Try These Troubleshooting Tips Before Calling a Garage Door Technician

In life, frustrating things seem to happen all at once. Maybe you spilled your coffee on your outfit, you forgot your phone charger at home, and now your garage door opener isn’t working when all you want to do is get inside to relax.

We’ve been there. Although you can’t troubleshoot all of life’s little problems, you can troubleshoot your garage door issues. Keep reading to learn what to try when your garage door opener suddenly stops working.

Check That Your Garage Door Opener Is Plugged In

Your garage door opener is the electronic system usually mounted on the ceiling of your garage. Modern openers may be mounted on the wall of your garage.

Check that your opener is plugged into its outlet. If it isn’t plugged in, fix it and try opening your garage door again.

You can also check all the wires connected to your opener to see if any have come loose. These can come loose around the opener, around the door sensors, or around the wall-mounted button that opens and closes your garage. If you have loose wiring, leave the repair to a professional garage door technician.

Check the Red Emergency Release Cord

Your garage door system has a red emergency release cord. If this is pulled, it disengages your garage door from your opener. This allows you to manually move the door, but it also will mean your garage door opener remote won’t work.

Test the Wall-Mounted Button

Does your garage door open and close when you press the wall-mounted button in your garage? If it does, then it’s more likely an issue with your remote controller. If it still doesn’t operate properly, you will need to keep checking for various problems until you identify the solution.

Is Your Garage Door Opener In “Lock” Mode?

If the wall-mounted button isn’t working, check that your opener isn’t in “lock” mode. Your opener’s “lock” mode button is likely on the wall-mounted unit that connects to the opener mechanism.

Check Your Garage Door Opener Remote’s Batteries

Like all small electronics, including the keyfob to your car, your garage door opener remote uses batteries. If your garage door isn’t opening when you press the button on your remote, you may need new batteries. Most remotes use button cell batteries.

If you swap out your remote’s batteries, and your garage door still won’t open, then you may need to check a few other things in your garage door system.

Remove Objects From Your Sensors’ Paths

If your garage door is stuck open, you may have inadvertently placed an object in the path of your garage door sensors, which are usually located near the ground on either side of your garage door, inside your garage.

Try moving objects away from the sensors before attempting to close the door again. Even objects as small as fallen leaves can cause the sensors to prevent your door from sliding closed.

Look At Your Breaker Box

If your garage door is plugged in, make sure that you don’t have a flipped breaker in your home’s electric panel. If the breaker associated with your garage door has flipped, your garage door opener won’t receive the electricity it needs to operate. Try flipping the breaker back to the “on” position, and test your door again.

Check For Track Problems

If your garage door is getting stuck at the same place when going up or down, the tracks may be in poor condition. The tracks that guide your garage door can become bent or clogged with debris. These problems will prevent your door from opening and closing properly.

Examine the tracks for anything unusual, including dents, bends, or blockages. If you don’t see anything obviously wrong with the tracks, it is more likely that your garage door opener and its associated parts are the culprit.

What to Do When You Can’t Identify the Problem

If you’ve checked all of the parts of your garage door opener system, and nothing is resolving your issue, it may be time to call in a professional. You may need a new garage door opener installation, especially if yours is 10 years old or older.

By hiring a professional, you ensure that your garage door is properly balanced, your tracks are well-maintained, and your new garage door opener will function exactly as intended. You’ll also be eligible for the manufacturer’s warranty on your new opener.

Check that the professional garage door company you hire is licensed and insured in your area, and that they have great reviews and references from past customers.

The post My Garage Door Opener Stopped Working. Now What? appeared first on Tracker Door Systems.

New Garage Doors Outperform Dated Models – But Why?

When it’s time to replace or upgrade a garage door, you’ll probably ask, “What’s the difference between modern garage doors and older models?” After all, they look similar and function in the same ways.

But the short answer is: a lot.

Over the years, advancements in materials, technology, and design have improved garage door performance, durability and convenience. Your old garage door may serve its purpose, but today’s models are a worthwhile investment for your home.

New Garage Doors Are Better Insulated and More Energy Efficient

Insulated garage doors were uncommon decades ago. Although the uninsulated type is still on the market today, many modern garage doors are designed with energy efficiency in mind.

Older garage doors are made from a single layer of metal or wood. As a result, your garage is probably drafty or uncomfortable. This means heat could be escaping your home, and cold air is seeping in.

Insulated garage doors are constructed with cores made of polystyrene or polyurethane, which help regulate the temperature inside your garage. Insulation can also prevent energy loss, keeping your home warmer in the winter or cooler in the summer.

Durability and Longevity

Older garage doors that are made of wood can warp, crack, or rot over time. Old steel doors may rust or corrode as they age.

Although you can buy modern garage doors made of these materials, advancements make them more resistant to natural wear and tear. Composite materials, like fiberglass, can also enhance durability. Many new garage doors feature protective coatings that prevent rust or corrosion.

