Which is Better – Double Spring or Single Spring Garage Doors?

Single-Spring vs, Double-Spring Garage Doors

Garage doors are an essential part of any home, providing security, convenience, and aesthetic appeal. When it comes to the mechanics of garage doors, one of the critical components is the spring system. The two primary types of spring systems are single spring and double spring. Each has advantages and disadvantages, making the choice between the two dependent on various factors such as durability, safety, and cost.

Single Spring Garage Doors

A single-spring garage door system uses one torsion spring located at the center of the door. This spring is responsible for counterbalancing the weight of the door, making it easier to open and close.

Benefits of Single Spring Garage Doors

Cost-Effective – Single spring systems are generally less expensive to install and maintain compared to double spring systems. This makes them an attractive option for homeowners on a budget.
Simplicity – With fewer components involved, single spring systems are simpler to install and repair. This can translate to lower labor costs and easier maintenance.
Space Efficiency – A single spring system requires less space, making it suitable for garages with limited headroom.

Single spring garage doors, while cost-effective and simpler to install, come with several disadvantages. The primary drawback is their shorter lifespan due to the entire load being borne by a single spring, leading to more frequent replacements. Additionally, there are significant safety concerns, as the door can crash down if the spring breaks, posing a serious risk. Lastly, single springs provide less balanced lifting, causing more strain on the garage door opener over time and potentially leading to higher maintenance costs.

Double Spring Garage Doors

Double spring garage doors use two torsion springs, usually located on either side of the door. These springs share the load, providing better balance and enhanced durability.

Benefits of Double Spring Garage Doors

Increased Lifespan – With two springs sharing the load, the stress on each spring is reduced, leading to a longer lifespan and fewer replacements
Enhanced Safety – In the event that one spring breaks, the other spring can still support the door’s weight, preventing it from crashing down. This provides an added layer of safety for users
Balanced Operation – Double spring systems offer more balanced lifting and lowering of the garage door, which reduces the strain on the door opener and can extend its lifespan
Smooth Functionality – The balanced load distribution ensures smoother and quieter operation of the garage door

Double spring garage doors, while offering enhanced safety and durability, come with several disadvantages. They are more expensive to install and maintain due to the additional components and labor required. The increased complexity of double spring systems means they need more time and expertise for installation and repairs. Additionally, these systems often require more headroom and space, making them less suitable for smaller garages.

Working With a Trusted Garage Door Service

The choice between a single-spring and a double-spring garage door system ultimately depends on your specific needs and circumstances. A single spring system might be sufficient if budget constraints are a primary concern, and your garage door is not used excessively. However, if safety, longevity, and smoother operation are your top priorities, investing in a double spring system is likely the better choice. It is also highly recommended that you work with a reputable and trusted garage door repair service.

While single-spring systems offer cost-effectiveness and simplicity, double-spring systems provide superior safety, balance, and durability. Homeowners should assess their specific needs, usage patterns, and budget to determine the best option for their garage door. At Parker Garage Doors our team of garage door repair experts is here to help guide you in determining the best type of garage door for your home and budget.

602-870-9848 (928) 216-5756

What Is The Life Expectancy of A Commercial Garage Door?

The Lifespan of Commercial Garage Doors

When it comes to commercial garage doors, longevity is a critical factor for business operations. These doors not only provide security but also ensure smooth logistical operations and access control in commercial environments. At Parker Garage Doors, we specialize in extending the lifespan of these essential assets through meticulous maintenance and professional inspections.

Typically, a well-maintained commercial garage door can last anywhere between 15 to 30 years. However, the actual lifespan depends on several factors, including the quality of the installation, the material of the door, frequency of use, and most importantly, the regularity and quality of maintenance.

Importance of Commercial Garage Door Maintenance

Regular maintenance is crucial in prolonging the life of a commercial garage door. At Parker Garage Doors, we emphasize the significance of routine check-ups that help in identifying potential issues before they escalate into costly repairs. Maintenance includes checking the door’s balance, inspecting the rollers, springs, and cables for wear and tear, lubricating moving parts, and ensuring that the door opener works efficiently. These proactive steps not only enhance the door’s lifespan but also ensure its safe and efficient operation.

Professional Garage Door Inspections

Having your commercial garage door inspected by a reputable professional is highly advised. At Parker Garage Doors, our expert technicians provide thorough inspections that delve into the operational integrity and safety of your garage door system. These inspections can uncover hidden issues that may not be apparent to the untrained eye, thus preventing unexpected failures that could interrupt business operations and incur additional expenses.

