing safety features. That means, if the door began closing and something or someone got in its way, the door would continue to close. In the U.S., the problem became so bad that the government enacted new rules for residential garage door openers in 1993 and Canada soon followed suit.

2. You Don’t Notice it’s so Noisy

This is one of those that we just get used to. But your neighbors don’t. The belt and chain drives on older models were larger and less attention was paid to making them operate quietly. As time goes on, they can get louder. If you have an older opener, take a moment to give it a listen. Is it louder than anything else in your neighborhood? If yes, then it’s time to do your neighbors a favor.

3. The Opener Uses Fixed Security Codes

The ease at which burglars can steal the fixed codes of older garage door openers that us RF frequency identifiers made them a great way to get into your house with ease. Newer remote and keyless entry devices have rolling codes that are different every time you use the door. If someone happens to find out the code, that code won’t be the same if they try to break into the garage.

4. It Has Worn-Out Numbers on the Exterior Keypad

If you think that, of all the millions of possible number combinations on your keypad, a burglar could never guess what yours is, think again. At least if you’ve had the same code for a long time. The oils on your hands can wear away on the numbers you press repeatedly, which are, of course, the numbers in your ‘secret’ code. In addition, the numbers you don’t hit are obvious because you never touch them and wipe off the dust and dirt that can cling to them over time.

5. No Battery Back-Up

If you’ve ever needed to get your car out of the garage when the power’s out, you know how frustrating it can be. Most older garage door openers have a by-pass handle that lets you open the door manually. But, as time goes on, there’s more of a chance that the handle gets stuck or simply doesn’t work. Many newer openers have battery backups that let you open the door, as usual, power outage or not.

When you consider the relatively low cost versus the increased safety and convenience, an investment in a new garage door opener is a smart one.

How to Open Your Garage Door When the Power’s Out

People who live in Markham are very lucky. We rarely have to worry about power outages. And if the power does go out, it’s usually back on in a matter of minutes.

But, if there is a downside, if the power does go out for more than a few minutes, it often means it will be out for an extended amount of time. And occasionally, like during the ice storm we suffered at the end of 2013, it can be out for days.

Despite our absolute dependence on electricity, most of us made it through the ice storm relatively unscathed, even though some in the GTA were without power for more than three days.

That doesn’t mean there weren’t trials and tribulations. From spoiled food to frozen water pipes, just about everyone has a story of one or more issues they suffered.

One problem that homeowners with garage door openers might not have been prepared for during the ice storm is that, without power, they had no way to get their cars out of their garages because they couldn’t open the doors. And if their cars were not already in the garage, they had to be left outside where they might have been damaged by ice or falling limbs and trees.

Actually, if we suffered more extended power outages, more of those homeowners would probably have known that there is a way to open and close garage doors when the power is out, and it’s not difficult to learn it.

Opening Garage Doors during Power Outages

The reason that, unless you follow the steps below, you can’t open your garage door unless you have power is that it is directly connected to the opener. In other words, you can’t open it manually because the connection to the opener stops you.

Opening the door in the absence of power begins with getting around that connection. Before you begin to work on opening or closing your garage door manually, make sure it is clear of people, pets or objects that might be in the way of its travel. Especially when trying to close an open door, it could close quickly and unexpectedly.

1. Wait Until You Must Go To Manual Mode

With the vast majority of outages being relatively short, you shouldn’t rush out to disengage your garage door opener too soon. If you have no pressing reason to do so, it’s best to leave the opener connected to avoid any mishaps or extra work when the power comes on just as you finish disconnecting the opener.

2. Look for the Bypass Handle

Your opener has a function to disengage the opener so you can open the door manually. Look along the rail that runs from the opener to the door. There will be a short length of rope hanging down with a handle on the end of it. That’s the garage door opener bypass release handle.

3. Please Use Caution Before You Use the Handle

If you’re trying to close an open door, pulling on the bypass handle could cause it to crash down. If possible, it’s best to leave an open door in that position during a power outage to avoid damage to the door and/or its accessories.

