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Maintainance, Roll Up Doors, Rolling Doors

Maintaining Rolling Doors

Name: R&S Erection of Concord
Address: 2424 Bates Ave., Concord, CA, 94520, US
Telephone: (925) 671-7606

December 16, 2016Maintainance, Roll Up Doors, Rolling Doors

maintaining-rolling-doors

It gets wet this time of year and that makes your commercial building susceptible to moisture and direct contact with water. If you haven’t done so already, get your crew together and perform a little maintenance to help your rolling steel doors do the job they were designed to do.

Skipping routine maintenance steps can mechanical parts to gunk up, slow down or corrode – which compromises your doors’ performance.

Maintenance Tips & Recommendations for Efficient Rolling Steel Doors

Here are some of the DIY maintenance tips we recommend to protect your doors and your business. Don’t have time to get it done yourself? Contact a local commercial door installer and they’ll be happy to come out and perform the maintenance for you.

Keep the tracks, equipment and surrounding areas clean. Perhaps one of the simplest and easiest things you can do is to keep the door tracks, equipment and the area around the doors and tracks clean. The more dirt, dust and debris accumulates, the harder it is for your doors to work well. Also, organic material often absorbs water, so if that pile of leaves or a soft twig or two makes its way into the door track or other parts, the constant exposure to resting moisture makes metal parts more prone to rust and corrosion.
Lubricate the track and mechanical parts. Most rolling steel metal doors have metal-to-metal interactions. While this combination makes them durable, it also leaves them susceptible to rust and corrosion. Keeping your tracks and metal mechanical parts lubricated is necessary for your door to work efficiently, and it’s also necessary to maintain your doors’ warranties. Don’t forget to also lubricate the door’s springs, hinges and locks. We recommend using a lithium grease product. Silicone lubricants are another good option.
Make sure you have the right operator. Did you move into a building with existing rolling doors? If so, consider scheduling a free consultation with a professional commercial door installer to see if the operator and other door equipment is the right fit for your business’s needs. Door operators come in all different types. If the business owner before you was trying to save a buck, or had a business that didn’t utilize the doors on a rigorous basis, the current door operator might require an upgrade to ensure it can hold up to its current frequency of use. A reliable and reputable commercial door installer will not tell you to upgrade unless they truly feel it’s necessary. If they do, it’s worth the investment to ensure your door can keep up with the demands of your business.
Consider installing a strip door. Does your business spend a significant time with the rolling doors up and bays open? If so, consider installing strip doors. These affordable additions have multiple benefits, not the least of which is protecting your door and it’s mechanical parts from environmental debris, moisture, pests, dirt, etc. They also enhance the building’s daylighting, conserve heating and cooling costs and they don’t inhibit employee’s entrance and egress from the building.
Sign up for a maintenance plan. Have a local commercial door vendor you work with on a regular basis? Give them a call and ask them about their maintenance plan options. This is a simple way to ensure your commercial doors – both rolling steel and otherwise – are all inspected and maintained on a regular basis. In some cases, you may only need a routine maintenance appointment bi-annually. In others, more frequents maintenance may be required. By joining a maintenance plan, you don’t have to calendar anything but can rest assured that your doors will be maintained and repaired on a regular basis.

Are you interested in learning more about the routine maintenance that will keep your Bay Area business’s doors operating smoothly and efficiently, day in and day out. Contact us here at R&S and we’ll be happy to come out for a free consultation and provide estimates for whatever you need.

Garage, Garage Safety, Security

Keeping Your Garage Secure During the Holidays

December 9, 2016Garage, Garage Safety, Security

keeping-your-garage-secure-during-the-holidays

Are you heading out of town for the holidays? This time of year is a popular one for thieves because they know that homes are often left empty while occupants are busy at various holiday functions or making their way out of town.

The garage may be your weakest home security link, so make sure your garage and home remain burglar free this season.

7 Tips For Making Your Garage More Secure Over the Holidays

Here are 7 tips to prevent your home and garage from getting burgled.