Your upgraded garage door is built to last, so you don’t have to spend as much time on maintenance or worrying about upkeep and repairs.

More Design Options

Older garage doors were generally plain, utilitarian designs. But modern garage doors offer a wider array of style options that complement the architecture of your home.

With companies like Clopay, CHI Overhead Door, Safe-way, Midland, and Amarr producing a variety of styles, finishes, and colors, you can match your garage door to your home’s curb appeal. Tracker Door Systems is an authorized dealer of all these highly regarded brands in the greater Kansas City area.

Choose from carriage house designs, contemporary glass and steel combinations, or fiberglass that looks like natural wood. You also can customize your door with decorative hardware and windows.

A New Garage Door Can Improve Your Home’s Resale Value

Investing in a modern garage door can increase the value of your home when it’s time to sell it. According to The Journal of Light Construction, a garage door replacement can get you a return on your investment of almost 194%.

In the eyes of potential buyers, a modern garage door boosts curb appeal, enhances the home’s functionality, and increases its overall value. Older garage doors may end up on a potential buyer’s cons list, because they’ll see it as yet another expense they’ll be responsible for if they were to purchase your home.

Upgrading your garage door is also a personal choice that you might make to add convenience to your life, without regard to how much your home will be worth if you decide to sell. Tracker Door Systems can help you choose a new garage door that fits your current lifestyle, so you can enjoy living in your home.

A Quieter Modern Garage Door

Older garage doors made of metal panels with less advanced openers are noisy when they’re in use. The motor, tracks, and door itself contribute to the noise, especially if the door is out of balance or unlubricated.

Modern garage doors are engineered to be much quieter. Add in a new garage door opener, and you’ll enjoy an even more peaceful atmosphere.

High-Tech Features

When you upgrade your garage door, the team at Tracker Door Systems also recommends installing a new operator, also called an opener.

Today’s modern operator technology means you can control your door from your smartphone or get alerts when your door opens or closes.

Ready to Buy a Modern Garage Door?

If your home is due for this important upgrade, Tracker Door Systems can help you choose both a new garage door and operator that fits your lifestyle and budget.

As an authorized dealer of the most respected brands in doors and operators today, Tracker Door Systems offers a wide range of options, so you can rest assured you’re getting what will work for you home. Then, our professionally trained and experienced technicians will install your new system and show you how to use it, so that you can be confident while operating your new door and opener.

Call or send us a message online to get a free estimate on a new garage door.

The post How Are Modern Garage Doors Different From Older Ones? appeared first on Tracker Door Systems.

A Garage Door Replacement Contributes to Your Home’s Attractiveness

Have you ever driven past a house that took your breath away? It had gorgeous landscaping, a beautiful color scheme, and looked well cared-for.

Curb appeal – what you see outside a home – hints about what could be inside, and that’s important for potential home buyers.

When a home’s exterior looks shabby, prospective buyers assume the inside may need significant repairs or upgrades. According to a RE/MAX poll, 46.2% of people agree that an unkempt exterior is the biggest turn-off when touring a home.

So how can you make your home exterior look more desirable? Consider these easy upgrades, including replacing your garage door.

Clean Up Your Yard

Not only should your lawn be properly mowed before any listing photos or showings, but you’ll also want to tidy up any items you have sitting outside. This includes tools, lawn and garden implements, or kitschy decor items that may draw the eye away from your beautiful home.

Stow your lawn tools out of sight in a shed or behind your garage door. Replace kitschy planters or garden statues with more neutral ones, or simply remove them altogether.

If you’re planning to sell your house, you want potential buyers to imagine themselves there. It’s hard to do that when they see incomplete maintenance tasks or clutter.

Clean Your Gutters

Dirty gutters that are full of debris are surprisingly easy to spot. Seeing full gutters with protruding leaves and twigs is a sign to buyers that the home they’re looking at isn’t well cared for.

By cleaning your gutters out and ensuring they’re in good repair, you’re eliminating a potential buyer’s concerns.

Upgrade Your Landscape Design

A well manicured lawn contributes to your home’s curb appeal, but if you only have a plain green space in front of your house, it’s still lacking in style.

Foundation plantings, a garden bed in front of the porch, or a well-placed ornamental tree in your front yard can make your home exterior look more inviting and complete.

For easy maintenance, choose native plants, which will require less hands-on upkeep and watering. In Kansas, tall ornamental grasses like switchgrass or little bluestem make ideal low-maintenance foundation plantings.

A serviceberry or flowering dogwood surrounded by a garden bed can also make your front lawn look gorgeous. These two small trees won’t overgrow their space and add character and interest.

If you’re unsure about which plants to incorporate into your landscape contact a local horticulturist.

Choose a Timeless Paint Color Scheme

If your home’s paint is chipping, then it’s time for a new paint job! Instead of choosing ultra-trendy color combinations, like black and cedar, opt for timeless classics that align with the period in which your home was built.

