More than 70% of homeowners enter and exit their home through the garage door, relying on it as the new front door. And warm weather brings even more traffic in the garage.

Since it is now National Garage Door Safety month we thought we would share a “door to floor” garage door safety checklist. While garage door safety is important all year round, make this an opportunity to complete an inspection.

Maintenance

To keep the garage door properly maintained and functioning safely, be sure to keep all moving parts of the door clean and lubricated, including the steel rollers.

Balance

To check balance, 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), you should be able to lift the door smoothly without much effort and it should stay open about three or four feet above the floor.

Safety Reverse

Since 1993, all automatic openers manufactured for the U.S. must include a safety reversing feature such as infrared sensors or “photo eyes.” These sensors are installed near the floor on either side of the garage door opening. Once the invisible laser beam between the two sensors is broken by an obstruction, the door reverses automatically. If your opener lacks a similar safety reversing feature, it’s time to get a new opener.

The Six-In Rule

The photo eyes mentioned above should not be installed higher than six inches above the garage floor. If the eyes are installed higher, a person or pet could get under the beam and not be detected by the photo eyes.

Sensitive Technology

Test your door’s sensitivity this month by placing a two- inch thick piece of wood or a roll of paper towels in the path of the door before closing it. If the garage door does not automatically reverse and retract back to the open position, then the opener needs to be adjusted or purchase a newer model that comes with photo eyes. LiftMaster dealers are available nationwide to help bring your door up to speed and code.

Prepare For Weather

Be prepared as summer heat and storms turns to summer outages. Once power is lost to the home, an automatic garage door opener will also be impacted. Ensure your opener is equipped with a Battery Backup system which continues to operate LiftMaster openers for an additional 20 up and down cycles. So, even during unforeseen outages, homeowners have peace-of-mind that their main entranceway to the home reliably opens and closes.

When choosing the right garage door for your home, it is important to keep three things in mind when making your decision: quiet operation, power, and drive type.

Below we will outline a little more information about each of these garage door considerations.

1. Quiet Operation

Garages adjacent to bedrooms or living areas, a quiet garage door opener may be important. Look for garage door openers ones constructed with dependable, quiet operation in mind.

2. Power

Your garage door opener must be able to handle the height and weight of your new garage door. Most garage door openers have 1/2-HP (horsepower) motors capable of handling most residential garage doors.

3. Drive Type

Quiet operation depends mostly on the type of operating mechanism or drive that’s used to open the garage door. Four types of drives are available: belt drives, direct drives, screw drives, and chain drives.

1. Belt drives use a sturdy rubber-like belt (similar to a car’s fan belt) to open and close garage doors.
2. Direct Drives, though relatively new to the US, have been available in Europe for around 30 years. These units feature a moving motor that drives itself along a stationary chain.
3. Screw drives use a long, sturdy metal rod threaded like a screw to lift and close garage doors
4. Chain drives use a metal chain (similar to a bicycle chain) to open and close garage doors

Via wikihow

We are now offering a free garage door opener upgrade for new garage contracts in the Chicagoland area through June 30, 2014. And not just any door opener, the hugely popular LiftMaster Premium 8360 with MyQ Technology. Click here to learn more.

Garages doors make up a significant portion of your home’s exterior. Therefore, it is important that the style you choose complements the rest of your home’s exterior. One way to add style or your own personal touch to a garage door are windows and window panels. How else can you add style to your garage door?

Panel design. There are four main standard panel designs to choose from that we will share below. Which will work best for your new garage door?

1. Flush Panels

Flush panels are flat, slightly textured panels. They can be used to complement the surrounding wall area without drawing too much attention to the door itself.

2. Long-Raised Panels

Long-raised panels give depth and distinction to the door, while adding to the home’s overall appearance.

3. Short-Raised Panels

Similar to above, short-raised panels can also add depth to the door. Short-raised panels make great additions for Victorian-style homes with intricately delicate trim, colonial-style homes with symmetrical facades, or Tudor homes with strong architectural lines.

4. Painted Panels

Add pizzazz to plain, raised panels by painting the sloped portion of the panel in a contrasting color.

Thanks to Lowe’s for this guide. You can read the full Garage Door Buying Guide here. Or, view our full gallery of garages we have built in the Chicagoland areaby clicking here. Contact us today if you are looking for a new garage!

A garage door is one of the largest moving objects in your home, and is typically used every day. This type of usage and accessibility gives you good reason to keep it in proper working order and more importantly, ensure those using it are safe. Blue Sky Builders, Inc. is dedicated to providing sustainable and reliable products that last for many years. But we also see our customers’ and their families’ safety as a top priority. Therefore we would like to share the current facts surrounding improper garage safety and some practical tips for how to remain safe as we head into the spring season.