Perform routine garage door maintenance. If your automatic door is working properly, it’s much more difficult to access without the remote access entry. We recommend performing DIY maintenance – cleaning the garage door tracks, lubricating moving parts, and keeping the area around the garage door free of debris – at least twice a year. Using high-quality seals and weather stripping will also help to prevent access.
Keep your garage door closed. A closed garage door is your first line of defense against garage and/or home theft. An open garage door is an all to commons sight in most neighborhoods. Certainly never leave your garage door open for long periods of time, especially when you’re away from the home. When you leave for work each morning – or head out of town – make sure the garage door closes all the way before making your way into the street. This gives you a chance to go back and shut it again if the automatic safety features cause it to go back up as the result of an errant rake, toy or pile of leaves in the way.
Utilize the lock function. Did you know your automatic door has a lock function? Many homeowners forget this important second-line of defense. Test it routinely to make sure it works. If you have an older door, or the lock function on your garage doesn’t work, you can padlock the throw latch or install C-clamps on each side of the door track, making it significantly more difficult to open the door from the outside.
Don’t leave the remote in the car. It makes sense to leave your remote in the car, doesn’t it? You’ll never forget it and be locked out when you come home. The problem is that if a thief is able to get into your car and take the remote, he has full access to your home. If you have a more modern car, utilize the car’s automatic garage door programming system, making the remote a non-issue. Otherwise, bring your opener with you and make it a habit of clipping it to your key ring so you’ll never forget it. Better yet, buy a keychain remote fob and ditch the visor-clip version altogether.
Upgrade your garage entry door. How burglar proof is the entry door from your garage to your home? Even thieves that make their way into the garage will think twice if your home has a solid-core wood or reinforced steel door with an anti-kick device on it. Always lock and deadbolt the door when no one is home.
Install a peephole. If you don’t already have one, consider installing a wide-angle peephole in the door that leads from your home to the garage. That way, if you hear a suspicious noise in the garage, you can look through it – rather than open the door – to see what’s going on. This is also a good idea if you have younger children or teens who are on their own after school and before you get home from work.
Frost or cover your garage windows. Leaving your garage windows exposed gives burglars a first-row seat view of the garage’s contents. If you have lots of expensive tools and/or toys, your clear window view serves as an invitation. We recommend frosting garage windows or installing blinds or window treatments that remain closed unless you are in the garage.

Feel like your garage could use some security upgrades? Give us a call here at R&S and we’ll be happy to help you out.

Garage, Garage Door DIY, Garage Door Screen

The Benefits of a Garage Door Screen

November 28, 2016Garage, Garage Door DIY, Garage Door Screen

the-benefits-of-a-garage-screen-door

One of the major garage door screen manufacturers has a saying, “It’s not just a screen, it’s a lifestyle.” We’d have to agree. While the garage may be a utilitarian storage unit for some households, it serves entirely different purposes than when it was originally designed.

These days, garages are used as hobby shops and sports centrals; they’re used as man caves or in-law units, or they may be temporarily converted into a semi-studio for a young adult child who isn’t ready to flee the nest just yet.

In all of these cases, screen doors can go a long way towards improving the ambiance of the space, conserving energy, improving light and air flow and so on.

Five Benefits of Installing a Garage Door Screen

Garage door screens fit a wide range of garage door sizes. Once the screen is built and installed, you’ll be able to easily move it into place when your garage door is up. There are a few different garage door screens to choose from. Here are some of the most common:

Roll up screen doors. These are the least expensive garage door screen and are a good DIY option for homes that will rarely use the garage screen feature – perhaps only a time or two when company is visiting for the summer. They attach to the header and jambs and then a zipper or magnet system works to open and close them.
Retractable screen. Most retractable screens are installed using a housing system that attaches at the header. A remote control system raises and lowers the screen.
Sliding screen doors. These systems remain fixed in place. Your garage door remote’s additional button can be programmed to open and close the sliding screen door, or you can use a separate remote control.

Each one has its pluses and minuses. Working with a professional garage door installer will help you pick the best one for your lifestyle and needs. If you’ll be using the screen door on a regular basis, it’s worth paying for high-quality screen system so you can enjoy reliable operation day after day.

Here are five reasons we recommend installing a screen door on your garage.