You might consider:

• White with black trim. The darker trim highlights your home’s windows and roof gable, so they really “pop” from your home’s facade.
• Sage green and off-white. Muted colors are inviting and cozy.
• Neutral shades. Beiges and grays with a pop of color on the front door fit in with most neighborhoods, while giving your home a touch of character.

Garage Door Replacement Amps Up Curb Appeal

If your home exterior has been updated and your lawn looks neat and tidy, but your garage door is dented, rotted, or rusty, then your home’s curb appeal isn’t as good as it could be.

Garage door installation, typically completed in one day, is a fast and cost-effective way to improve your home’s aesthetic. You also can enjoy a return on your investment of as much as 194%!

Choose a replacement garage door that matches your home’s exterior style, with design features that complement your home’s. For example, an ultra-modern house will look best with a door that features long, clean lines. A Victorian-style house will look best with a door with a more intricate design, such as a carriage style.

Schedule an Estimate With Garage Door Installers Near You: Tracker Door Systems

If you’re ready for a garage door replacement to improve your home’s curb appeal, whether you’re putting it on the market or just looking to beautify your exterior, Tracker Door Systems can help.

One of our technicians will visit your home and provide an estimate on a complete garage door installation. If you approve your estimate, we’ll order the ideal garage door for your home, lifestyle, and budget, and get it installed as soon as possible.

Don’t go another day without replacing a garage door that hurts your home’s curb appeal. Contact Tracker Door Systems.

The post Curb Appeal: One Of the Most Important Real Estate Selling Factors appeared first on Tracker Door Systems.

Get Your Home Ready For the Season With Professional Garage Door Services

The winter holidays are a time of joy, good cheer, family bonding, and of course, filling the main living spaces of your home with gorgeous decorations.

Because the weather is colder, you’re not spending as much time in your garage, but regardless, you can put this space to work for you during the holiday season.

Store Holiday Decor In Your Garage

Instead of lugging boxes of decorations up from the basement or down from the attic, use heavy-duty storage shelves to keep all your holiday items in your garage. Because your garage is usually closer to your main living space than anywhere that requires you to go up and down stairs, you’ll use less energy getting your home ready for the holidays.

Before storing valuables in your garage, ensure you don’t need any garage door repairs related to the locking mechanisms. Doing so keeps your decorations, your home, and your family secure.

Keep Cold Food and Drink Items In the Garage As You Prep the Family Meal

Unless you have the best garage door insulation on the market or your garage is heated, it’s likely this flex space is fairly chilly during the winter. You can use this temperature to your advantage during the holiday season.

Keep cans of soda, bottles of dinner wine, or other beverages on a shelf in your garage, where they’ll stay cold and ready for drinking. You can even stash holiday pies or chilled appetizers on a card table in your garage to save space on your kitchen countertops as you put the final touches on the family dinner.

Keep Snow Out of the House By Turning Your Garage Into a Mudroom

If your dream of a white Christmas came true, you don’t want your extended family traipsing snow and ice melt onto your floors. Turn your garage into a useful mudroom to keep cleaning requirements down.

Install coat hooks into a garage wall, and add a bench where guests can sit and remove their snow boots. Set out boot trays to catch any melting snow from shoes that have been taken off. Finally, offer slipper socks in a decorative holiday basket for guests who didn’t bring a change of clean shoes or to create a cozier, more homey ambiance for your celebration.

Hide Big Gifts In the Garage and Send the Kids On a Scavenger Hunt

How do you gift wrap a bicycle? What do you do when a new playhouse won’t fit under the tree? Sometimes you have to get creative with how you present a gift to a child, especially those big, magical gifts you know they’ve had their hearts set on all year.

Before Christmas morning, stash big gift items in the garage, perhaps beneath a large bedsheet. Then, create a scavenger hunt of clues your kids can follow to ultimately find their present. At each new location a clue sends them to, they’ll find yet another clue, leading up to the big reveal.

Make clues appropriate for their ages. For example, older children may enjoy clues that require them to solve riddles to find their next location, such as “Look in the spot where you get soapy and clean.” Younger children may need more direct clues, such as “Look under the bathroom sink,” to find their gifts.

Use Your Garage As a Brief Retreat

Taking an emergency work call? Want a quick breather from relatives who’ve chosen to talk politics over wine? Need to create a get on the same page with other party-planning relatives before it’s time to open presents or reveal a surprise? Head out to the garage!

With a combination of built-in garage door insulation and garage door seals working to block drafts, this area of your home will probably be plenty warm for a minute or two of peace and quiet.

Call For Garage Door Services Before the Holidays

You don’t want to make plans to work in your garage this winter, only to find out your garage door seals are letting in major drafts, or you need garage door repair because it doesn’t open and close properly.

If your garage door or operator aren’t functional, contact a company that provides a full spectrum of garage door services for help.

When your garage is ready for the season, you can begin using it to help get your family ready for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or any other holiday you’re planning to celebrate.