Arizona’s Climate Impact on Garage Doors

The climate in which the garage door operates plays a substantial role in its functionality and longevity. For businesses in Phoenix and Lake Havasu, the intense summer climate and dramatic temperature changes present unique challenges. High temperatures can cause the metal parts of the door mechanisms to expand and wear out more quickly, while fluctuating temperatures can lead to warping and misalignment.

Additionally, the intense heat can degrade the lubricants used in the door mechanisms, making frequent reapplication necessary to ensure smooth operation. Dust and sand can also accumulate in the tracks and rollers, potentially leading to increased friction and strain on the door’s moving parts.

Tailoring Garage Door Maintenance to Climate

At Parker Garage Doors, we understand the specific needs dictated by our local climate. Our garage door maintenance services are designed to address the environmental wear and tear typical of Phoenix and Lake Havasu. We ensure that your commercial garage doors are equipped to handle the extreme temperatures and environmental conditions characteristic of these areas. This includes using high-quality lubricants that can withstand temperature extremes, selecting materials and components that are resistant to thermal expansion, and implementing rigorous cleaning routines to clear out any debris that could impair functionality.

The lifespan of a commercial garage door can significantly be extended through regular maintenance and professional inspections. At Parker Garage Doors, we are dedicated to providing these services with an understanding of the unique challenges presented by the local climates of Phoenix and Lake Havasu. By entrusting us with the care of your commercial garage doors, you ensure not only their longevity but also their reliable and safe operation, safeguarding your business’s assets and operations. Remember, a well-maintained garage door is more than just a functional necessity; it is an investment in your business’s continuous productivity and security.

Are Wood Garage Doors Energy Efficient for Arizona Homes?

Arizona, a state known for its diverse landscapes ranging from the bustling city of Phoenix to the serene waters of Lake Havasu, requires homeowners to make wise choices in their home fixtures. One such choice is the selection of a garage door. Choosing the most durable, energy-efficient door is crucial in Arizona’s intense climate. That being said, wood garage doors emerge as an excellent option when it comes to a garage door choice. In fact, wooden garage doors are aesthetically pleasing, energy-efficient, and suitable for Arizona homes.

The Benefits of Wooden Garage Doors in Arizona

Insulation Properties – Wood naturally has insulating properties, making these doors ideal for maintaining a consistent temperature inside your garage
Durability in Dry Climates – Wooden doors are particularly resilient in Arizona’s dry climate, resisting warping and cracking
Customization and Style – Available in various styles and colors, wooden doors offer a unique look for every home
Eco-Friendly – Wood is a renewable resource, making these doors a more environmentally friendly choice

The Efficiency and Style Factor of Wooden Garage Doors

Wooden garage doors are not just about aesthetics; they also bring significant energy efficiency to Arizona homes. Wood, being a natural insulator, helps maintain a stable temperature within the garage. This is particularly beneficial in a climate like Arizona’s, where temperatures can soar. A stable garage temperature means less strain on your home’s HVAC system, leading to potential savings on energy bills.

Moreover, the beauty of wooden garage doors lies in their versatility. Homeowners in Arizona, whether in the urban settings of Phoenix or the lakeside areas of Lake Havasu, can choose from a myriad of styles and colors. This customization allows for a perfect blend with your home’s architectural design, enhancing curb appeal and potentially increasing property value.

The Importance of Professional Garage Door Service

While selecting the right garage door is crucial, equally important is choosing the right service for garage door repair, installation, and maintenance. This is where Parker Garage Doors, a locally owned and family-operated company, steps in. Catering to both residential and commercial needs in the Phoenix and Lake Havasu areas, our team at Parker Garage Doors ensures that your wooden garage door is not only aesthetically pleasing but also functioning optimally.

Why Choose Parker Garage Doors?

Local Expertise – Understanding the specific needs of Arizona homes
Family Operated – Personalized and trustworthy service
Comprehensive Services – From new installations to repairs and maintenance
Customer Satisfaction – Commitment to delivering the best service

Wooden garage doors are a smart and efficient choice for Arizona homeowners. They provide not only energy efficiency and durability but also offer an array of styles and colors to elevate your home’s appearance. Remember, the key to maximizing the benefits of your wooden garage door lies in working with a trusted service provider like Parker Garage Doors, who can ensure that your investment is well-maintained and serves you for years to come. With our expertise and commitment to customer satisfaction, Parker Garage Doors is your go-to for all your garage door needs in the Phoenix and Lake Havasu areas.