Expand your home’s square footage. When you convert all or a portion of your garage into a living space, you instantly gain square footage. This space will come in handy when you’re hosting a party or large gathering while hosting out-of-town guests, or for providing additional space for adolescents and teens to be ‘home’ with their friends while still retaining a bit of autonomy (while you preserve a bit of piece).
Energy efficiency. By opening up the garage, and using a screen door, you eliminate the need for a portable A/C system or multiple fans. You’ll benefit from air flow and cooler evening- and night-time temperatures. This will save energy, and reduce seasonal cooling costs.
Protection from flying insects. Without a full garage remodel, you can still wind up with a stuffy and cave-like atmosphere in the warmer months, and a screen-free, open garage puts you and your guests at the mercy of flying insects, critters and neighborhood pets. With a screen in place, you can enjoy your garage all day long – even with lights on after sunset – no need for a bug zapper, the pungent odor of citronella or copious insect repellant.
Keep your garage clean. When a garage door is open, the slightest breeze can blow leaves, dirt, pollen, dust and debris into the space. In addition to creating a messy garage, this is all the stuff you want to keep away from your home’s interior, the garage door track and its greased mechanical parts.
Improve security. If you like to leave your garage door open when you’re at home, the screen door is a perfect way to add an extra barrier between its contents and potential thieves that want to make a quick grab. They know that taking the time to open up a screen creates that much more noise, motion and attention – so the screen acts as a deterrent.

Are you ready to take your indoor-outdoor lifestyle to the next life? Contact the team here at R&S and we’ll be happy to provide more information about your garage screen door options.

Access Control, Business Access, Personnel Doors

Personnel Doors: Hollow Metal vs. Solid Core Wood

November 23, 2016Access Control, Business Access, Personnel Doors

personnel-doors-hollow-metal-vs-solid-core-wood

If you use personnel doors for your business, odds are they serve two main purposes. First, they create boundaries and divisions where you need them most (function). Second, in brick-and-mortar businesses – where customers and clients will have visual access to the interior – personnel doors make a visual impact (style).

So, when we’re working with our commercial clients, we discuss both their function and style requirements to help them determine whether they’d benefit from hollow metal doors or more traditional, solid core wood doors.

Hollow Metal Doors vs. Solid Core Wood Doors

First, let’s define each one:

Hollow metal doors: Hollow metal doors are typically made from steel. As a result, you’ll be deciding between different steel gauges. The higher the gauge, the thinner the steel. So, door facades made from steel with a smaller gauge are thicker and stronger. While they are called “hollow” this can be misleading because you still have the option of selecting insulation materials to suit your needs and climates.
Solid core wood doors. These are actually composites, made from two wood veneers on each side that are filled with varying infill materials. We should note that solid wood doors are not the same as solid core wood doors. The two are different and a fire inspector will be able to tell the difference in a single knock. The infill in a solid core wood door will create a more muffled sound, while a solid wood door will have a louder, more resonant knock.

Here are some of the things you’ll want to consider as you decide between hollow metal or solid core wood options for your businesses personnel doors.

What’s your budget?

In almost all cases, a hollow metal door will be more affordable than its solid core wood counterpart. If budget is an issue at all, metal doors will save you money. Additionally, high-quality hollow metal doors are also incredibly durable and low-maintenance, which can also save you money in the long run. While wood veneers are tough, they are still more prone to damage than steel.

What aesthetic are you going for?

Don’t be under the illusion that metal doors are plain Jane. In fact, today’s hollow metal doors are designed in a wide range of facades, including those with decorative panels. They can even resemble real wood and this makes it easier to get a more traditional or style-specific look inside your building. However, only the real-wood veneers on a solid core wood door can provide the look of finished wood. If you are going for an upscale look, solid core wood doors are almost always the best choice.

What is your climate?

Does the interior of your business have a fluctuating climate due to proximity to a warehouse or storage area that is open to the outside? If so, be aware that wood doors are more prone to warping. This will take its toll on the doors functional and aesthetic value over time, and will also increase your maintenance responsibilities. If moisture or temperature fluctuations are the norm for you, then metal is probably the best option.

Do you need fire-rated doors?

The good news is that even solid core wood door can come with fire-ratings as high as 60- or 90-minutes. The only detriment is that they are significantly more expensive than a standard metal door counterpart with the same fire rating.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to choose one or the other. You can work with the sales rep at your commercial door company and figure out which doors will work best where. Keep beautiful, classic-looking solid wood core doors in main offices or areas where you entertain customers and potential clients, and then save money by installing hollow metal doors in areas that are exclusive to employees and staff.