The post How to Prepare For the Holidays With Help From Your Garage appeared first on Tracker Door Systems.

Tracker Door Systems Is Here To Help You Meet Your Annual Goals

It’s a long-held tradition to create a list of goals you want to accomplish as you begin a new year. Bright-eyed and hopeful, you set these resolutions with great positivity and ultimately abandon them weeks later. It’s nothing to be ashamed of; it happens to 88% of people within the first two weeks of the New Year, according to a study by Baylor School of Medicine.

But 2025 can be different because you have Tracker Door Systems on your side. If you make a resolution to revamp your garage in 2025, all you have to do is contact our Leavenworth County garage door company, and we’ll take care of the rest.

Resolve to Get a New Garage Door

Make your resolution to get a new garage door and improve your home’s curb appeal and value. Recent research suggests homeowners can get a 103% return on their investment when they purchase and install a new garage door. In the Kansas City-area housing market, this is a big deal!

Finding a garage door for sale for your home is easy. Tracker Door Systems is an authorized dealer of some of the top brands, including CHI Overhead Door, Clopay, Amarr, Safe-way, and Midland. Garage doors come in a variety of styles and finishes, so you can choose one that suits your home’s architecture and your personal taste.

Call us to set up an appointment for an estimate.

Resolve to Save Up For the Cost of a Garage Door

Not ready to make the phone call to Tracker Door Systems to get an estimate because you want to be able to pay in cash? No problem! Your initial resolution can be to save up for the cost of a garage door. Then, build on that resolution and have us install your door.

Garage door cost depends on a few factors, including brand, size, material, design, insulation level, and more. Our team can tell you exactly how much your savings goal should be to help you accomplish your resolution – just give us a call for a no-obligation estimate.

Make a Goal to Get Your Garage Door Working Properly Again

Sometimes you don’t even need to buy a new garage door; you just need maintenance and repair. If your goal is to get your garage equipment working again, Tracker Door Systems can help with that if you live in our service area throughout the Kansas City metro and in eastern Kansas.

Our residential garage door services team can tune up your garage door, including lubricating moving parts and balancing your garage door. We can also perform any necessary repairs during our visit to your home.

Set a Big Goal to Beautify Your Kansas City-Area Home Exterior

Home exteriors withstand the elements, taking on the harshest of weather. Eventually, your home exterior will need a refresh. Although it’s a huge resolution, beautifying your home exterior with new siding, gutters, roofing, and a new garage door is one that will pay off, both through your home value and in your pride in your home.

You can serve as your own contractor for this project and partner with Tracker Door Systems for the garage door portion. Or if you choose to hire a contractor, request Tracker Door Systems by name.

Make a Goal to Organize Your Garage

Tracker Door Systems can’t help you with this admirable resolution, but it’s an important one nonetheless. Home organization is a common New Year’s resolution, and you can meet your goal by following these steps.

1. Set a realistic goal or set of smaller goals. “Organize the garage” can be overwhelming, so break it down into more achievable steps, such as “Discard unused or broken items in the garage,” then “Purchase garage organization shelves and bins,” then, “Label the bins and sort items into them.”
2. Have an accountability buddy. Perhaps this is a best friend who has a similar goal, or it’s your spouse. By making someone else aware of your intentions, you are more likely to work toward your goal.
3. Reward yourself when you reach your goal. This can be as simple as enjoying a sweet treat, or as big as buying a new item to add to your powertool collection. If you’ve put off cleaning up your garage for decades, perhaps a vacation is a right-sized reward!

Call Tracker Door Systems About Your Garage Resolutions

For more than 20 years, Tracker Door Systems has been revolutionizing the local garage door industry. Although our competitors will focus on selling new doors at any cost, we ultimately want you to enjoy our exceptional customer service and feel satisfied in your choice.

All our new garage doors and operators come with a one-year labor guarantee from the date of service, in addition to the manufacturer’s warranty. Our dedication to quality work proves we’re raising customer satisfaction, one door at a time!

Call us at (913) 585-3100 for a no-obligation estimate on a new garage door, installation, or repair.

The post New Year, New Garage Doors: Make a Resolution to Revamp Your Garage In 2025 appeared first on Tracker Door Systems.

Take These Steps For a Seamless Experience With Tracker Door Systems

Getting a new garage door is a major milestone in home remodeling! Not only is it a component you’ll use every week if not every day, but it’s a major upgrade in your home’s curb appeal.

If you’re planning to purchase a new garage door, contact Tracker Door Systems. We serve the greater Kansas City area and eastern Kansas and consider it a privilege to help you. Then, follow our tips to get ready for garage door installation. us space this fall when you try these six seasonal ideas that bring together your neighborhood, your friends, or your family.

