Monday, 12 March 2018

How to Maintain Overhead Garage door?

How's your garage door doing? Chances are it's working fine. You must have realized that it is one of the biggest and heaviest movable assets in your home that you access multiple times in a day. If your door is installed correctly, then indeed it will work well for decades, but only when it is subjected to regular maintenance. It doesn't mean that your door won't face any problem any day, but, by following specific maintenance regimes, you can keep a check on your door's parts and prevent common issues from taking place. A survey reveals that door owners enjoy doing cleaning and maintenance of their doors in spring and summer weather because it stays warm outside. 

Follow the below-mentioned maintenance rules to keep the life of your door intact: 
  • Keep its Path Clear of Objects - Ensure your children do not play with the door's safety reversal mechanism, i.e., placing an object deliberately under the door's path to enjoy the fun of its automatic reversal. Also, do not keep any objects near to the door else if someday anything obstructs its path, it won't close at all. When an object suddenly falls in the door's path while it closes, the door may go out of balance. To prevent such situations keep cleaning the door's path with a dry cloth and keep objects away from it 
  • Lubricate it Regularly- Lubricants help in making a door run smoothly. Moving parts like hinges, rollers, handles, springs, etc. demand lubricant at regular intervals of time to support the smooth functioning of the door. Use petroleum-based lubricants like WD-40 or 3-in-1 on hinges and spring assembly. It is said that silicone-based lubricant does best to rubberized parts like weather stripping between the panels of the door, along with the frame of the door and along the bottom of the door. 
  • Check the Remote- Batteries are made to die once they have served a functional life. You may come across certain instances where your door may refuse to respond to the signal sent by the remote. The fix is to check its batteries. Usually, batteries drain with time and changing them with new ones can help you with door's normal functions. 

Overhead Garage Door in San Antonio 

If you own an overhead door in San Antonio and face any issues with its functioning or maintenance, then connect with the experts of R & L Overhead Co. They are into garage door reaping and are well versed with the minute insights of these huge doors. For more information call them now.

Garage Door Springs- High Tension Safety Features at Work

Garage door springs perform one of the most important tasks of raising and lowering the door. Many people do not pay attention to this crucial part and overseeing its maintenance can lead to serious damages. Experts suggest that door owners should carefully read the garage door manual to understand the connection between its different parts and their respective functioning. Springs of a door are subject to corrosion and breakage and hence, to address these issues springs should be regularly checked. 

These springs are tightly wound and because of this they possess a lot of tension. Mechanically, when tension in these springs reach beyond capacity, springs break and eventually the garage door gets released just to crash down on the ground. 

If the door’s springs make a squeaking sound, then there’s something wrong happening there which you cannot afford to ignore. You can try applying lubricant to the springs to see if it makes a difference in the noise. If lubricant doesn’t help, then you should call a garage door expert immediately because handling the situation by yourself can prove dangerous to life and property. 

Types of Garage Door Springs 

These doors are manufactured with two different types of springs: 
  • Torsion springs, which are attached above the closed garage door. 
  • Extension springs, are attached above the upper tracks on both sides of the door. 

Garage Door Safety Cables 

Torsion springs and extension springs work differently. Extension springs have a safety cable running through each side of the door which help in controlling the door when the springs break. These cables are attached to the wall or the ceiling and are an important safety feature. If you notice that your door has extension springs but not cables, then ring in to a door expert and get them installed immediately. 

Garage Door Spring Brackets 

A door’s spring is attached to another safety feature known as brackets. These are attached at the bottom of the garage door and are under tension just like springs. The brackets should be adjusted and handled only by a pro, otherwise any carelessness with them can push you in big trouble. 

Are your garage door’s springs troubling you? Or, do you want to learn about their safety mechanism and DIY activities? R & L Overhead Inc has solutions to all these problems. They provide garage door spring services at your home and are experts of repairing garage door issues. For more details call them now!

Thursday, 8 March 2018

Six Tips to Store RV in a Storage Unit

Winter season doesn't sound dear and friendly to skin, throat, roads and recreational vehicles (RVs). When the foliage of fall turns brown and begins to fall to the ground, its time to store your RV until the warm weather turns up again. Before storing your RV until next season, follow the below tips to cut down the repair costs: 

  • Drain the Water System- It is the most critical step to winterizing your RV because if any water is left in the plumbing system, the fittings and lines may get damaged. Drain all the fresh water and waste tanks from the pipes and pump non-toxic RV antifreeze through the complete water system to push water out. Call a trained storage professional to avoid the mess and get this task accomplished professionally. 

  • Prepare the Exterior- Do a thorough inspection of sidewalls, seams, roof, exterior doors, windows and access panels to discover if there are any distortions which need to be resealed or re-caulked. It will prevent water from settling in where it shouldn't and save our repair costs. Choose a recommended sealant to seal the holes and cracks because not all chemicals are reliable.  

  • Store Your RV at a Safe Location- Ideally, you must have planned to store your RV in a shelter or under a roof. Ensure that your allotted place is wholly sheltered from the wind, trees or other potential elements which can cause damage to your RV. 