Need assistance designing or installing personnel doors in your Bay Area business? Contact us here at R&S and schedule your free, onsite estimate.

DIY Repair, Garage Door DIY, Garage Door Maintenance, Garage Door Repair, Garage Doors

4 Garage Door Fixes You Should Do Yourself

November 21, 2016DIY Repair, Garage Door DIY, Garage Door Maintenance, Garage Door Repair, Garage Doors

4-garage-door-fixes-you-should-do-yourself

While there are some general maintenance and garage door housekeeping tasks that are perfect DIY projects – like cleaning up the moving parts and tracks, upgrading or replacing the insulation, or lubricating the moving mechanical parts, there are other repair and replacement chores that are best left to the professionals. There are two reasons for this.

First, even today’s lighter and more flexible garage doors still weigh hundreds of pounds. Their size makes them cumbersome, unwieldy and unpredictable – and this makes for pretty dangerous situations. Secondly, most garage door manufacturer warrantees are only guaranteed if a licensed, professional garage door installer performs the heavier-duty repairs and maintenance tasks. Doing it on your own – meaning you can’t provide receipts for professional service later on – will most likely void your warranty.

Let the garage door professionals handle the following 4 garage door fixes

Here are 4 garage door repairs that are best left to professionals.

Replacing torsion springs. While you may understand that a torsion spring packs a very powerful punch, there is nothing like experiencing it firsthand – and we don’t recommend it. If the torsion spring snaps off or breaks mid-repair, you will be seriously hurt at best and permanently injured at worst. Fortunately, most garage door manufacturers are migrating away from torsion spring technology in lieu of safer extension systems – but not all of them. Even if you opt to perform a DIY garage door repair, we advise paying the minimal amount it will cost to have a professional come out and perform the torsion spring work for you.
Repairs that require specialized tools. Unfortunately, many garage doors have highly specialized parts that require highly specialized tools. Understandably, most homeowners have no desire to spend hundreds of dollars on specialty tools they’ll only use once or twice in a lifetime. Instead, they’ll try to make their own tools work. This is a bad idea. In addition to the risk of injury, there’s a very good chance you’ll damage the garage door and/or its parts – and these parts will no longer be covered under warranty since you aren’t a licensed garage door professional. Now, your garage door repair just got that much more expensive.
Replacing a garage door. The good news about modern garage doors is that they are multi-layered, which makes them more efficient, reliable and insulated. The bad news is that they are also pretty cumbersome. The doors shift their weight and undulate into a new position with the slightest tip or shift on your end. If nothing else, don’t ever attempt to replace a garage door by yourself – it is definitely a two person job, and preferable three. However, we recommend paying the professionals for both of the aforementioned reasons. You will avoid injury – potentially serious injury – and you can be sure that your warranty will remain in place.
A malfunctioning garage door opener. If the fix is easy, go ahead. If you can’t fix it in your first or second attempt, call it a day and call the pros. Garage doors can be very temperamental. If the repair isn’t automatic, you risk the door coming off its track while you’re up there on a ladder. Wielding a garage door that has fallen off its track, while balancing on a ladder, is darn near impossible and you risk serious injury or even fatality.

Are you in need of professional garage door repair? Give us a call here at R&S. We’ve provided professional, licensed garage door installation and repair in and around the Bay Area for more than two decades.

High-Speed Doors, Loading Dock, Roll Up Doors

All About High-Speed Doors

October 27, 2016High-Speed Doors, Loading Dock, Roll Up Doors

When you’re in the market for a new or replacement commercial roll up door, you need a product that is reliable, functional, durable and secure. While the standard commercial roll up door might be for you, many business owners find that high-speed doors are a better fit for their business.

While high-speed doors are considered newer kids on the commercial roll up door block, they bring you the benefit of better and faster overall performance, which can increase productivity and safety for your business.

What is a High-Speed Door?

High-speed doors work similarly to their standard counterparts but they use higher powered mechanics that increase cycle performance. In addition to cycling speeds ranging from 24-feet to 96-feet per second, most high-quality models can handle an unlimited number of opening and closing cycles per day without any signs of undue wear and tear.

