How to Lubricate a Garage Door: Cincinnati Garage Door Maintenance

How to Lubricate a Garage Door: Cincinnati Garage Door Maintenance

You know the sound. It’s the terrible, ear-piercing “screeeech” your garage door makes every time it goes up and down. That horrible sound is actually the metal parts of your garage door wearing against each other over time. Cincinnati garage door maintenance isn’t difficult, and you don’t have to do it all that often; maybe once every two years. It turns out that just some mild lubrication can go a long way towards lengthening the life of your garage door and its components. Here is how to lubricate a garage door:

How to Lubricate a Garage Door, Step 1:

Purchase a lithium-based grease or garage door spray, such as Blaster White Lithium Grease. WD-40 isn’t best for this type of lubrication, and won’t last as long. Aerosol cans of lubricant such as “Blaster” generally run anywhere from five to ten dollars. Additionally, one can should be more than enough to complete the job on your garage door.

How to Lubricate a Garage Door, Step 2:

Unplug your garage door opener, and use the emergency release cord to disengage the door from the opener. This will prevent the door from accidentally moving while you lubricate your garage door.

How to Lubricate a Garage Door, Step 3:

Clean the tracks of your garage door using a rag, a little dish soap, and water. The tracks don’t need to be lubricated, but they do need to be cleared of debris, spiderwebs, and other material that can get stuck inside of them from season to season. Vacuuming them before wiping them down may help if they are particularly dirty.

How to Lubricate a Garage Door, Step 4:

Spray a small amount of lubricant on the hinges of your garage door. It may be helpful to open the garage door slightly and apply the lubricant to the hinges as the sections of your door begin to pivot.

How to Lubricate a Garage Door, Step 5:

If you have white, nylon-coated rollers you do not need to lubricate them, as their bearings are sealed and already lubricated. If you have metal or black nylon rollers, spray a small amount of lubricant on the bearings or the shaft of the roller.

How to Lubricate a Garage Door, Step 6:

Spray the top of your door springs with an even coating of lubricant. Use a rag to spread the grease around the spring from top to bottom.

How to Lubricate a Garage Door, Step 7:

Apply a small amount of lubricant to the center of your bearing plates.

How to Lubricate a Garage Door, Step 8:

Re-engage your door to the opener, and plug your garage door opener back in.

How to Lubricate a Garage Door, Step 9:

Open and close your garage door two or three times. This will help distribute the lubrication across the important surfaces.

Cincinnati Garage Door Maintenance

If you would like some assistance maintaining your garage door, or have any other home repair needs, hail a Home Repair Hero! Our ProMaster craftsmen would love to help you with whatever issues you need taken care of. You can schedule service online, use the “reach out” form at the bottom of the page, or call 513-322-2914.

Link to the article: https://www.mastermylist.com/home-maintenance/how-to-lubricate-a-garage-door-cincinnati-garage-door-maintenance/

Related articles: https://garagedoorrepairblog58583071.wordpress.com/2018/11/02/garage-door-maintenance-tips/

For further assistance in home security, click here for more: http://unioncitygaragedoorrepair.net/

Article source here: How to Lubricate a Garage Door: Cincinnati Garage Door Maintenance

How to protect your home, property from thieves during the holidays

Whether you’re out shopping or even at home, thieves are on the lookout for an opportunity to take your valuables.

So don’t let yourself become a victim.

It’s not the type of thing you want to think about during the holidays, but experts say a little precaution can go a long way.

Pearl City resident Kaimana Sasaki had her big screen television stolen from her garage last week.

Earlier this week, thieves broke into her truck and stole her purse inside with cash, credit cards, and other personal items.

“I’m not too sure how they broke in, but pretty much as you can see, the window is shattered,” Sasaki said. “We didn’t hear anything. My dogs actually woke us up, started barking. We didn’t hear any glass shattering. Our alarm didn’t go off, so they must have used something to crack the window, and when we found the window, there was actually a hole inside.”

She’s not sure if it’s just bad luck or her house was being watched, but she says the family has since installed security cameras around the house.

“It kind of hit home, because I have kids, and it’s kind of scary knowing that somebody’s around here watching me, or just coming by and looking through the neighborhood and stuff,” Sasaki said.

Michael Kitchens created and runs the Facebook page Stolen Stuff Hawaii, now with more than a hundred thousand members who report crime in their area.