4. If You’re Opening a Closed Door

Pull on the handle. It will disengage the door from the opener and allow the door to be opened and closed manually.

5. Pull the Rope Back Close to the Opener

To keep the rope out of the way while you operate it manually, pull it back as close to the opener as possible.

6. Open and Close the Door Manually

You remember the old days, don’t you? It’s not that difficult and it can give you a bit of an upper body work out.

7. After the Power Comes Back On

You’ll need to re-engage the door and the opener. With the door closed, pull down on the bypass handle again. Afterward, start manually lifting the door until you feel and hear it snap back into place. You can also start the door opener so that the spring attachment automatically reconnects.

Now that you know how to open your garage door during a power outage, we hope you never need to do so. If you find that your garage door is still having problems once these issues have been resolved, contact Markham Garage Doors for professional service and repair.

Treat Garage Door Maintenance with the Same Emphasis as Car, Appliance Care

The responsibilities of home ownership should include, among many other tasks, regular servicing of the furnace and air conditioner.  The smooth and effective operation of these major domestic appliances is vital to home comfort and the personal safety of all family members; in fact, many homeowners participate in maintenance plans that incorporate an annual cleaning and preventative check-up along with emergency service visits in the event of a mechanical failure or a potential health hazard.

On an even more frequent basis, these same homeowners will book routine maintenance check-ups for their vehicles; oil/filter changes, parts lubrication, and tire rotations are all part of the auto manufacturers’ recommended preventative maintenance programs that are intended to keep performance and safety at optimal levels and extend the life of the vehicle.  Further yet, there are those who purchase extended warranties on large-ticket items such as stoves, refrigerators, and television sets for peace-of-mind replacement or repair protection.

These examples stand to reason; homes, appliances, and cars are major investments that should receive due consideration and attention.  And what price could one possibly place on their personal safety or that of a family member or an innocent bystander?

Why is it then, that only a small segment of homeowners have a similar mindset when it comes to garage door maintenance?  A garage door is also a large investment in a home both financially and physically (it can represent up to 25-30% of the frontage) and it can be called upon to perform several times a day, every day, just like a car or an appliance.  Yet its regular maintenance is frequently overlooked, if not neglected altogether; that is, of course, until something goes wrong – which unfortunately is too often too late.

There are several fundamental yet critically important reasons for homeowners to uphold routine and regular garage door maintenance practices:

• Maximizing Lifecycle
• Optimizing Performance
• Avoiding Unnecessary Costs
• Matters of Safety and Security

The basic steps involved in regular garage door maintenance consist of the following:

• Listening for unusual/peculiar sounds while the door is in motion/operation
• Testing the spring tension – does the door hold steady when partially open?
• Lubricating all moving parts – on the door as well as the garage door opener
• Inspecting all hardware and tightening any screws/nuts and bolts as required
• Checking the rollers for signs of wear, chips, cracks and replacing as needed
• Examining tracks/rails for dents/damage and repairing or replacing right away
• Cleaning (brushing) the cables and observing for any frayed or broken strands
• Inspecting and replacing worn weather stripping (to improve energy efficiency)
• Testing door opener auto-reverse safety mechanisms (photocell and mechanical)

Routine garage door maintenance, done annually or perhaps more often, will be a wise investment of time for both practical and personal reasons.  For homeowners who might be uncertain about how to properly complete their own garage door maintenance or, in the vernacular of auto servicing, regular tune-ups, may opt to call upon the insight and expertise of professional garage door service providers such as the team from Markham Garage Doors.

When a Garage Door Replacement is the Best Resolution to Maintenance Issues

In most cases, a garage door tune-up may be sufficient to restore optimal performance for a garage door and extend its lifecycle.  There will be times, however, when a routine garage door inspection reveals more serious issues that might best be rectified by a full garage door replacement.