They are popular with a range of businesses, most especially those where efficiency, temperature or air quality control and quick partitioning are of the essence. High-speed doors are designed in a range of models, including:

Basic
All-weather
Freezer
Clean Room
And more

Benefits of High-speed Doors

There are plenty of benefits reaped by business owners who install high-speed doors. These benefits include:

Efficiency and Productivity

Every second spent waiting for your warehouse doors to open and close is wasted time. High-speed doors are a simple way to increase worker efficiency and productivity. For example, consider the time spent opening and closing the doors accessing your loading dock. Multiply the seconds it takes to open and close doors, by the number of rolling doors you have on site, by the number of times they open each day.

Now, multiply that by the number of days you’re open per year – and we bet you’ll be shocked at how many hours are wasted in the simple act of opening and closing doors for daily business operations. High-speed doors will slash those hours significantly, and that’s mean money put directly back into your pockets.

Weather protection

The merchandise stored immediately to the interior of your warehouse or commercial building’s doors are susceptible to inclement weather whenever those doors are open. While strip doors can certainly help in this arena, high-speed doors do a much better job. At the first sign of wind, rain or a dust storm, the doors can be closed immediately, protecting valuable merchandise from destruction, damage and/or contamination.

Temperature and air quality control

The longer access doors are open, the more difficult it is to control the temperature in the interior spaces. Freezer high-speed doors are designed to function in temperatures as low as -22° F, so your frozen products or materials will be protected from the temperature of surrounding areas.

Similarly, special clean room models come equipped with minimal leak flow and pneumatic bottom edge detectors to minimize contamination between interior and exterior spaces, as well as specially divided interior spaces housing contaminant-sensitive products. Clean room high-speed doors are rated for interior contamination control in the pharmaceutical, hospital, laboratory, electronic and other controlled environments.

Energy savings

Again, the less time your doors spend in the open or cracked position, the less your heating and cooling systems have to work to maintain the building’s preferred temperatures. Since high-speed doors open and close so quickly, businesses experience notable energy savings during the peak hot and cold seasons. Reduced fuel costs are another unforeseen gain in efficiency because high-speed doors mean less time forklift operators, delivery and other service vehicles will spend idling as they wait. This is also a benefit to companies focused on environmentally friendly business practices.

Are you interested in learning more about your high-speed commercial rolling door options? Contact us here at R&S. We’re the Bay Area’s leading installers and maintenance professionals for commercial and industrial doors.

DIY Repair, Garage, Garage Door DIY, Garage Door Maintenance, Garage Door Repair, Garage Doors, Uncategorized

Garage Door Insulation

October 20, 2016DIY Repair, Garage, Garage Door DIY, Garage Door Maintenance, Garage Door Repair, Garage Doors, Uncategorized

garage-door-insulation

Are you thinking about insulating your garage door before the winter hits? Good idea. These days, many homeowners use their garage for more than just storage; it’s a space where hobbyists, fall and winter sports enthusiasts and crafters can escape the bustle of the household and enjoy a little room all on their own.

In addition to increasing the comfort of your garage’s interior, garage door insulation can also save money on your heating and cooling expenses. Since garages are typically under-insulated, they can diminish interior comfort levels in the living spaces adjacent to the garage wall. This means your HVAC system has to work overtime in order to keep your home at the preferred thermostat setting.

Not sold? Consider that trials performed by garage door companies show that a garage door with R-18 insulation can keep a garage at least 10° F warmer in the cooler months and as much as 20°+ F cooler during the hot months. That’s a temperature change worth striving for.

Garage Door Insulation is a DIY Job

Unlike the majority of garage doors and replacements, which are best left to the professionals, upgrading the insulation on your garage door is a pretty simple DIY job.

Note: If your garage door is outdated and/or needs to be replaced, don’t waste your time on DIY insulation. Instead, replace your door with a new, efficient and already insulated version instead. Read, Is it Time to Replace That Garage Door?, to determine whether it’s time to invest in a new model.

If you plan to do the insulation yourself, here are a few tips to get you started.

Decide which garage door insulation kit is right for you

There are a few different options. The first and best, in our opinion, is an R-8 vinyl-faced fiberglass garage door insulation kit. It comes in kits for single garage doors, so you’ll probably need to purchase two or more kits. These panels are the highest insulation options in the DIY insulation market.

