FAQ

Yes, we install and service garage doors year round.

Steel garage doors can be painted in the color of your choosing, with 100-percent acrylic latex paint. Some doors can also be powder coated, and we offer 1800 powder coat colors to best complement the look of your home or your facility.

R-value is a standardized measurement of thermal efficiency. The higher the R-value, the greater the garage door’s insulating properties. Active Door offers a wide variety of insulated garage doors for residential and commercial applications, with a broad range of R-values designed to meet any need.

If your garage door does not operate, the door is a potential hazard. Do not try to fix on your own, instead contact a professionally trained garage door dealer. Another reason to replace a garage door is to enhance your home’s curb appeal. According to the 2010 Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report, garage door replacement is the #2 remodeling project in regards to return on investment. Lastly, your current garage door may be fading, sagging and just in need of a replacement. If you have a wood garage door that needs re-painting, replacing it with a new pre-painted steel garage door may be a better value.

A Carriage House door is a type of garage door that replicates the look of doors found on carriage houses in the early 19th and 20th Century. Active Door distributes a variety of striking carriage house designs made from three different materials, steel, wood and composite. These garage doors look like they swing open, but they actually move up and over your car

Yes. We offer residential doors in widths between 4′ and 20′ in one inch increments and in heights between 6′ and 12′ in 3″ increments.

Standard headroom applications require a minimum of 12″ space between the top of the garage door opening and the unobstructed ceiling. However, we specialize in custom-built applications. A variety of special track options are available and make it possible for many unusual garages to be fitted with doors. By using a low-headroom track, it is possible to install a garage door in an area that has as little as 4″ of headroom.

Other special track applications include:

• Vertical Lift Track, For Use In Situations Where The Ceiling Is Extremely High And The Garage Door Has Room To Lift Straight Up.
• Follow-The-Roof Line Track, Which Is Used When The Ceiling Of The Garage Is Pitched At The Angle Of The Roof, Making It Desirable For The Door To Follow The Same Angle, Thus Providing Additional Overhead Room.
• Hi-Lift Track, Which Is Used When The Ceiling Is Unusually High, But The Door Must Still Retract To A Horizontal Position.

2-3 week is typical in most cases. However, some custom and wood doors can take as long as 4-6 weeks

Steel garage doors offer strength, security, energy efficiency and the best value. Due to advanced manufacturing, steel garage doors are less costly than other types of garage doors and are offered in a variety of designs and colors to enhance your home’s curb appeal. Our steel garage doors are pre-painted in a variety of colors, providing homeowners peace of mind protection with multi-year to lifetime paint finish warranties.

Since garage doors were first built, garage doors have been made out of wood because they offer the most personalized and decorative options. Wood doors provide security and insulation, but tend to be higher priced due to its individual customization in manufacturing. Wood doors can be painted or stained to match the exact look you desire. The challenge with wood doors is their tendency to expand and contract with changes in temperature. Wood garage doors are an excellent choice when you want the natural, warmth and beauty of wood to match your entry door and home.

We recommend replacing your track when you replace your door because each brand of garage door has been specifically designed to work with a specific type of track. In addition, replacing your track is an inexpensive way to insure that your entire garage door system is as safe as possible. By replacing your track you also ensure that your door warranty will apply, in the event that you have a problem.

We will properly dispose of your old garage door when we install a new garage door for a small additional fee. Discuss this with the salesperson when you get your estimate for your new door.

No, you don’t need a floor to install a garage door. If installing on an unfinished surface it must be level, compacted, and safe

Yes, a polystyrene insulated door can be thicker but has a lower R-Value than polyurethane. If you are looking for energy efficiency and a high R-Value, do not be fooled by the thickness of the door!

A polyurethane insulated door might look thinner but actually offers a much higher insulation R-value. Polyurethane insulation is blown between the two steel panels and expands to fill 100% of the door’s interior space as it chemically bonds to the skins of the door. Polyurethane doors offer R-values of 9.0 to 17. This is better than polystyrene which comes in rigid sheets and is sandwiched between the front and back panels or adhered to the front panel on doors without a back skin, providing R-values of 4 to 9.

Just about any opener can be connected to your new garage door.

Belt drive quiet and smooth performance. Ideal for garages adjacent to living areas.

Chain Drive rugged and reliable. Suitable for most garage doors.

DC motor operates with variable speed for soft start and stop, smooth operation and less wear and tear on your garage door.