In such cases, homeowners in the market for a new garage door can benefit from a visit to the 1,000+ square foot showroom of Markham Garage Doors, which is located at 176 Bullock Drive, Unit 11, in Markham.   Here, homeowners can compare and contrast full-scale garage doors of different styles, materials, and price ranges; in addition, they can gain valuable insight and guidance from onsite garage door specialists to help in making an informed decision on the best solution for their needs and budget.

Markham Garage Doors distributes and installs new and replacement garage doors from all leading North American manufacturers, including:

• Amarr
• H.I.
• Clopay
• Equal
• Haas Doors
• Richards-Wilcox
• Steel-Craft
• Wayne Dalton

See https://markhamgaragedoors.com/services/ for more information on the garage door maintenance and replacement services provided by the Markham Garage Doors team.

For all your garage door maintenance or installation needs, including annual garage door tune-ups or a garage door replacement, call Markham Garage Doors today at either (905) 472-9178 or (416) 570-3667 to request a service appointment, or stop by our showroom at 176 Bullock Drive, Unit 11, in Markham.

Comparing the Various Types of Garage Door Materials

Types of Garage Door Materials

For the most part, as garages became more common features for residential properties, the doors for these structures were constructed from wood.  Wood was the most readily available material and, since many garages were detached from the home and/or tucked fully or partly behind it, there was more emphasis on function than style or curb appeal.

However, as attached garages grew in popularity, and as more varieties of material were introduced in the manufacturing of garage doors, homeowners became more conscious of the balance between aesthetics and purpose. Today, many garage doors represent as much as 25-30% of the façade of a home, and technological developments have allowed homeowners to choose from a wide range of garage door materials that includes:

• Steel
• Wood
• Vinyl
• Aluminum
• Fiberglass
• Wood Composite

All of these materials offer a range of advantages, benefits, or solutions that can address specific homeowner needs and/or preferences; and, as in many instances where multiple options are available, one should be aware of possible drawbacks or disadvantages also.

To that end, the following summary, presented in alphabetical order, compares the pros and cons for each type of material:

Aluminum Garage Doors

• Lighter material
• Rather inexpensive
• Resistant to rust/corrosion
• Can be made to look like painted wood
• Quite susceptible to dents and other damage

Fiberglass Garage Doors

• Light yet durable – resists dents, rust, warping
• Can withstand penetration by moisture and insects
• Can be manufactured to give the appearance of wood
• A relatively poor insulating material
• Appearance may fade from exposure to weather
• Integrity can deteriorate/decline in very cold climates

Steel Garage Doors

• Very durable
• Reasonably-priced
• Low maintenance required
• Can be painted or made to look like the texture of wood
• Not a strong insulating material
• It can dent easily and may rust if not well-maintained

Vinyl Garage Doors

• Very affordable and easy to maintain
• Original color cannot be changed if so desired
• Not as aesthetically-appealing as other materials

Wooden Garage Doors

• Available in a wide range of prices
• Reasonably good insulating properties
• Aesthetically-pleasing/high curb appeal
• Requires regular maintenance and refinishing
• Vulnerable to warping, splitting, rot/decay, insect infestation

Wood Composite Garage Doors

• Capacity to be stained or painted
• Offers parallel strength to steel doors
• Better resistance to decay, cracks, insects than actual wood
• Of lesser quality than traditional/natural wooden garage doors
• Not as durable as other materials (steel, aluminum, fiberglass)

There are clearly several alternatives when selecting a garage door; if there was an ideal choice, there would essentially be no choice at all i.e., every garage door would be made exactly the same.  But having options is actually a positive since homeowners will have varying needs and preferences based on such dynamics as door size and weight, color schemes, energy efficiencies, the main purpose of their garage, and, of course, budget.

A Comprehensive Range of Garage Doors Made from a Wide Variety of Materials

As inferred above, homeowners will need to weigh many variables when purchasing new or replacement garage doors.  This buying process can be particularly challenging and gets compounded further when the element/investment of time is added to the mix.

