June is Garage Door Safety Month

June is Garage Door Safety month. This time of year provides dealers the perfect  opportunity to talk to homeowners about the importance of keeping safe while in the garage and around the garage door which is often the home’s largest moving object. Talking with homeowners about garage door safety is also a great way to get back in front of customers to generate general service and new door sales.

Below are 10 safety tips to share with homeowners in your next customer newsletter.

1.      Make sure the garage door opener control button is out of the reach of small children.

2.     Do not let children play with garage door remote controls.

3.     Never place fingers between door sections. Explain the dangers to children and consider pinch-resistant door panels.

4.      Consult the garage door and opener owner’s manuals to learn how to use the garage door’s emergency release feature.

5.     Visually inspect the garage door each month. Look at springs, cables, rollers and pulleys for signs of wear. Do not attempt to remove, adjust or repair these parts or anything attached to them. These parts are under high tension and should only be fixed by a trained door repairman.

6.     Test the garage door opener’s reversing mechanism monthly by placing a 2×4 board in the door’s path. If the door does not reverse after contacting the object, call a qualified garage door professional for repair. If the opener has not been replaced since 1993, replace the garage door opener with a new one that has safety beams and auto-reverse as a standard feature.

7.     When leaving on vacation, unplug the garage door opener unit or use your wall console vacation lock security switch (an optional accessory on most openers) to render remotes unusable.

8.     Do not leave the garage door partially open. When activated again, it may travel downward and come in contact with an object in its path. This also compromises a home’s security.

9.     If the opener does not have rolling-code technology, be sure to change the manufacturer’s standard access codes on the opener and remote control, or consider investing in a newer model with rolling-code technology, which changes access codes each time the opener is used.

10. Never leave the remote control in the car when given to a parking attendant. A stolen remote leaves you more susceptible to home invasion. Always lock your car when left unattended. It’s a small inconvenience for safety and security.

Let's get your garage ready for summer!

Pinterest, blogs, and Facebook pages are great ways to get ideas for organizing and DIY projects.

We took a look at Pinterest and Blogs to see some of the best ways to organize your garage.

As we turn into summer, right now is a the perfect time to clean out your garage and get it checked in time for storm season. It's also a great time to get organized, so that all the neighbors will be jealous ;)

Here are some great ideas we found:

We like this idea because no one actually uses the space above their garage. Make sure when you install sliders that they can properly hold enough weight. The last thing you would want is vehicle damage ;)

Have a lot of company trucking through your garage? These crates look awesome in this DIY project...

Garage floors add another great feature to your home, and they look great if you want to show off that sporty new vehicle. Don't you wish these cars came with the floor?

Don't you hate it when your tools fall over and scratch of your car? Well, here is a solution to that! These modified pipes hold up all your garage tools, and they're labeled so that everyone knows where to put them once they used them.

For smaller tools, try this idea! So inexpensive, and you will never lose anything..

Last but not least, one quintessential thing you need in your garage this summer is the Battery Back-up from Overhead Door Company of the Northland. Always be prepared for power outages!

Happy organizing! 

Importance of Garage Safety

Over the past 20 years, the garage has evolved to fit the ever-changing lifestyles of homeowners, and so too have the means of accessing it. Thousands of professional dealers make their living servicing and installing garage door opener units as the automatic opener, once considered a personal luxury, has become a necessity due to the convenience, security and safety it provides. 

However, like many of today’s home appliances and devices, big strides have been made in technology and safety, as well as the way openers are manufactured and installed. Each and every enhancement to these residential units provides installing and merchandising dealers an opportunity to create another touch point with their current and potential customer base.

Here are a few ideas to help you drum up residential replacement business by educating homeowners on how to ensure their garage door openers are as safe as possible, up to speed on the latest options and ready for any season.

Two Decades Is Too Long!

It has been 20 years since all automatic openers manufactured for the United States were mandated to include non-contact safety reversing devices, commonly referred to as photoelectric eyes. Yet there are still thousands of older residential openers still being used today without this safety component. While many of us often adhere to the idea that, “if it ain’t broke, why fix it” for many of our household devices, when it comes to the largest and heaviest access point in the home—the garage door—it’s important for dealers to alert their customers to the technological, safety and security enhancements over the last 20 years and the advantages of replacement.

While replacing a perfectly good working opener could be a barrier for many homeowners, dealers are encouraged to highlight the 20-year anniversary of the pre-1993 mandate and offer to perform a safety check on their next service call. Any opener hitting its 20th birthday is most likely not equipped with photo eyes and, therefore, still relying on the impact-reversing system. This is an opportunity for dealers to help their customers understand the importance of updating their garage door openers to those with photo eyes. Consider performing a version of this test during your next service call.

Maintenance. Show your customers how to keep the garage door properly maintained and functioning safely by ensuring all moving parts of the door are clean and lubricated including the steel rollers.