How AZ Weather Affects Your Garage Door

Everyone knows that the hot Arizona weather can be a hassle to deal with when you are trying to keep your house in good condition. What most people don’t realize is that it can do a lot of damage to your garage door. Let’s take a deeper look at how Arizona weather affects your garage door and what you can do about it.

Sunlight Can Burn the Finish Off

The sun shines down over Arizona all the time. While it’s nice and sunny much of the year, that sunlight is double-edged. It can take the finish right off of your garage door if you are not careful.

Any garage that faces the afternoon sun has a risk of superheating during the day. This is especially true if you park your car in front of your garage. The sunlight reflecting off of your windshield is like holding a magnifying glass up to the sun. The intense light can burn your garage door.

Make sure that you don’t put anything in front of your garage that intensifies light. If your car is parked there, try covering it when not in use during the day. Also, make sure you add more paint to your garage door if it has a painted finish. A thicker layer of paint can help protect against the extra sunlight.

Extreme Heat Can Make Your Door Stuck

When your garage door heats up too much, it can expand. If it is already a very tight fit in its tracks, your door may get stuck when it is too hot outside. That just means it expanded to the sides too much, and the lift cannot pull the door hard enough to get it unstuck.

To fix this, take steps to keep your garage door cooler. Try adding reflective paint or an additional coat of paint to reduce the heat from the sun and keep it insulated. Once your door cools down, it should unstick itself. Otherwise, you may need to lube the tracks more or call Parker Garage Doors to come and take a look at them.

The Wind Can Damage the Finish

Arizona wind can be full of sand, dirt, and debris thanks to much of the landscape existing in desert-like conditions. Your garage door can take a pounding because of it.

To prevent wind damage from flying debris, try changing your landscaping so that there are fewer deposits of things the wind can blow at your garage. Also, make sure that you repair any damage to the finish of your garage door often. If it is painted, for example, make sure that the paint does not wear all the way through. Otherwise, the bare metal will be exposed and can rust or develop other problems.

If the wind itself is becoming a problem, check the tracks, hinges, and rollers for your garage door. These are often overlooked when trying to prevent wind damage, but they are often damaged by too much stress. Heavy winds can push the door around and damage these pieces. If you start to experience problems, check there first to see if something on the inside is bent out of shape. If you can’t fix it yourself, a garage door repair tech can.

Temperature Changes Can Crack Seals

Finally, always check the seals around the garage door for damage. Temperature changes can cause them to expand and contract. As they age, seals will crack when they change temperature. Fortunately, most seals are easy to replace so that your garage stays tightly sealed and keeps unwanted things, like bugs and dust, out. It is also crucial that you ensure your garage door has insulation to keep interior temperatures cooler and help absorb heat.

Ask a Repair Technician for Help

Always be proactive about making sure that your garage is in good condition. If you have any doubts, call a repair technician to fix it before it becomes a more serious problem. Call Parker Garage Doors have a look at your garage door and make any of the necessary repairs.

How Do You Weatherproof Your Garage Door?

Have you ever gone into your garage and realized that it was the hottest room in your house by 20 degrees? Have you gone into your garage and realized that all of the stuff you kept in cardboard boxes was mildewy and ruined? That’s because your garage isn’t weatherproof like the rest of your house.

In most houses, the garage is only meant for your car and doesn’t get much love when it comes to making it comfortable. You can fix this with a few simple changes. Let’s look at how to weatherproof your garage door to start with.

Bottom Door Seal

The first thing that you need to do is add a garage door bottom seal. Your garage door probably won’t sit perfectly flat all the way across, which means that air and water can get in under the door. A bottom door seal helps with this.

In a nutshell, the bottom door seal closes the gap between the bottom of the garage door and the floor. It is made of a flexible material so that it contours to the shape that it needs to be. When installed properly, it can prevent air from going out or in so that any attempts to cool or heat your garage don’t go to waste.

Add Insulation To the Door

Garage doors are never thick or particularly insulated. That means a lot of heat energy transfers directly through the door. To stop this, you need to add garage door insulation to the door itself, such as garage door weatherstripping.

