Home/Articles
Guides worth reading before you call anyone
Written from the jobs we run, not copied off a manufacturer brochure. Several of these will save you a call-out fee.
Garage doors
How long garage door springs last, and how to read yours
A standard spring is rated for 10,000 cycles. Open and close the door four times a day and that is roughly seven years. Here is how to work out where yours sits, and the warning signs that come before the bang.
California lawCalifornia requires a battery backup on your garage door opener
SB 969 took effect on 1 July 2019 after people died in the 2017 wildfires, unable to open powered garage doors during a blackout. If you replace an opener in California it must have one. Most homeowners have never heard of the law.
SafetyTwo safety tests you can run today in under a minute
Federal law has required auto-reverse on every residential opener sold since 1993. Yours has it. Whether it still works is a separate question, and one worth 30 seconds of your morning.
SpringsTorsion vs extension springs, and how to tell which you have
Five seconds of looking answers it. The difference matters more for safety than for cost, and one of the two needs a part most homeowners have never heard of.
OpenersBelt, chain, screw or wall mount: choosing an opener
The right opener is decided by what sits on the other side of the garage wall. Horsepower is the number everyone asks about and the one that matters least.
New doorsInsulated garage doors and R-value, in a San Diego climate
Insulation gets sold on energy savings, which lands badly in a mild climate. The better arguments here are noise and the way the door behaves. Plus the mistake that breaks springs.
CoastalSalt air and garage doors near the coast
Within a couple of miles of the water, your springs will not reach the number on the sticker. What fails first, what to check twice a year, and what actually slows it down.
Gates
Your gate opens but will not close
The most common gate call there is, and a large share turn out to be a spider web across a lens. Work through the safety beam, the loop detector and the force settings, in that order.
Gates · SafetyAutomatic gate safety: what UL 325 and ASTM F2200 require
Since August 2018 a compliant operator needs two external monitored entrapment devices per zone. Most gates installed before then have one. What that means if you manage property.
For businesses
Question not covered
Ask us directly.
We answer our own phone. If it is a two minute answer, you get it for free on the call.
(619) 576-0055