Here are the facts:

(http://www.coveryourgaragedoortracks.com/statistics)

• On average, 20,000 people each year have been treated in hospital emergency rooms due to garage door related injuries.
• These injuries can be minor or relatively serious, ranging from minor cuts to serious bone fractures and amputations.
• 79% of garage door injuries happen at a person’s own home.
• 39% of injuries take place in the summer months.
• 68% of accidents involve injury to the upper part of the body. This includes fractures, dislocations, and bruises.
• 40% of injuries involve garage doors coming down on a person.

In order to prevent becoming part of the above mentioned statistics, make sure garage safety is a top priority in your home. Follow the below safety tips and you will be well on your way!

Safety Tips:

• Talk to your children about the potential danger of garage doors and how to act while in the garage.
• Remain a safe distance away from the garage until the door has completely stopped moving.
• Place activation button and separate remote control out of reach of your children.
• Install sensors that will prevent the garage from closing if it detects an object is in its path.
• Test your doors monthly-rule of thumb: your door should reverse when coming down even if it detects a paper towel in the way. (see LiftMaster’s Don’t Chance it, Check it)

As we begin to enjoy the warmer weather and springtime activities, take some time to make sure everyone in your family is on the same page regarding garage safety.

For additional tips or questions, contact us today!

Related Resources:

Blue Sky Builders, Inc.: LiftMaster Introduces Don’t Chance It, Check It

Parents.com : Garage Safety Basics

Spring is here! Time to plant flowers, enjoy the fresh air, and rid your garage of those ugly salt stains! As you’ve watched the snow accumulate outside for the past few months, the salt and chemicals from the roads have been accumulating in your garage. Now the time has come to take inventory of any harmful salt stains that need to be removed and damaging cracks that need repair.

In order to effectively clean and repair your concrete, it is important to first understand what causes this winter damage. From there you can successfully stop the damage from progressing.

What Causes the Damage?

In order to de-ice the roads, road crews typically use various mixtures of liquid magnesium and calcium chloride (road salt). This mixture is applied with the purpose of not only melting the existing ice and snow but also with the intention to prevent future refreezing.

These deicers catch a ride on the bottom of your car and eventually end up on your garage floor. Once on the floor, they begin to seep into the pores of your concrete instead of just freezing on the surface. As the temperature in your garage drops, the liquid refreezes inside these pores. In doing so, it expands and slowly breaks it apart. This cycle occurs throughout the entire winter, leaving you with broken and cracking concrete-this is known as spalling.

Another nasty side effect to this liquid is called subflorescence-i.e. those ugly white stains on your floor. When the moisture on your garage floor evaporates, the salt that is left behind recrystallizes and causes your concrete to flake off.

How Do I Fix It?

Well the first thing you need to do is clean your garage floor-every inch of it. This deep cleaning will reveal the salt stains and indicate any damages that may need repairing. Here’s the recipe for removing salt stains:

• 1 gallon warm water
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1 squirt dish soap
• Whole lot of elbow grease

After you’ve made your concoction, begin scrubbing with a stiff deck brush. Once sufficiently scrubbed, mop or wet vac the remaining reside. This is important! Mopping or using a wet vac prevents the salt from reentering the same pores you’re just scrubbed them out of. Once the residue is removed, you may rinse liberally with water.

For those especially stubborn salt stains, you may want to consider purchasing Salt-Away. Though it is tempting, try to steer clear of pressure washers. While they certainly appear to be removing the stain, they may in fact just be driving the salt deeper into the pores so that they may reappear at a later date.

Now that the salt is removed, it is time to repair any flaking or spalling that may have occurred. Polymer modified cements work best for this. Their consistency allows them to bond much better than regular cement and create a stronger finish that can be feathered much thinner. A regular cement patch will not adhere well to the surface and can easily chip or break away.

What About Next Year?

Once you are satisfied with the outcome of cleaning and repairing your garage floor, the next step is to protect it from winter damage in the future. For information and additional tips, check out Protecting Your Garage Floor from Ice and Snow, as well as How to Winter-Proof Your Garage!

Now that your garage is clean and rid from the stubborn residue of winter, you can pull out that lawn mower, fire up the grill, and bring on the sun!

Additional Resources:

How to Clean Your Garage: Tips on Spring-Cleaning

Garage Storage Ideas From Houzz

How to Remove Stains From Your Garage Floor