He says reports of thefts go up three times as much starting in November.

“You just see a slow, steady (stream), where sometimes a post will sit at the top of the page, now it doesn’t around this time of the year,” Kitchens said. “It’s just constantly having posts leapfrog each other.”

Kitchens says in most cases, they are crimes of opportunity. Thieves see an easy way of getting to your valuables and they’re able to run off with it in a matter of seconds.

“Everything from just breaking into people’s mailboxes, car break-ins, burglary, robbery. It’s just people are so desperate this time of the year, I guess it’s whatever they can get,” Kitchens said.

Kitchens says you should never leave your purse or wallet in your car, even if it’s hidden and the car is locked. When shopping, don’t put your packages in the car until you’re ready to leave the parking lot. Thieves could be watching and break into the car when you walk away.

Don’t store keys for your house or car in a lock box, because thieves can get to them easily. Avoid leaving gifts under the tree until you’re ready to give them out.

HPD also recommends that you don’t post on social media when you’ll be away from home. Keep wrapped gifts away from windows, and break down boxes for large expensive items like TVs and computers before putting out the trash.

As always, you can report suspicious activity by calling 911.

 

Link to the article: https://www.khon2.com/news/local-news/how-to-protect-your-home-property-from-thieves-during-the-holidays_20180306071648997/1012642571

Related articles: https://homeautomationauckland.wordpress.com/2018/04/19/what-are-the-characteristics-of-a-good-smart-security-system/

For further assistance in home security, click here for more: http://unioncitygaragedoorrepair.net/

Article source here: How to protect your home, property from thieves during the holidays

Season for Thieving: 6 Tricks to Protect Your Home During the Holidays

By Holly Amaya | Nov 21, 2017

Some of us wait eagerly all year for the holidays and the jolly merriment that accompanies these few crazy weeks: the festive shindigs, the bottomless eggnog bowls, and the no-longer-so-ironic ugly sweaters. All of it might have you feeling like nothing can go wrong.

But as much as you’re looking forward to the holidays, so are the bad guys.

(Warning: Buzzkill ahead.)

Yes, that dizzying schedule of end-of-the-year fêtes and last-minute holiday shopping means you’re out of your home more often than in it, providing would-be burglars ample opportunity to case your place. And whether you’re checking in at a winter ski getaway or Instagramming that sweet Black Friday deal you just nabbed, your social media profile is also alerting the world that nobody’s home.

Don’t give the bad guys a holiday bonus! You can outsmart them and protect your home, as long as you know where you’re most vulnerable. Luckily, we’ve done the heavy lifting to gather security experts’ top tips to keep your home—and everything in it—safe during the busy holiday season.

1. Lock it down

Nothing too earth-shattering here, but it bears repeating: If you’re going to be out of town, program your outdoor lights to switch on at dusk and off at dawn, keep your doors and windows locked, and set your alarm system, if you have one.

If you’re going on vacation, some experts recommend keeping a car parked in the driveway so it looks like someone’s home. To prevent your mailbox from overflowing while you’re away, have your mail held until you return.

In other words: Don’t make yourself a target.

2. Outsmart package thieves

“Packages sitting outside your door are like a billboard that screams ‘no one is home,’” says Justin Lavelle, chief communications director for BeenVerified, an online background check platform.

His recommendation? If you live in a city or high–foot traffic area, consider using an Amazon Locker, where you can pick up packages at your own convenience. (You can also have packages sent to your office address or, for U.S. Postal Service deliveries, held for pickup at a post office location.)

If you’re purchasing from a retailer with brick-and-mortar locations in your area, consider having your items shipped to the local store for pickup.

If that sounds like a lot of work, most shipping providers (including UPS and FedEx) allow you to postpone delivery until you know someone is home. UPS and FedEx also allow consumers to leave directions for where to drop off packages.

“Follow their shipping details so you know what date the delivery is anticipated, and leave a note attached to your door with where you want the delivery to be left,” he says. “Just make sure you write ‘For UPS’ or ‘For FedEx’ on the outside and fold the note over or put it in an envelope.”

Also, make sure the path to your door is open, clear, and visible to neighbors and the street.

“If thieves can shield themselves behind large bushes and decor such as large blowups and Christmas trees, it’s that much easier for them to go unnoticed,” Lavelle says.