You also have the option of purchasing R-4 precut R-4 expanded polystyrene (EPS) panel foam kits. In our mellow climate, the R-4 insulation might be sufficient. However, even here in the Bay Area our nights and winters are cool enough that the R-8 kit is a better option – especially if your garage does double as a recreational or livable space.

Alternately, some homeowners choose to use 1 ½-inch thick foil-faced fire-rated extruded polystyrene. This option will slightly increase the R-value. However, your cuts need to be very exact with this product. If you haven’t done this before, this material isn’t the best DIY bet.

Wash & Dry Your Garage Door

Before getting started, make sure to wash the garage door panels with water and an all-purpose cleaner. Then rinse them with more fresh water and then them dry. A clean garage door will ensure your new insulation panels are installed properly and on a nice, clean surface –as they would be in a new garage door.

Measure Each Individual Panel to Ensure a Snug Fit

Don’t take the easy route with a one-size-fits-all approach. There can be slight variations in panel heights and widths that may not be discernible to the naked eye, but will really tick you off when you pre-cut a series of panels based on a single measurement – only the find some of them won’t stay put.

Instead, measure each panel individually – to be safe, add one-inch to both the width and the length as you measure and cut each panel. This way the panels will fit well, rather than loosey-goosey.

Once you’ve installed the retaining pins, fit the panels in place with the vinyl side facing away from the garage door.

Don’t Forget the Weather Stripping

Weather stripping is an essential component for a winter-proof garage. Bring your garage door measurements or the door manual with you so you get enough vinyl weather stripping to cover both the sides and top of your garage door. You will also need enough vinyl bottom seal to fit the track. If your garage door track is damaged, this might be a good time to replace it.

Once your insulation panels are in place, it’s time to install the replacement garage door weather stripping, making sure it will provide a tight fit even in strong wind and weather conditions.

Are you running out of time to complete your DIY insulation update? Contact us here at R&S and we’ll be happy to do it for you. Or, if your garage door is outdated, we’ll be happy to provide you with a free onsite estimate for a new automatic garage door, complete with top-quality insulation.

Garage Door DIY, Garage Door Maintenance, Garage Door Repair, Garage Door Safety, Garage Doors

Tips for DIY Garage Door Installation

October 13, 2016Garage Door DIY, Garage Door Maintenance, Garage Door Repair, Garage Door Safety, Garage Doors

tips-for-diy-garage-door-installation

The good news is that YouTube and other online resources have plenty of How-Tos and well-made videos that demonstrate how to fix everything under the sun. Residential garage doors are included in this mix. However, we highly advise that you leave garage door installation to the pros.

Garage doors are heavy and cumbersome. In addition to risking your own personal safety, one slip, drop, or unwieldy movement can yield your new garage door kit unusable, and you’ll be stuck having to fork out the money for another one. Also, it’s important to note that many garage door warranties are written such that DIY work isn’t covered.

Read your garage door manual carefully before moving forward with DIY repairs or replacement. There’s a chance that by not using a licensed, garage door professional will mean you’re out of luck down the road – even if you did the job correctly and the garage door error or malfunction isn’t your fault.

Safety Always Comes First When Installing Your Own Garage Door

Safety is the top priority, so never be cavalier. Read the garage kit instructions carefully and watch a video a few times before attempting it on your own. Also, always work with a buddy or two. Garage doors should never be installed by yourself.

We’ve been called in more times than we like to count to rescue homeowners who have experienced traumatic injuries and/or property damage as a result of their good intentions. Always prioritize safety first!

Tools and Materials to Have on Hand

Your materials list will include:

Garage door kit
Easy tensioning system
Cord or rope
Masking tape
Operator bracket
Garage door lubricant
Garage door stop with rubber gasket
Shims

Plan to have the following tools within reach:

Safety Glasses
Stepladder
Level
4-in-1 screwdriver
Adjustable wrench
Cordless drill
Locking pliers
Sawhorses
Socket/ratchet set
Rags