  • Cover Your RV- If you are planning to store your RV at an outside area, then do not forget to cover with an appropriate sheath. It is crucial to prevent RV from exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays else it can damage the paint. Additionally, it will prevent your RV from tree sap, wind and bird droppings. Experts recommend not to cover RV from a plastic trap because plastic traps moisture and this may not prove preventive. According to the climate get a cover customized for your expensive vehicle.  

  • Protect the Tires- Tires may be susceptible to damage if UV rays from the sun fall directly on them. Do not avoid covering your tires with solid material. Also, inflate all the tires to the pressure indicated on the sidewalls before you store them. 

  • Disconnect the Batteries- It is advisable to disconnect the batteries and store them in a cool and dry place. Cold temperatures do not stay friendly with batteries and tend to lose the charge. It is recommended to charge the batteries after every four to six weeks to keep them operational for a longer time. 

If you want to store your RV in a safe and reliable unit, then prefer none less than Storage 4U. Their storage units have become the talk of the town, and their security feature is what attracts customers. For more details call them now! 

Tuesday, 20 February 2018

All You Need to Know About Broken Garage Door Springs




The tires of a car do not have eternal life. Similarly, the torsion springs of a garage door are vulnerable to breakage at some point in time when in continuous operation. These springs function to move the door up and down. The fact that how long your door's torsion springs will stay functional hugely depends on the frequency of the door opening and closing activity. Those will last a lot longer if you are operating your door single handily for just a couple of times in a day. A study estimates that a door's springs usually stay functional until 10,000 cycles wherein each cycle includes opening and closing operation. 

How to Know That Garage Door Spring has broken?

Many people encounter broken garage door springs when they try to lift the door or when the automatic garage door opener becomes noisy. Though garage doors weigh several hundred pounds, usually you do not feel their heaviness because springs firmly hold them. When either of the springs breaks, a door becomes as heavy as a truck.
Springs break when they stretch and suffer twists and tension. When springs break they trigger a sound like that of a gunshot.

Testing of Garage Door Springs

There are a few things which you can do to test the health of your door's springs:
·         Pull the emergency release cord
·         Now, lift the door up and down manually and concentrate if you get to hear any squeaking noise. If it happens, then lubricate the hinges of the door.
·         Pull the door down and allow it to touch the floor. Now, lift it up to two feet above the ground and release it. Observe if the door stays intact. If it does, then the door's springs are functioning well. In case if the door tries to go down, it's time to replace torsion springs. 

What to Do When Garage Door Springs Break?

If you suspect that either or both springs of your garage door have broken, then don't disconnect the opener from the door or do not pull the red emergency release handle while the door is open. If you accidentally do it, then the door will fall completely, crashing the ground. Also, it is dangerous to leave the door open in such situation.
Block the track of the door on both sides to retain door movement and unplug the door opener. If you want to close the door, then take help from someone who can hold the door and shut it manually while you disconnect it from the opener.

Garage Door Spring Repair in San Antonio

If you have broken garage door springs, San Antonio, then connect with the experts of Premium Overhead Door (POD). They are professionals of door repair and installation solutions.

Overhead Garage Door Repair in San Antonio


Garage door springs suffer wear and tear with time. If your door's springs are demanding a replacement, then get it done only by an expert professional. He/she will follow the below steps to replace torn springs:

·         Step 1- Clamp the Door to the Track

Use a C-clamp or locking pliers just above one of the rollers. It will prevent the door from crashing down when you work on the springs. Also, unplug the door opener.

·         Step 2- Loosen the Unbroken Spring

Propel a winding bar into the hole of the spring. Hold the bar intact when you loosen the two set screws. As the screw releases, the spring will jerk off with a powerful torque.

·         Step 3- Unwind the Unbroken Spring

Insert another winding bar at a 90-degree position to the first one. Remove the bottom bar and start unwinding the spring by taking a quarter turn at once.

·         Step 4- Remove the Nuts and Bolts

Remove the nuts and bolts that support the stationary spring to the center bracket.

·         Step 5- Disconnect the Cables

Clamp the center bracket to hold the torsion tube. Then loosen the setscrews aligned on the sides of the cable drums and disconnect the lift cables.

·         Step 6- Remove the Old Spring

Start from the left side of the door a
nd slide the torsion tube to the right to remove the cable drum. Then, pull out the spring from the tube.

·         Step 7- Reassemble

Slide new spring on the torsion tube and reinstall the cable. Then, reinsert the torsion bar.

·         Step 8- Install a New Center Bearing

Propel the torsion bar to the left and then slide to the center bearing. Install the right spring and reinstall the drum. Connect stationary cones to the bracket.

·         Step 9- Replace Other Parts

Insert new rollers, bottom brackets, and cables.

·         Step 10- Thread the Cables

Fold the lift cables straight up between the doorjamb and rollers.

·         Step 11- Tighten the Drums

Rotate the drum to fold the cable and pull the cable tightly during this activity. There should be equal tension on both the sides; otherwise, the door will open unevenly.

·         Step 12- Wind and Stretch the springs

Slide a winding bar to wind the springs by turning the springs in a quarter turn fashion. After that, stretch the springs.

·         Step 13- Lubricate the springs

Saturate the springs with spring lubricant spray.

Garage Door Repair in San Antonio TX

If you are looking for experts in garage door repair in SanAntonio, then connect with R & L Overhead Door. In San Antonio garage door repair solutions are best provided by R & L experts.