Many garage door openers can be repaired and may be a less expensive option. However, there are times when opener replacement is recommended. According to LiftMaster, one of the leading manufacturers of garage door openers, all garage door openers manufactured prior to 1993 should be replaced, rather than fixed. This is to ensure the highest degree of customer safety and satisfaction. Many garage door openers prior to 1993 are not equipped with infrared sensors or other external entrapment protections devices and do not meet today’s standards for garage door opener safety.

Your garage door is the largest, and probably, the heaviest moving object in your home. So the safety features of the device that lifts and closes the door are all-important.

For the opener to work, certain safety devices must be installed. This is true regardless of the type, size or brand of opener you choose. These safety devices are built into the garage door system to prevent the door from closing when an obstruction is in the door’s path. Most openers auto-reverse the door when an infrared beam detects any obstruction in the door’s path. The Canadian government mandated the use of non-contact safety protections on all residential, motor-operated garage doors in 1993. Other safety features are:

Rolling-code technology selects a new, non-repeating access code from among billions of possibilities every time the remote control is operated.

A keypad outside the garage allows entry via a programmable code. If this feature doesn’t come standard with the unit you choose, it can be added as an option.

Many units have a simple doorbell-style button for opening and closing the door. Others have a more complex control panel with keypad programming and vacation lock to prevent the door from being opened while you’re away.

Most openers include a light, which should stay on for a few minutes after the unit is activated to allow time to get into the house.

Battery Backup feature that continues to operate the garage door opener even when the power is out, helping residents, homeowners and property managers through unforeseen, inconvenient outages. These units often supply power for up to two days, so even after 24 hours of standby time (i.e., full-day power outage), garage door opener will still perform up to 20 full “up and down” cycles.

Average lifespans of 10 – 15 years can be expected, although there are operators out there which last as little as 5 years yet as long as 25 years or more. If your operator is getting old, consider replacing it with an up-to-date machine with all the latest safety features.

To program the HomeLink® transceiver, some vehicles may require the ignition to be turned on or the vehicle to be running. For additional garage door opener help, view the programming instructions at HomeLink.com

Absolutely, we carry remotes and most other replacement parts for garage door openers. Including: Liftmaster, Sears Craftsman, Chamberlain, Genie, Multicode, Manaras, Linear, and many others.

The programming varies on the type of system you are using. If you remote has dip switches (located on the reverse side, where the battery is concealed), toggle up and down to match the setting of your current remote control or garage door opener. Most newer remotes use a learn button. To program, first locate and press and release the learn button on the rear side of the operator hanging from the ceiling in your garage. The learn button is either round (yellow, grey, white, red, or green) or square (red or purple) with a green LED light adjacent. Second, press and release the button on the remote. The receiver has now learned the code from the remote control. Press the smart button for any longer than 5 seconds (or until the LED light flashes and the receiver’s memory has been erased).

There is no such thing as a remote that can operate any garage or gate opener. There are however, remotes that can operate on different frequencies, functioning with different brands such as the Liftmaster 375LM Universal remote.

To maintain your door, every 6-12 months lubricate track, rollers, and hinges with a silicone or Teflon-based spray. Do not use WD-40® or grease. Then open and close the door to distribute the lubricant.

Because a garage door is a very large, heavy, moving part, it’s prone to fall out of adjustment with daily use. When this happens, the door becomes harder and harder to lift and lower. The best way to lengthen a garage door’s life span is to perform the following maintenance on at least an annual basis.

