Structural Considerations for Garage Door Selection
Remember that your garage door acts as a moving wall that rolls above your vehicle. This door will typically be used more frequently than even the front door of your house. Beyond the mere appearance, style and insulation of your new garage door, there are other important structural considerations.
What type of rollers do you use?
Bad rollers can affect the smooth operation of your garage door and garage door opener, because it is the rollers upon which the door moves up and down. Having good rollers is of the utmost importance to maintain problem free operation of your door. The majority of our installations utilize 10 ball steel rollers with a nylon covering for maximum lifetime performance.
How is the garage door reinforced?
The bracing of your door is critical to the long term integrity of the door. An improperly reinforced door will being to sag, putting strain and premature wear on other parts, often leading to sections of the door being permenantly damaged. If you are considering a garage door opener, ask whether reinforcement for the operator is included in the price and what the process of reinforcement entails. Ideally, the opener bracket should be equal to the height of the top section and tied below the top section’s strut, secured to the center hinge by screws, unless it is a side mount unit.
When considering an insulated garage door, it is important to determine whether the interior of the door has a steel back or vinyl back? It is also important to research the R-factor of the door being considered.
Knowing the R-factor of your walls can be helpful in choosing the right level of R-factor insulation. If your walls have a lower R-factor, paying additional for a higher R-factor insulated garage door, may not be advantageous to you.