To aid homeowners in streamlining the buying process, Markham Garage Doors displays a wide range of full-scale garage doors in their 1,000+ square foot showroom located at 176 Bullock Drive, Unit 11, in Markham.  Markham Garage Doors distributes and installs residential garage doors, constructed across the spectrum of available materials, by such manufacturers as:

• Amarr
• Clopay
• Haas Doors
• Steel-Craft
• C.H.I.
• Equal
• Richards-Wilcox
• Wayne Dalton

For further information on the scope of residential garage doors available from Markham Garage Doors, please go to our Products page.

Need a new garage door?  Call Markham Garage Doors today at 905-472-9178 or 416-570-3667 or visit our showroom to find the right door that best suits your needs.

Things to Do and Avoid During Garage Door Safety Month in June

Garage Door Repairs That You Should Not Attempt Yourself

Professional Garage Door Repair Service May Outweigh Any DIY Cost Savings

In many cases, a do-it-yourself approach to maintenance and repairs can be an effective cost-saving measure for homeowners.  Those who are motivated, and who have the time to invest, can attend to numerous aspects of home and property maintenance such as exterior painting, lawn care, landscaping, and replacing bathroom fixtures.

The same attitude could be applied to do-it-yourself garage door repair – but only to a point.  Homeowners may be capable and comfortable to look after some types of garage door maintenance like:

• Tightening hardware
• Lubricating moving parts
• Replacing weather stripping
• Insulating an aluminum door

However, for reasons of both personal safety and a lack of expertise/training in proper methodology, there are several other residential garage door repairs that are best left to skilled and experienced professionals such as the service technicians at Markham Garage Doors.  The most prevailing situations that fall into this do-not-attempt-yourself category consist of the following:

• Broken springs – replacement requires proper training and tools
• Snapped cables – must be installed with a high degree of tension
• Twisted tracking – entire door may need to be removed/reinstalled
• Cracked/bent rollers – repair/replacement needs patience, precision
• Broken/damaged panel – some/all of the door may need dismantling

Should any such circumstances occur, they would certainly result in some inconvenience for the homeowner and their family; it would, therefore, be understood that repairs be made as soon as possible to restore the garage door to its regular and expected level of use.  It would also be reasonable to consider the economics of self-repair versus hiring a professional garage door service provider.

However, economics may not be the principal/overriding factor when homeowners take into consideration the following potential downsides to do-it-yourself garage door repair:

• Risk of injury
• Time investment
• Lack of tools or equipment
• A possibility of further door damage
• Prospects of an unwanted added expense

When all of the above aspects are examined collectively,it would seem clear that certain do-it-yourself garage door repairs may simply be too risky for the untrained homeowner. It is therefore recommended that some garage door service needs, including spring and cable repairs, be entrusted to an experienced provider such as Markham Garage Doors.

Prompt and Efficient Award-Winning Residential Garage Door Repair Service

When homeowners are inconvenienced by garage door-related issues like broken cables or springs, this frustration can be compounded by the unexpectedness of the situation as well as the unanticipated repair costs.  Fortunately, any such angst can be alleviated by contracting the award-winning garage door service professionals from Markham Garage Doors.

Markham Garage Doors has been recognized by their customers for a level of service that is fast, affordable, and, most importantly, highly satisfactory; requests for service are answered promptly, and the technicians adhere to the scheduled time for the calls,  all in an effort to restore the optimal operation of the door and limit the inconvenience to the family.

For additional information on the residential garage door repair services provided by the specialists from Markham Garage Doors, including spring and cable repair, please visit our Garage Door Installation page.

Do-it-yourself garage door repair can pose risks to a homeowner and inadvertently lead to added and unwanted damage and expense.  If your garage door will not open/close properly due to broken or damaged parts, call the professionals from Markham Garage Doors today at (905) 472-9178 or (416) 570-3667 for award-winning repair service.