3. Take a break from social media

Yes, we realize this is a tall order in today’s like-happy society. But trust us here: Smart thieves are watching not only your house, but also your social media channels. Be aware that when you trumpet that two-week holiday trip to Bali all over Facebook, you’re telling the world that your pad will be unattended.

The same logic applies to sharing photos of your home and your stuff: They tell would-be burglars what else you have in your home and if there’s something worth stealing.

And while you’re taking stock of your online profile, take a minute to adjust your privacy settings for event RSVPs as well.

“Anytime you publicly RSVP to parties, school events, concerts, or any other event, you’re giving an intruder an invitation to target your home,” Lavelle says. “Social media may not give away your home address, but with the internet it’s not hard to find out.”

4. Get smart

If you’ve been wavering on outfitting your home with the latest smart home technology, the holidays could be the perfect time to finally get on board. You’ll have the fun of a new gadget to play with, and the peace of mind that your home has some extra safeguards—even when you can’t be there.

The options are virtually endless: Consider a smart doorbell (like Ring’s video doorbell), which detects motion and provides a view of your front door from your smartphone. Or try the Maximus Smart Security Light, which sends real-time push alerts to your phone so you can see and speak to who’s lurking on your porch—or sound an alarm directly from an app, if necessary.

Want to control your lights with the swipe of a finger? Check out innovations like the Philips Hue smart lightbulbs, which allow you to operate your lighting from anywhere.

And if you’re looking for an all-in-one smart security solution, consider a system like Nest Secure, which combines a variety of self-installable cameras, motion sensors, and alarms and poses a serious threat to traditional, clunkier alarm companies.

5. Consider a home upgrade

Wood or glass can break easily under pressure from an intruder, says home security expert Sadie Cornelius of SafeSmartLiving.com. Consider upgrading your door to stainless steel.

If that doesn’t jibe with your aesthetic, make sure your deadbolt requires a key on both sides. Smart locks (like those from Schlage and Kwikset) are easy to install and provide an additional layer of security from would-be burglars.

And to better illuminate wannabe burglars, consider installing motion-detecting lights, which use little energy and are usually affordable.

6. Beef up your online security

“While it might not seem obvious, security goes beyond the physical,” Cornelius says. “Cyber Monday and online shopping are an opportunity for hackers to steal your credit data and identity.”

She recommends using a virtual private network, or VPN, when using public Wi-Fi to protect your online data from hackers. If you’re shopping online, be sure the sites are secure and have a valid encryption certificate (which you can usually spot with the green locked indicator in front of the site address).

Ensure your system is running the latest security updates and antivirus software, and consider signing up for identity theft protection so you’re immediately alerted to suspicious activity on any of your accounts. Many banks will allow you to set up mobile push alerts for certain types of transactions or spending thresholds.

Link to the article: https://www.realtor.com/advice/home-improvement/protect-your-home-from-holiday-thefts/

Related articles: https://safeguardssinc.wordpress.com/2016/05/27/home-alarm-systems-facts-to-consider/

For further assistance in home security, click here for more: http://unioncitygaragedoorrepair.net/

Article source here: Season for Thieving: 6 Tricks to Protect Your Home During the Holidays

Are Your Loved Ones Safe? Crucial Garage Door Safety Tips!

Securing your home to prevent a burglary is important. While making sure your home is protected and to prevent filing a claim with your homeowners insurance, have you considered your garage door? Of all the areas of your home where unwanted visitors could gain access, homeowners insurance agents find that garage doors are commonly overlooked.

Garage doors can also be a family safety issue when not used properly. Keep your home safe and reduce home owners insurance costs by being sure that your garage door is secured.

Garage Doors – An Overlooked Access Point

As sturdy as a garage door may seem, it will not stop a clever burglar who knows how to get past it. Using little more than a wire clothing hanger, thieves can activate the emergency release lever on your automatic garage door opener and open the door.

Once they have gained access to the garage, burglars can ransack your home and put you in a situation of needing to call your homeowners insurance company to report damage to your home and/or loss of personal property.

Garage Doors Can Be Dangerous

In addition to how easily garage doors can be breached, homeowners insurance agents note that the garage door also presents home safety issues. Power outages can prevent the mechanism from working. Children and animals are sometimes injured when garage doors accidentally close on them. Damaged mechanisms may fail, allowing the door to fall and cause damage that must be repaired via a home owners insurance claim.