Tips for Replacing Your Garage Door

Establish the age and condition of the current door. Older garage doors can weigh as much as 450 lbs. When you consider their weight and breadth, combined with old and/or malfunctioning hardware, you need to be exceedingly careful when removing the old door. Identify which type of spring you’re dealing with – torsion or extension. The former are the safest and easiest to disconnect. Extension springs can be extremely dangerous, especially if they don’t have a cable installed. Consider hiring a professional to at least release your spring for you.
Look for garage doors with modern safety features. One of the best things you can do to protect yourself and your family from garage door injuries is to replace your old door with a high-end model with built-in safety features. These include things like light-weight doors (no more than 200 lbs.), pinch resistant section designs to prevent pinched fingers or arms (these injuries can even lead to amputation in older doors), containment cables that run through springs and prevent the deadly whip effect of a sprung spring, or automatic door operators that reverse if something is in the way or at the first sign of resistance.
Replace the hardware as well as the door. As long as you are replacing a new door, you might as well replace all the parts so the entire system is new. This will ensure the door works efficiently and quietly and will extend the amount of time until you’ll need to be up on your stepladder again for another repair or parts replacement.
Install new weather stripping. Once the door is replaced, install new weather stripping to improve the door’s seal. In addition to keeping your garage cleaner and free of moisture that can cause parts corrosion over time, you’ll notice that a well-sealed garage door can reduce the amount of money you spend on heating and cooling the interior of your home.
Hire professionals to release torsion tension. Again, garage door springs are not to be taken lightly. If you install a door that has torsion springs located over the door, it is well worth the nominal fee (usually around $50 or so) to have a professional garage door technician come by to release and/or adjust the tension.

Not sure garage door replacement is the best DIY task for you? Contact R&S and we’ll be happy to send someone out to do the job for you. (925) 671-7606.

Garage, Garage Door Maintenance, Garage Doors

Your Garage and Winter Weather

September 28, 2016Garage, Garage Door Maintenance, Garage Doors

your-garage-and-winter-weather

Fall is just around the corner, and winter will follow close behind. Colder temperatures, blustery days and all that rain (we hope!) will be much more tolerable if you have your garage in order. You may not think about it, but unless you have a detached garage, attached garages can compromise both your home’s energy efficiency as well as indoor air quality if you don’t take precautions.

By taking a weekend to prep your garage for winter, you’ll enjoy a warmer, safer and healthier season – with lowered energy bills as a bonus.

Not sure your garage door will last another winter? Contact the team at R&S and we’ll come out and take a look. A garage door replacement, especially one with upgraded insulation, will make a big difference in day-to-day operation as well as interior comfort.

5 Tips to Prep Your Garage for the Winter

Here are some of the steps you can take to prepare your garage for the winter months, and we’ve provided a few bonus tips as well.

Give it a once over. If you’re motivated and you have a free weekend or two before now and the colder months, it may be worthwhile to organize your garage if you didn’t do that this summer. Not only does this give you an opportunity to get summer toys and outdoor furniture up and out of the way, you can bring winter toys and seasonal decorations down from the rafters. Also, while you’re at it, clear out any dirt, debris, leaves, and twigs that have made it into the garage during the last season or two.
Schedule a maintenance appointment. This is a great time of year to schedule annual garage door maintenance. Maintaining both the physical and mechanical components of your garage door is a key to safe operation. Plus, garage door professionals will notice any red flags indicating the door needs parts replacement, adjustments or repairs to prevent a future malfunction from occurring. Part of thorough garage door maintenance includes lubricating all the moving parts, which provides brand-new water proofing before the fog and rains bring more moisture into the mix.
Move toxins out and/or increase ventilation options. One of the reasons attached garages are more dangerous than you realize is they are the typical storage location for paints, gasoline and other off-gassing products that produce noxious fumes – not to mention the carbon monoxide that infiltrates from warming up or pulling the car into the garage. During the summer months, when windows and, often, the garage door is open, there is adequate ventilation. Once things are closed to shut out the cold, these fumes can seep into your home via the pores in the walls as well as the interior garage door that leads from the garage to your home. Consider moving all of the potential toxins into an outdoor storage shed. If that isn’t possible, talk to your HVAC company about improving ventilation in the garage so those fumes can’t permeate into your home.
Seal and seal again. When sealed and insulated correctly, the garage can buffer your home from the exterior temperatures. Wind and weather can infiltrate the garage via unsealed cracks and crevices. Drafts detract from interior home comfort, making the HVAC work harder to maintain comfortable interior temperatures. Check the weather stripping and insulated seal on the door going from the garage to your home. Replace it if necessary. Similarly, add or replace weather stripping on your garage door, which will protect the interior garage from the elements as well as the dirt, leaves and debris that blow in during a storm.
Consider upgrading to an insulated garage door. If you are about due for a new garage door, consider upgrading to one that is insulated. This is especially beneficial if you use your garage for a hobby room, man cave or other living space. A sealed and insulated garage door will create a more comfortable environment for anyone who spends time in the garage during the winter months.