There are kits that you can buy that make this process easier, or you can contact an experienced garage door service. Use rigid foam insulation so that it will last a long time and won’t fall apart. Make sure that it is not too thick so that it won’t interfere with the garage door opener.

Add a Threshold Seal

A door threshold seal can also help with temperature control and water control. A threshold seal or garage door seal is similar to a door seal but is installed on the garage floor rather than the door. They tend to be made of soft materials that can hold their shape. That way, you can drive over them, and they pop back into shape. You can have a threshold seal and a bottom door seal installed at the same time.

The best feature of a garage door threshold seal is that it can help stop water from running into your garage. Keeping rainwater out goes a long way toward preventing mildew and mold, as well as protecting stored items from water damage.

Weatherstrip the Sides

Finally, try adding weatherstripping to the sides of the garage door. Your garage door is not perfectly sealed on the sides. There is a small gap there so that the door doesn’t rub against the wall as the door opens and closes. Unfortunately, this is how a lot of air flows in and out of the room.

You can add weatherstripping here to stop the airflow. This will go a long way toward preventing heat loss or heat coming in so that your garage has a more stable temperature.

Is This Enough To Make My Garage Weatherproof?

If you follow all of the steps on this list, it will take you a long way toward successfully weatherproofing your garage. However, there is a lot more that you can do. The walls, the ceiling, and even the power outlets can be improved to help with this, making it a rather large project. You can get help with some of it to make the project easier. You just need a garage door installer or repair technician.

Parker Garage Doors can help with this. Call us to schedule an appointment so that we can assess your needs and come up with a plan. We can have your garage door weatherproofed and make your garage a more comfortable, temperature-controlled space.

602-870-9848 (928) 216-5756

How Do I Know If I Need A New Garage Door Opener?

You come home late from work. It’s been a long day and you just want to relax. It starts to rain and you pull into your driveway. The garage door won’t open. You hit the remote again and the door jerks, but won’t open. You have to trudge through the rain to get inside. What you need is a new garage door opener.

Garage door openers don’t last forever, and they are not likely to last the full lifespan of the door itself. Although you want to get as much out of your garage door opener as possible, it may be time for a new one before you know it. Here’s how you know it’s time to get a new garage door opener.

Your Door Won’t Open From the Outside

If your garage door won’t open from the outside using the remote or keypad, your garage door opener may need to be replaced. The whole purpose of a remotely controlled garage door is for the opener to pull the door up when you need to get in.

There are plenty of reasons why this might not work. For example, the remote can be deprogrammed if it loses power. However, if reprogramming doesn’t work, it could be something wrong with the opener itself. The goal is to have your garage door reliably open when you need it to and replace it when it can’t meet your expectations.

The Door Gets Stuck and Repairs Don’t Help

It is not uncommon for a garage door to stick at times. The springs, hinges, and rails need to be cleaned and lubed to prevent this from happening. However, there could be a problem with the garage door opening if you have fixed all of these issues and it gets stuck often. It could be a problem with the roller system or a problem with the pulleys. Whatever the issue is, you need to have a professional look at it to make sure it can be fixed.

Your Garage Door Opener Makes A Lot of Noise

If your garage door opener starts to make a lot of noise when it runs, that is a sign that it is quickly winding down. Garage door openers, especially newer ones, are designed to be relatively quiet when they run. Making loud noises or strange noises is a sign that something inside is not working correctly. This can happen over time as gears wear out or wheels need to be adjusted. A garage door repair tech may be able to fix it. However, this is usually a problem with the motor wearing out and it may be more cost-effective to replace it with a newer model rather than trying to fix an older one.

Your Garage Door Opener is Very Outdated

If you have a garage door opener that is more than 10 years old, you should consider replacing it. It may work just fine for your needs, but there is also a security concern with older models. The longer a garage door opener is on the market, the more of a chance there is that someone will find a way to exploit it. This is particularly true of older models where new technologies can easily find a way to override security systems and force the door to open without the right controls.

Consider replacing your garage door opener with a newer model that has better security features. That way, you don’t have to worry about someone finding a way to open your garage while you are away.

Ask a Technician If It Is Time For A New Garage Door Opener

If you have issues with your garage door opener and you are not sure if it is better to fix it or get a new one, ask a technician to take a look at it. You may be able to have it fixed, but a technician will tell you when it is a better idea to replace it. Have one of our technicians at Parker Garage Doors take a look at your garage door opener for a better understanding of if it is time for a new one.