Get an Estimate For a New Garage Door

Contact Tracker Door Systems, garage door installers near you, for an estimate on a garage door replacement. The estimate should include removing your old door and components and hauling them away, plus installing your new door. Tracker Door Systems is an authorized dealer of Safe-way, Clopay, CHI, Amarr, and Midland garage doors.

At this time, you can choose a garage door opener. Traditional options that require a handheld remote are still available, or you can upgrade to a system that uses a smartphone app and alerts you when your garage door is opened or closed, even if you aren’t home. Tracker Door Systems carries operators from Liftmaster and Guardian.

After you make your selection, we will order your door and schedule installation.

Clean the Area Around Your Garage Door

Before garage door installation, make sure the area around your garage door is clear, both inside and out. Keeping these spaces clear will make installation faster and easier. All you have to do is move items to another spot in your garage.

Move items to another spot in your garage and sweep up any debris left behind. It can be helpful to use your broom to brush down cobwebs or spiderwebs around the existing door tracks.

Secure Your Pets Before Garage Door Installation

Door installation does not require access to the main living space of your home, but you should plan to keep your pets away from the garage while our installers are working.

If your back door is located inside your garage, as is the case in certain types of ranch homes in Overland Park, plan to take your pets through the garage on leashes or keep them inside altogether.

Meet the Garage Door Installers

When the Tracker Door Systems team arrives, plan to meet us at your existing garage door. We’ll confirm the work we’re doing, access your garage, and set up our tools. At this time, our installers will give you an estimate of how long your project should take.

We may need to ask questions or show you an installation solution, so be sure to be home for the duration of our work.

Discuss Where Your Garage Door Opener Will Be Installed

If part of your project includes garage door opener installation, talk to your installers about where this opener will be placed.

Most openers are mounted to the ceiling rafters in your garage, but other types are mounted on the wall adjacent to your new garage door. Make sure you understand where yours will be located.

Test Your Garage Door Replacement Before the Technician Leaves

When we’re done installing your garage door and opener, head to your garage to see your new equipment in action. Test out all the features and download any smartphone apps you’ll need to control your door.

Our technicians will show you how to use your new equipment and set up access codes on your keypad, if needed. We’ll also leave the door and opener’s owner’s manuals with you for your records.

Call Tracker Door Systems With Your Questions After Installation

If, after your new garage door and opener installation is complete, you realize you have questions about how to use it, contact the Tracker Door Systems team. You can call us at (913) 585-3100 or send us a message online, and we’ll reach out with helpful advice.

You can also troubleshoot your garage door operator with the manufacturer. Click here to visit the manufacturer’s support information for your Guardian garage door operator. Click here to visit the manufacturer’s support information for your Liftmaster garage door operator.

Ready For a New Garage Door?

To get a free, no-obligation estimate for a new garage door and operator, schedule an appointment with Tracker Door Systems. Contact us by phone or through our website.

The post How to Prepare For Garage Door Installation appeared first on Tracker Door Systems.

Open Your Garage Doors – Or Leave Them Closed – For These Seasonal Ideas

Your garage becomes a bonus space this fall when you try these six seasonal ideas that bring together your neighborhood, your friends, or your family.

Forget Spring Cleaning! Open Your Garage Doors and Have a Sale

Spring is synonymous with starting fresh, but why shouldn’t fall be, too? If you had a particularly busy spring and summer, fall could be your first opportunity to clean out everything you don’t need and offer it up for pennies on the dollar to bargain hunters in your community.

You can use the proceeds from your sale to buy Christmas gifts for the family, put toward a vacation, or maybe even fund a much-needed garage door replacement (or another home upgrade you’ve been wanting).

Get Spooky With a Mini Haunted House

Halloween is upon us! Delight trick-or-treaters or Halloween party-goers with a small haunted house that weaves through the bays of your garage. Hang lengths of black fabric from floor to ceiling to create walkways, and decorate with scary figures, glow-in-the-dark paint, a smoke machine, and creepy music.

Reward everyone for their bravery at the exit of the haunted house – your garage door – with a big bowl of treats to choose from.

Use Your Garage As a Staging Area For Holiday Decor

As fall transitions to winter, you start thinking about decorating your home for the holidays. Rather than carry boxes of decor items into your main living areas, use your garage to plan what items will go where, keeping your garage door closed for security until you get to the outdoor decorations.

Designate areas of your garage to represent rooms of your home, and sort your decor by location. Then, you can decorate gradually without tripping hazards and clutter that all those decor boxes bring. Just head out to the garage, grab one room’s decorations, and take the empty boxes back out.

Spread Out For Thanksgiving

As home loan interest rates rose, homeowners who planned to upgrade their starter homes realized they may be living in their forever homes instead. If your starter-turned-forever home is lacking in the space you need to host Thanksgiving, it’s time to get creative so you can live out your holiday dreams.