Best Tips for A Safe and Secure Garage Door

Fortunately, keeping the garage door secure so you don’t have to file a homeowners insurance claim is easy. Practice the tips below from experienced homeowners insurance agents to prevent break-ins and keep your entire family safe:

1. Buy A High-Security Garage Door Opener – Choose an automatic opener with a numerical keypad for code control. It should also allow for remote activation from a smartphone app, just in case. These kind of systems are harder to breach and provide you with greater home security and fewer possibilities of having to make a claim on your home owners insurance.
2. Choose A Safe System – A garage door that closes down on a child or pet can be a disaster; however, the safest systems detect when something is in the way of the door and stops lowering the door. Laser sensors and sensitivity adjustments are great features that can reduce the chance of a person or pet becoming injured by a closing garage door.
3. Learn to Use the Emergency Release – As with any electronic device, begin by reading the garage opener user manual to learn how to correctly program and operate it. Most importantly, learn how to use the emergency release lever so you can safely operate the door even if you lose power.
4. Secure the Emergency Release Lever – To prevent burglars from using the wire hanger trick discussed above, secure the emergency release lever on your opener with a plastic zip tie. The tie is sturdy enough to prevent activation of the lever with a hanger; however, it can easily be broken if you need to use the emergency release.
5. Avoid Tempting Burglars – Never leave your garage door partially open. This weaken the opener mechanism, increase the chance of damage, and attract the attention of burglars. Keep your door remote out of any car that stays parked in your driveway. A visible garage remote is an invitation for a car break-in that may allow thieves access to your entire house. If you will be away for more than a few days, turn the power off to your opener.

Electronic garage doors are a great convenience; however, they can cause injuries if they malfunction. You may even end up with a homeowners insurance claim if burglars gain access to your home through an improperly secured door. Keep uninvited visitors out and prevent higher home owners insurance premiums by paying close attention to the tips offered above by homeowners insurance agents that will keep both your home and family safe and secure!

Link to the article: https://www.sigbcs.com/are-your-loved-ones-safe-crucial-garage-door-safety-tips/

Related articles: https://virginiagaragedoorrepairservice.wordpress.com/2017/02/20/why-my-garage-door-is-not-opening-know-the-possible-reasons/

For further assistance in home security, click here for more: http://unioncitygaragedoorrepair.net/

Article source here: Are Your Loved Ones Safe? Crucial Garage Door Safety Tips!

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill Friday from Senator Bill Dodd, D-Napa, requiring newly sold or installed electric garage door openers to be equipped with backup batteries. The new law will prevent people from being trapped in their garages during power failures such as those triggered by recent wildfires.

“Requiring backup batteries on garage door openers will saves lives and ensure no one is left vulnerable,” Sen. Dodd said. “With the threat of more wildfires to come, we must do everything possible to keep people safe. I thank Gov. Brown for recognizing the importance of this bill.”

Senate Bill 969 follows the devastating October wildfires that caused widespread power outages, leaving many evacuees unable to open their garage doors to flee the flames. The remains of at least five victims were found where garages once stood.

The senator is personally aware of the peril posed by power failures in the face of emergencies. He was forced to evacuate his own Napa home the night of the fall fires and could not open his heavy wooden garage door because power was out in his neighborhood. While garage door motors can be disconnected and opened manually, many people, especially seniors, find it difficult or impossible to do so.

“Most people don’t think about this until it is too late,” Dodd said. “My goal with this bill is to raise awareness and give people the security of a battery backup.”

Senate Bill 969 was supported by the Consumer Federation of California. Assembly member Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, is co-author.

“It is clear from this past year’s fires that we need to protect people when the power goes out,” said Richard Holober, the Consumer Federation’s executive director. “I applaud Sen. Dodd and Gov. Brown for this important new law that will keep people from being trapped in their garages.”

###

Senator Bill Dodd represents the 3rd Senate District, which includes all or portions of Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Yolo, Contra Costa, and Sacramento counties. You can learn more about the district and Senator Dodd at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd.

 

Link to the article: http://eastcountytoday.net/wildfire-related-garage-door-safety-becomes-law/

Related articles: https://greenhomeinspections.wordpress.com/tag/safety/

For further assistance in home security, click here for more: http://unioncitygaragedoorrepair.net/

Article source here:

10 Maintenance Must-do’s To Make Garage Doors Last Longer

(guest post by Ran Keller)

Garage doors are opened and closed multiple times a day, yet few homeowners conduct regular checks and inspections on it. In fact, they are often the most neglected part of a house, even though they are frequently used and make up a large portion of a home’s outward appearance.