Balance. Show them how to check the door’s balance. First, start with the door closed and pull the opener release mechanism so you can maneuver the door by hand. If the door is balanced (properly spring-loaded and running freely on its tracks), they should be able to lift the door smoothly without much effort and it should stay open about three or four feet above the floor.

Photo eyes. This visual demonstration will help clarify how photo eyes perform and why they’re important. Roll a sports ball such as a basketball or soccer ball across the threshold of the door as it’s closing. Inform your customers that once the invisible laser beam between the two photo-eye sensors is broken by an obstruction (in this case, the ball crossing the invisible beam), the door reverses automatically, preventing contact with the object and avoiding any potential injury.

The 6-inch rule. If customers do have an updated opener (after 1993) with photos eyes, they should not be installed higher than 6 inches above the garage floor. If the eyes are installed higher, a person or pet could get under the beam and not be detected.

Sensitive technology. Show your customers how to test the door’s sensitivity by placing a 2-inch thick piece of wood in the path of the door before closing it. If the garage door doesn’t automatically reverse and retract back to the open position, then the opener needs to be adjusted. Inform your customers of the benefits of testing this sensitivity every month.

Dan Nixa Professional Door Dealer

Genius Garages

How do you turn a parking nightmare into a work of art? Well, for this historic homeowner in San Francisco the nightmare was a reality. 

Garages can be a place to store your prize possession, but it also can be a work of art. We've seen some pretty awesome celebrity garages, like Jay Leno or Jerry Sienfeld but this garage is very clever. 

For people living in the historic Row Houses of San Francisco their parking is limited to street or alley parking. Many of the older Row Houses didn't even have garages back when they were built. 

Here's what the designers decided to do, "turn the scattered storage spaces on the first floor of a classic Victorian into a multi-paneled entrance to a brand new garage." 

Can you believe the optical illusion? The best part is, they still kept the historic Victorian Design, only making it more practical by building this genius design.

"There was no structural concern – engineers had determined a seismic retrofit could clear out existing columns and make room for cars – but the planning commission presented an aesthetic problem that had to be addressed."

“Beausoleil carefully measured the elements of the existing facade and drew them up, then determined how the bay window sides could be split apart from the rest of the building with almost invisible seams. They envisioned a steel framework that would be secured to the back of the walls before they were cut away from the structure allowing the fabric of the building to remain virtually intact, studs, siding, windows all moving in concert.”

Is this the future of design? Practical and historic? 

(Source: http://dornob.com/secret-new-garage-door-spliced-from-historic-bay-windows/)

Garage Door Trends

Spring has almost sprung everyone! You might not need a garage door at the moment, but when you do it is always nice to keep up with the latest trends in the garage door industry. 

We've taken a look at some of the trends in 2013 for all of you to be aware of. Whether it is design, commercial, or even the latest and greatest gadgets! 

Here's something interesting to think about, adding a stylish new garage can also help build the home's curb appeal. Here are tips we found from Amy Campbell from Door Dealer Diaries, "A stylish garage door enhances any home's curb appeal, which can also increase the value of the home. With new technologies and materials, upgrading a garage door doesn't have to be a huge investment, but it is an investment worth making.

Amy also goes on to talk about remodeling tips and tricks, "Remodeling" magazine agrees. The magazine's 2012-2013 Cost vs. Value report, a national home-improvement study conducted by publisher Hanley Wood in partnership with the National Association of Realtors (NAR), ranked an upgrade from an entry-level door to a mid-level door as the second-best ranked project for returning value when spending less than $5,000. The report ranked an upgrade to an upscale garage door the third-highest ranked project under $5,000." 

What we can learn from remodeling trends is that redesign and spending that extra penny might actually help out more in the end if you were to sell your home. 

Eco-friendly garages are another trend we are seeing. "In its annual list of the Top 50 high performance, eco-friendly residential building products, GreenBuilder Magazine recognized Clopay's Canyon Ridge Collection for its unique appearance, material innovation and design versatility, while also pointing out the extreme durability and energy efficiency the door's five layer construction method provides." Do you know of any great Eco-friendly garage products in your area? 

One last garage door design trend we are seeing in 2013 are windows. According to Kitchen Kool, many people are putting real windows in their garage doors, opposed to plastic cutouts. "1. Windows. You can find garage doors now that have windows. We are not just talking about plain windows either; you can find garage doors that incorporate beautifully designed windows that can help to add an extra design appeal to the exterior of your home. Many manufacturers are offering this feature. It would be best if consumers would shop around in order to locate the type and design of windows that would best match their home." 

We are always looking for more trends to update to our followers. For more information contact Overhead Door of the Northland by clicking here. 

Best Garage Door Ever?

Why do you love your garage? (Post comments below)