• Visual Inspection. Stand Inside The Garage With The Garage Door Closed. Look Over The Garage Door Springs, Cables, Rollers, Pulleys And Mounting Hardware, Such As Hinges, For Signs Of Wear Or Damage. If You Notice Any Loose Screws, Bolts, Or Nuts, Tighten Them So Parts Won’t Fall Out Of Adjustment. Look For Cable Wear Or Fraying. Is The Mounting Hardware Becoming Loose? If Something Doesn’t Look Quite Right – Or Doesn’t Sound Quite Right – It Could Be The Symptom Of A More Serious Issue. Have The Garage Door System Inspected By A Trained Service Technician. NOTE: Garage Door Springs, Cables, Brackets, And Other Hardware Attached To The Springs Are Under Very High Tension And, If Handled Improperly, Can Cause Serious Injury. Do Not Attempt To Repair Or Adjust Torsion Springs Yourself. Only A Trained Service Technician Should Adjust Them.
• Reversing Mechanism Test. With The Door Fully Open, Lay A Piece Of Wood Such As A Section Of A 2 X 4 On The Floor In The Center Of The Garage Door Opening Where The Door Would Touch The Floor. Push Your Garage Door Opener’s Transmitter Or Wall Button To Close The Door. When The Door Strikes The Wood, The Door Should Automatically Reverse. If The Door Does Not Automatically Reverse, The Door Should Be Serviced By A Trained Service Technician. Note: Garage Door Openers Manufactured After January 1, 1993, Are Required By Federal Law To Be Equipped With A Reversing Mechanism And A Photo Eye Or Edge Sensor As Added Measures Of Safety To Prevent Entrapment. If Your System Does Not Have These Features, Replacement Of Your Automatic Operating System Is Recommended.
• Photo Eye Test. With The Door Fully Open, Push Your Garage Door Opener’s Transmitter Or Wall Button To Close The Door. Wave A Long Object, Such As A Broomstick, In Front Of One Of The Door’s Photo Eyes So It “Breaks The Beam.“ The Door Should Reverse.If It Does Not Reverse And Reopen, Pull The Broomstick Out Of The Path Of The Closing Door. Close The Door. With The Door In The Closed Position, Clean The Photo Eyes With A Soft, Dry Cloth. Gently Adjust The Photo Eyes By Hand If They Appear To Be Out Of Alignment. Open The Door And Repeat The Photo Eye Test. If The Door Does Not Reverse And Reopen, The Door Should Be Serviced By A Trained Service Technician.
• Force Setting Test. With The Door Fully Open, Push Your Garage Door Opener’s Transmitter Or Wall Button To Close The Door. As The Door Is Closing, Hold Up The Bottom Of The Door With Your Hands Outstretched And Stiff. If The Door Does Not Easily Reverse And Continues To Close, Pull Your Hands Away Immediately. The Closing Force Is Excessive And The Door Should Be Serviced By A Trained Service Technician.

Yes, you can replace just one section for most garage doors, depending if the model of garage door that you are replacing is still in production. Also, paint matching may be an issue as color variations can occur over time.

Most likely one of the garage door cables has come off of the cable drum or snapped (side that is hanging the lowest) from closing on something. The cables may still be under spring tension and should not be touched without the proper knowledge and tools to make the repair. In addition, trying to force the garage door closed or open may cause further damage to the garage door tracks and may also cause the door to fall to the floor. In most cases you are better off to leave the door in whatever position it is in until it can be properly repaired.

Most likely the photo-cell safety beams are blocked, misaligned, or malfunctioning. Move any objects that may be interfering with the signal and verify that the photo-cell LED lights are illuminated as per the manufacturer’s instructions. If the infrared beams are not blocked and the photo-cells appear that they are aligned, you will want to have an experienced service technician diagnose and repair the problem. You will not be able to close the door with the remote control transmitter until the photo-cells are in proper working order.

Openers manufactured after 1993 have an infrared safety eye system to reverse the garage door if anything is in the way of the door when closing. Sometimes something is blocking the “light beam” such as a broom handle or spider web. It is possible for the sensors to become misaligned and that will also cause the door to reverse immediately or in some cases when they are just slightly out of adjustment the door may travel part way before reversing. Check sensors for an obstruction or see if the lighted indicators located on both the sending and receiving eyes are both lit. If one is out or blinking then they may need re-aligned.

Most times a garage door won’t open because a counterbalance mechanism isn’t functioning such as a broken extension or torsion spring. If an electric opener is present and no noise is noted when activated, try disconnecting the opener by pulling the emergency release and manually lifting the door. If the door moves the problem most likely is the opener. Make sure there is power to the outlet supplying the opener and if present then a service call by a trained professional is warranted. If there is a problem with the counterbalance mechanism, repair should be made by a qualified door mechanic.

Active Door recommends checking the balance of your door once a year. To do this, close the door and then pull the red disconnect rope on your garage door opener. After pulling the disconnect rope the door should stay on the floor. Next, raise the door about half way open, the door should stay at that position. And finally, raise the door all the way to the open position, where the door should remain open. If your door fails any of these tests, we recommend service by a trained technician.

Yes, we will re-attach or replace your cables as required and set up your torsion system

First check to see if you have a wall console ( push button ) that has a vacation switch or lock button. Most times your lighted push button will be blinking if that function has been activated. Push and hold the vacation or lock button for approximately five seconds and release. If that was the problem the transmitter should then work. If it’s still not working, try a new battery. Be careful to not disturb the coding switches if present. If still malfunctioning you may check to see if coding switches on the transmitter match the switches on the power unit hanging from the ceiling.

We highly recommend that you change both springs at the same time, since both springs have been under the same amount of stress each time the door has been opened and closed. Unfortunately a visual inspection of the spring cannot determine the further life expectancy of the spring. However, in many cases it will cost less to have both springs changed at the same time than if you only had one spring changed at a time.