Use your garage – especially if it’s attached – as an extension of your home to:

• Create a cozy gathering area for kids. By assembling a fun playroom in the garage, you can reduce noise (and toys) in the main living areas of your home. Lay down a plush area rug, set up the patio furniture you brought in from outside, and plug in a television. All the cousins can play video games and bond together. If you’ve recently purchased new garage doors, the updated insulation helps keep everyone warm despite the crisp November weather.
  
• Stage and store the Thanksgiving dinner. Your kitchen refrigerator can’t hold everything, but your garage is the perfect room for a spare fridge and coolers of soda or juice boxes. You don’t have to play Tetris trying to cram everything inside your kitchen. The garage door serves as a drop-off entry for side dishes or pies that your relatives contribute to the dinner, so those aren’t taking up space on your counters as you put the finishing touches on the meal.

Host a Homecoming Bash For Your Teen’s Friend Group

After the big homecoming football game and dance, your high schooler’s friends probably want to get together and keep the fun going. The garage is the perfect place to host a teen party, because it provides privacy without being too private.

Set up a table with games, prepare trending TikTok snack recipes (a snackle box, perhaps?), and play music over the stereo to get the party started. Keep the garage door closed to contain any noise and keep the kids warm. Then, when it’s time for bed, everyone can come inside and settle into their sleeping bags.

Create a Dog-Washing Station

Now that it’s too cold to give the family dog a bath outside with the garden hose, you’ll need a space to get Fido clean. Hiring a plumber to install a large utility sink or tub in your garage gives you the dog-bathing station you’ve always wanted. By having this dedicated area in your warm garage, you can keep your pet and your main bathroom clean.

You May Need New Garage Doors to Make These Ideas Happen

If your garage doors are outdated, not functioning like they should, or aren’t as energy efficient as you’d like, it may be time for garage door replacements. In the greater Kansas City area and throughout eastern Kansas, Tracker Door Systems can help you choose the best garage doors for your home and install them for you so you’re ready for fall activities.

To learn more about garage door options and to get a free estimate, contact us today.

The post 6 Unique Ways to Use Your Garage This Fall appeared first on Tracker Door Systems.

Put Your Modern Garage Doors to Work For You

Your modern garage door isn’t just an entryway to your home’s car storage. They’re an important part of your home’s safety and security, especially with recent advancements in technology and design.

As a homeowner, ensuring your garage door is secure and well-maintained can protect your family and valuables from potential threats. Let’s explore tips for enhancing your home’s safety and security as it pertains to your garage doors.

Perform Regular Maintenance

Routine maintenance keeps your modern garage doors operating smoothly and securely. Over time, components like springs, cables, and rollers experience wear and tear, which can lead to malfunctions. Carefully inspect your set-up and identify potential issues before they escalate into costly garage door repairs or create a security risk.

Watch for strange noises, jerky movements, or difficulties opening or closing the door. These can indicate an underlying problem. Lubricating the moving parts – but never the nylon rollers – can help reduce friction. Balancing the door ensures that the operator doesn’t have to work harder than necessary. This will extend its lifespan. Tightening loose hardware can prevent misalignment, which will affect the door’s performance.

Keep Critters and Cold Air Out

Inspect the weather stripping around your modern garage door. Overtime, this weather stripping can become brittle or damaged, letting in drafts and moisture and thereby reducing your energy efficiency.

It can also become an entrypoint for small pests, like mice. If you replace damaged weather stripping, you can help keep your heating and cooling bills down and avoid exterminator visits.

Garage Door Opener Remote Rolling-Code Technology and Other Smart Systems

The latest in operator equipment comes with advanced security features designed to deter unauthorized access to your home. A garage door opener remote with rolling-code technology changes the access code each time you use your remote, making it difficult for thieves to duplicate the signal and gain entry into your garage.

Smart garage door systems allow you to monitor and control your garage door from anywhere using a smartphone app. The app will alert you if the garage door opens. You can close it remotely to help control access to your home. Automatic locking mechanisms also make it harder for burglars to enter your garage.

Securing the Interior

If you store valuables in your garage, you might consider additional security for these items. Locking cabinets or secure shelving keeps items like tools out of sign and not easily discovered. Motion-sensor lights inside your garage can alert you to unauthorized access.

Store spare garage door opener remotes in a secure location, such as in a Faraday pouch, to reduce the risk of high-tech thieves mimicking the signal and opening your garage door. Don’t keep your garage door remotes in your vehicle; instead, carry them with your keys or invest in an operator that uses a smartphone app in place of a traditional garage door opener remote.

Educate Your Family About Modern Garage Door Safety

Even your children should be aware of how to safely operate and be around a garage door. Teach your kids to stay clear of the garage door, both when it is moving and when it is stationary. Make it clear that the garage door and its components are not toys and should never be treated as such.

Show your family how to use the garage door opener remote, keypad, or wall-mounted operator button. Demonstrate how to use the manual release level in case the opener malfunctions or if there’s a power outage.