Conducting repeated tests on a garage door and its opener can help you catch any problems before they become worse. Moreover, inspections ensure that it is safe. Safety is a particularly important concern when you have kids and pets in the house.

How can you maintain your door so it lasts longer? Here are 10 tips:

Check the hardware

The easiest way to do a quick hardware check is to listen to the door when it opens and closes. It should move effortlessly and make minimum noise. Scraping noises, grinding sounds and jerky movements suggest there is an issue.

Furthermore, ensure that all loose hardware is tightened up. Use a socket wrench to fasten any loose bolts or roller brackets.

Review the balance

To review your door’s balance, you’ll need to first disconnect the opener to the door. Next, manually move the door halfway up or down. It should stay in place. If it doesn’t, the garage door isn’t balanced. You will need to seek a professional garage door repairman to correct this problem.

Replace batteries in remote

Garage doors are opened and closed innumerable times a year. Therefore, it’s essential to replace the remote’s batteries periodically. The remote’s manual should provide the information on when you need to replace the batteries.

Replace weather-stripping if needed

Look at the sides and bottom of your door. There should be weather-stripping on the sides and a rubber weather-seal on the bottom. If it’s cracked or the weather-stripping on the sides is jamming the door, consider adjusting it or replacing it altogether. Use your judgment.

Wooden garage doors might not have weather-stripping at the bottom. However, ideally, you should add weather-stripping to it – which can be purchased at any hardware store – and get it painted.

Lubricate the moving parts

Garage doors are connected by springs, rollers, nuts and bolts. All of these moving parts are used constantly every time you press the remote, and the door opens and closes. Hence, it’s vital to lubricate these moving parts with spray lubricant for springs, and white lithium grease for the chain or screw.

Don’t smear lubricant on the track, because it could cause the door to slip and lose its balance.

Examine the cables

Cables are responsible for lifting your door. Examine them periodically for damage. If you notice signs of wear and tear, contact a garage door repair service rather than take matters into your own hands. High-tension cables have the ability to inflict serious injuries and should always be handled by a professional.

Inspect the garage door’s safety feature

Every door is equipped with two safety features which are mechanical and photocell. To test the mechanical safety feature, simply place a piece of wood or brick below it and close the door. Once the door comes in contact with the wooden piece, it should automatically reverse its direction and go up. If it doesn’t, you will need to adjust the downforce control limit. Read your opener’s manual for directions on how to adjust it.

The second safety feature, photocell which uses photo-eye sensors, are located at the bottom of your garage door and has a beam. They prevent the door from closing if an object is in the door’s path. You can test this feature by closing the door and placing an object quickly in the path of the beam. If the door stops closing, it’s in good working condition. If it doesn’t, clean the sensors with a damp cotton ball and retry the process.

Remove rust

Rust tends to accumulate on steel doors. Locate the rusted areas, sand it, prime it and finally paint over them. Wooden doors should also be examined for damages and kept painted to protect the wood.

Check if tracks are clean

Talk to a garage door specialist in order to get the best cleaner for the tracks on your door. Do not lubricate or use an all-purpose cleaner.

Clean your garage door

Last but certainly not the least, it’s imperative to wash your garage door with an all-purpose cleaner. You can do it while washing your cars during the weekend and make it a fun family activity. Cleaning removes built-up grease and gunk and maintains your house’s spotless appearance.

Use the aforementioned garage door maintenance tips to ensure that your door lasts long and saves you on repair costs. Most of these suggestions are easy to follow and only take a few minutes. It’s a good idea to call a garage door repairman to conduct biannual inspections. Always keep your door clean, fully-functional and safe throughout the year.

 

Editor’s Note: Ran Keller is an experienced handyman who’s been working for EliteGarageWA for 10 years. When he’s not fixing garage doors, he likes to share his repairment ideas and knowledge with others.

 

Link to the article: http://blog.extremehowto.com/2018/02/20/10-maintenance-must-dos-make-garage-doors-last-longer/

Related articles: https://garagedoorrepair111.wordpress.com/

For further assistance in home security, click here for more: http://unioncitygaragedoorrepair.net/

Article source here: 10 Maintenance Must-do’s To Make Garage Doors Last Longer