Is your garage due for routine maintenance? Contact us here at R&S so we can get you on the calendar before the cold weather arrives.

Access Control, Automatic Gate Systems, Automatic Gates

Picking the Right Automatic Gate System for You

September 21, 2016Access Control, Automatic Gate Systems, Automatic Gates

picking-the-right-automatic-gate-system-for-you

Are you in the market for an automatic gate system for your home or business? Oh, the places you’ll go. What seems like such a straightforward process can wind up being fairly confusing if you don’t reign in the selection process.

Ideally, the first automatic gate you choose should be the last automatic gate you choose. That’s because high-quality gates, built and installed by professionals, should last a lifetime. The more detailed you are in your current selection, the more likely you are to select a one-hit wonder that you are as happy with in 30 years as you are now.

Things to Consider When Choosing an Automatic Gate System

Here are some of the things you should consider when replacing an existing gate or building an automatic gate system for the first time.

Work with an experienced installer. It’s always best to go out and get two or three quotes for your automatic gate system. However, make sure you get those quotes from a licensed, insured and experienced garage door and gate installer. You can check business licenses with your local building department or state websites using the company’s license number. That number should be provided on their website, business cards or over the phone. When comparing bids, make sure you compare apples to apples so you don’t go with the lowest bid, only to find it wasn’t as comprehensive as the honest, middle-tier bid from a more experienced fabricator and installer.

What does your HOA have to say about it? When you buy a lot or a new home in a subdivision, you are well-versed on the HOAs. Over time, however, some HOAs can seem almost non-existent – – until you do something you aren’t supposed to. The first thing we do when working with residential or commercial clients is to verify whether or not they are beholden to an HOA. If so, learning the ins-and-outs of what is allowed, and what is not, is worth it. In many cases, your gate plans, colors, materials and so on will need to be approved by the HOA or their established improvements committee, so plan for that. Take the time to figure out what the rules and restrictions are now so you aren’t surprised later. Keep in mind that most installed gates will not fall under warranty if the only reason for replacement is an unhappy HOA. You’ll have to start from scratch, and wind up paying double. That’s no fun.

Choose materials for quality as well as aesthetics. There are plenty of pretty products out there on the market, but that doesn’t mean they are durable. Choosing less durable products will result in maintenance issues, more frequent repairs and – potentially – costly replacement costs down the road. Work with your installer to find an automatic gate system that works aesthetically with your architecture and the surrounding environment, and that will stand the test of time.

What level of security makes sense? It’s easy to think you need the highest level of security available, but that comes with a price and it isn’t always necessary. For almost all residential applications, we recommend a simple access entry system with a single pass code, or perhaps two (one for family, one for guests) and remote controls. The gate itself will help to keep children and pets safe from road traffic and will prevent the average lookie-loo or solicitor from approaching your front door. A simple 4-digit passcode combined with a security alarm is all that’s needed to ensure breaking-and-entering of any kind goes instantly reported to the police. However, if you prefer a higher-level of security, you run a home business or you prefer to know exactly who is entering when, you may opt for a higher-level system that provides individual codes for better security tracking.

Think about long-term maintenance requirements. It’s a good idea to have your automatic gate inspected and serviced every year to keep it running efficiently and to proactively repair or replace parts that look worn before they break down on you. One thing worth remembering: the more moveable parts there are, the more opportunities there are for maintenance issues. Consider what you are interested in when it comes to long-term maintenance responsibilities and choose a gate that fits that vision. It is also worth it to invest in the best-quality mechanical components on the market, which will increase gate efficiency and decrease the amount of time you spend dealing with malfunctions.

The more time you take now in selecting the right design, mechanical systems and access system for your property, the more you will enjoy a lifetime of lowered maintenance as well as reliable security and operation.

Schedule a consultation with R&S and we’ll walk you through the ins and outs of automatic gate selection – no upsells, false promises or hype. We want our customers to choose a gate that makes sense for them, and we make that happen at a competitive price.