Explain your garage door’s safety features, and how the auto-reverse mechanism works when the photoelectric sensors detect obstacles in the door’s path. 
Create a family emergency plan that includes steps to take if the garage door poses a threat, such as if it is stuck open or closed or is malfunctioning. Make sure that everyone knows not to attempt to fix it themselves, but rather to call a professional for garage door repair.

By instilling these habits and knowledge, you can help prevent accidents and ensure your garage is a safe part of your home.

Beef Up Security Outside Your Modern Garage Door

Enhancing the exterior security around your garage involves a few strategic upgrades. Start by installing exterior lighting, such as motion-activated floodlights, to illuminate dark areas that may attract intruders or thieves. These lights can act as an immediate deterrent and increase overall visibility around your garage.

Consider installing a security camera system around the garage entrance. Modern systems come with features like night vision, high-definition recording, and real-time alerts to your smartphone. This added layer of surveillance can help you keep an eye on any suspicious activity and provide valuable footage in the event of an incident.

Get Professional Garage Door Repair to Ensure Proper Function

Even the latest modern garage doors need maintenance and repair sometimes. Partnering with a professional team for garage door repair near you can help you ensure your garage is as safe and secure as possible. 

A repair technician can get your garage door back on track, balance the door, and ensure the operator is fully functional, with all the security and safety features you need. 

The post Garage Door Safety Tips to Protect Your Family and Belongings appeared first on Tracker Door Systems.

Seek Kansas City Garage Door Repair When Your Door Isn’t Working Properly

More than 70% of Americans use their garage doors as the main entrance to their home. With so much up-and-down action, it’s no wonder garage doors need repairs from time to time!

If you’re experiencing a problem with your garage door, you shouldn’t have to let it disrupt your routine for long. Help from a service provider of garage door repairs near you can get you back into – or out of – your garage in just a couple hours, especially if you have one of these five common garage door problems:

1. The garage door won’t open or close completely.
2. The garage door is louder than usual.
3. The garage door opens and immediately closes.
4. The garage door is off its tracks.
5. The operator remote is malfunctioning.

If the Door Won’t Open or Close Completely, It’s Time For Garage Door Repair

The root cause of a garage door not opening or closing completely could be related to your garage door opener system, your garage door springs, safety sensors, or track alignment. The only way to determine which of these is the reason your garage door isn’t moving like it should is through the process of elimination.

Start by observing the problem. When, exactly, does your garage door stop moving? Does it stop at the same point of the track every time? Is there something in the way of your safety sensors, located near the floor to the right and left of your garage door? Does the track have debris stuck in it? Or is the track bent from a riding lawn mower or vehicle collision?

If you still can’t identify the problem, it could be due to an internal operator motor or electrical fault. Given the potential for these kinds of problems to escalate or cause injury, it’s best to contact our garage door repair service instead of attempting to fix it yourself.

The Garage Door Is Louder Than Usual

Hearing loud noises as your garage door operates is definitely cause for alarm. Whether it’s grinding, squeaking, or banging, there’s likely a problem with your door’s hardware. This could include worn-out rollers, loose components, or a misaligned track.

Sometimes lubricating some of the moving parts with a silicone-based spray can help stop the noise, but in other cases, this won’t solve anything. Persistent noises can mean deeper issues, so don’t assume these noises are just nuisances. Let a garage door repair professional evaluate your garage door.

If the Door Opens and Immediately Closes, Check the Garage Door Springs

Erratic garage door behavior, like immediately closing or even quickly slamming shut after opening, can be due to malfunctioning garage door springs.

These large springs help balance the door’s weight and facilitate smooth, controlled movement. When the springs are compromised, the balance is disrupted, and the garage door won’t stay open.

Because garage door springs are under such high tension, spring repair is best left to professionals in garage door repair near you: Tracker Door Systems.

The Garage Door Has Come Off Its Tracks

Track derailment is a symptom of an underlying issue that could be much bigger than your garage door. When your garage door comes off its tracks, you’ll want to fix it quickly to keep your home and its contents secure. Misalignment also puts unnecessary stress on the rollers and tracks, which can worsen your garage door system’s problems and require larger-scale repairs later on.

Garage doors can go off their tracks due to:

• An impact that bends the track.
• Worn-out rollers that no longer glide smoothly.
• Foundation settling or shifts.

Given the weight of a garage door, attempting to realign or repair the tracks yourself could result in injury to yourself or more damage to the door. Let a professional handle the track realignment instead.

Your Garage Door Operator Remote Won’t Work

When you rely on a remote control to open and control your garage, realizing it isn’t working properly can be a frustrating experience. Although remote control issues can seem simple at first-glance, they aren’t always.

Your problem could be solved as easily as replacing the batteries in your remote. But if that doesn’t work, consider that your operator itself – the one mounted on the ceiling of your garage – may not be properly receiving the signal. You should check that the signal is not blocked by a physical object – although this is a rare issue because of advancements in modern technology.

If you suspect your garage door won’t open because of the operator or other piece of equipment, requesting a garage door repair visit can get you closer to a solution.

Remember: When It Comes to Garage Door Repair, Safety First!

Even if you consider yourself handy, repairing a garage door is not as easy as an online video may make it seem. Rather than risk bodily harm or further damage to your door system, it’s best to contact our local garage door professionals, who can address your concerns, perform the repair, and restore your garage door function.

The post 5 Common Garage Door Problems and How to Fix Them appeared first on Tracker Door Systems.

Garage Door Innovations Over the Years Cater to Modern Lifestyles

They say necessity is the mother of invention, and that is particularly true for garage doors. Transportation and mobility has long been necessary for thriving civilizations. Without the ability to quickly travel over distances, you can bet humankind wouldn’t have such a long list of achievements.

And as these vehicle innovations progressed, it was only natural that mankind would want somewhere to keep their latest set of wheels. Keep reading to learn more about the history of the garage door and how we got to where we are today.

“Garages” For Chariots

Many ancient civilizations used chariots for transportation and entertainment, including the Egyptians, Romans, and the Celts. The first known chariot was developed by the Eurasian Andronovo or Sintashta cultures before 2,000 BCE.

Just like we need somewhere safe to park our cars today, these ancient peoples, too, wanted somewhere to park their chariots, so gatehouses were employed for this purpose.

Like modern garages, gatehouses could be closed and locked to protect what was stored inside. However, they didn’t use overhead doors like we do today. They were secured with a gate – hence the name gatehouse.

The Popularity Of Carriage Houses

Before motor vehicles, carriages, coaches, and buggies were primary forms of transportation, and like chariots, they needed to be stored somewhere safe and out of the elements.

Carriage houses, as we know them in North America, were detached outbuildings that housed carriages and carts when not in use. Sometimes they’d include lofted staff living quarters as well, but this was only common among the most wealthy.

Carriage house doors swung outward – very different from how garage doors as we know them today operate. However, their classic styling has inspired the charming look of modern overhead door designs.

The Dawn Of Early Garage Doors

In 1886, Carl Benz applied for a patent for a vehicle powered by a gas engine – the first ever automobile. It made history with its three wheels, but cars were only accessible to the very wealthy at that time.

Because Benz’s car didn’t have a roof, it had to be stored inside a carriage house, alongside its predecessors that were still in use – horse-drawn carriages and carts. But as more automobiles were produced, including the Ford Model T, which was affordable for the everyman, garage door innovation had to keep up.

In 1902, Cornell Iron Works made a “float over door” in Chicago. Variety Manufacturing created a much larger “cross horizontal folding door,” designed to accommodate a locomotive. But they were made individually, and like the first Benz car, simply weren’t commonplace.

People with carriage houses continued to store their cars in them, but what about those who didn’t have the luxury, or the city dwellers who didn’t have the space? They could store their vehicles in public parking lots or parking garages for a monthly fee, the first of which was built in 1918 for the Hotel La Salle in downtown Chicago.

Thank Detroit For Modern Garage Doors

Henry Ford’s Model T, built with interchangeable parts on a moving assembly line in Highland Park in Detroit, may have been what prompted the development of the modern garage and its doors. Because the Model T was mass-produced, the average American could afford an automobile.

Although carriage houses were still in use, they had big flaw. In the winter, snow would pile up in front of the carriage house doors, preventing them from opening. Without a lot of shoveling and sweat, car owners couldn’t get their Tin Lizzies out of storage.

In 1921 in Detroit, C.G. Johnson found a solution. He created the first overhead door, which folded while lifting upward. When open, the garage door lay parallel to the building’s ceiling. It was a revelation: there was no more work involved keeping the carriage house door clear, and it left plenty of room to park cars and store other household goods in the garage itself.

Johnson wasn’t done with his innovations just yet. In 1926, he and his company, Overhead Door Corporation, developed the first electric garage door opener. Americans were immediately attracted to this modern development, and the garage door industry as we know it today was born.

Today’s Garage Door Technology

Modern garage doors embrace smart-home technology, with operators that open and close at the touch of a button on a smartphone screen, or keypad codes that eliminate the need to carry a bulky remote.

In 1993, photo eye sensors were made available. These serve as a safety device that prevent the door from closing when they detect an object in its path. The mechanical release lets you open a garage door by hand in the event of an emergency or power outage.

The doors themselves, too, have changed over the years. Once made of wood or steel, garage doors come in a variety of materials, so homeowners can choose the best one for their home. Climate is even a consideration, with pre-insulated doors that reduce energy spent on heating and cooling. Some are pinch-resistant, designed to prevent injury or damage to anything that might find itself between garage door panels.

With so many new developments, today’s overhead door is seemingly unrecognizable from the one developed in the 1900s. One thing hasn’t changed, however: people still store one of their most prized possessions behind these protective doors.

The post The History Of Garage Doors: From Carriage Houses to Modern Marvels appeared first on Tracker Door Systems.