The number one question we are asked is, “How long do springs last?” The lifespan of garage door springs vary depending on several factor. The biggest factor is how often do you use your garage door? How many times do you open and close it each day? Springs are rated in cycles. They are designed for 10,000 cycles, which is around 5-7 years.

 

The next question we get is, “Is there anything we can do to make them last longer?” Yes, proper care and maintenance can help extend their lifespan. Keep spring(s) lubricated to reduce friction and wear. A silicon based lubricant is recommended. We use Tri-flo Superior Lubricant found at Ace Hardware and online. It is also a good idea to spray your rollers and hinges 1-2 times a year.

 

Most of the time, you don’t think about your garage door springs until your door doesn’t open. If you pull the emergency release cord and your door still won’t open, your spring is probably broken. Contact us or any garage door professional. We will get you back up and running.

 

Cold weather has arrived in the Fort Worth area. This change in temperature can affect your garage door. The metal springs on your door can contract and break. This can leave your vehicle trapped in the garage door.

 

If you see a space or gap like in the photo, your spring is broken. The above photo shows 2 torsion springs. The spring on the right is the broken one. This is a left hand wound spring. If your spring is broken, please call a professional to repair it.

 

We have a lifetime warranty on all of our torsion springs and usually have same day service to get you back up and running. Springs typically last 6-10 years with normal wear and tear. How long have your spring been on your garage door? Is it time to replace them?

 

Check out our spring page for more information or send us a message. We are happy to answer any question you have.

We had the pleasure of replacing 2 doors for a gentleman this week. Twenty years ago, he and his son built the wood doors we took down. He entertained us with many stories from his life and adventures. I was grateful to be there for the install. -Kim

What do you do if you don’t have a standard size opening for your garage door? As always, you have options. We can cut down doors, order special sections or we can get creative. We got a little creative for our customer replacing an older wood door.

The exact measurements were 8′ wide by 7′ 5 5/8″ tall. Most doors are 8×8 or 8×7, so already this is a unique situation. After discussing option with our customer, we decided to go with an 8′ wide by 7’6″ door. The concern was that the squares on the top section would not be visible. After installing the top weather stripping, it was blocking the top squares a bit. This is where creativity comes in hand. Mike was able to install the top weather stripping in a way that would keep the elements out and also show the top squares.

Our customer got a much needed upgrade to an easier to operate garage door. The door is a non insulated, short panel garage door in white.

Let us know if you have an odd size garage door. We can help you with all your garage door needs.

Your garage door is damaged. Do you need a new one or can it be repaired? It depends.

Most of the time, it looks worse than it is. Sometimes a strut can be added to support the damaged section and extend the life of your garage door. Or an individual section or two can be replaced. First the manufacturer of the sections will need to be determined. Not all sections fit together and not all replacement sections are available.

 

When replacing a section, you need to keep a few things in mind. The new section may not match the existing sections’ colors. Normal element exposure will cause the existing door to fade over time. If the section is available, a lot of times it is only available in white. An easy solution is to paint all the sections to match each other.

 

The best thing to do of you shut your door on something or run into it, is to not use it at all. It may look ok, but it may have a slight bend to it that will become worse over time and cause a tear in the metal. Even if there is a tear, you may be able to add a strut to prevent further damage. Cosmetically, it may not be perfect, but you can save some money by repairing versus replacing a section or an entire door.

 

What about the door in the picture? Unfortunately, sometimes repair is not an option. Replacement is sometimes the only way to go.

 

We look at each door on a case by case basis. If you have some garage door damage, don’t use your door and give us a call. Estimates are always free. We will be happy to come out and give you options for repair or replacement.

 

On 10/3/2003, Mike took a chance on starting his own garage door company. He wanted to do things differently than what other garage door companies were doing. He wanted to provide superior customer service, do honest work and do it at a fair price.

 

Sixteen years later, we can say that Mike has been successful in doing what he set out to do.

 

We could not have done this without our wonderful customer! We appreciate all your support, repeat business and referrals. Thank you for 16 great years!

 

Happy sweet 16 Cowtown Doors! Here’s to many, many more.

 

Do you have to practically walk into your garage and be right up under the opener for your remotes to work? Was everything running smoothly and now your remotes have stopped working? A surprising reason may be the light bulbs that you have in your garage door opener.

 

Common LED and CFL light bulbs can emit interference.  This interference can limit the range of garage door opener remotes.

 

There are solutions for you.

 

Several companies have light bulbs specifically made for garage door openers. They will not interfere with the signal. You can find these at any hardware store or online.

 

There are some LED bulbs that do not interfere with the signal. The Chamberlain Group has an informative article concerning this. Click on INFO to be taken directly to The Chamberlain Group’s article on their website. They have a list of LED light bulbs that are approved for use.

 

Another option is to purchase the old fashioned incandescent bulbs that are non LED.

 

There are other reasons why your remotes stop working. If you have ruled out the light bulb, let us know. Click HERE to go directly to our contact page. Fill it out and let us know what issue you are having. We will call or email you back with some information. We are always happy to trouble shoot for openers and all other garage door issues.

 

 

 

 

Here are some tips to keep your garage door running smoothly.

 

1. Inspect the tracks to make sure there isn’t any debris to catch up in the rollers.
2. Lubricate all moving parts such as hinges and the roller stems every six months. It’s not necessary to lubricate the tracks.
3. Check cables for any signs of fraying, kinks or damaged strands.
4. If your garage door opens but won’t close and you have an opener, check the sensors. Make sure they are aligned and not tilted. Use a Q-tip to clean the sensors of dust, dirt and cobwebs. Check the wires to make sure they are still connected and haven’t been chewed by a pet.
5. Don’t lean brooms or other items with handles facing the tracks. If one falls into the track, it can prevent the door from closing properly and cause the cable to come off.
6. Be careful with garage doors that have inside sliding locks. You can damage your door and opener if you open the door with it manually locked.

We hope these tips keep your garage door up and running smoothly. If your door is having issues like the one above, give us a call. Estimates are always free.

Headroom is the amount of room from the top of the garage door opening to the ceiling.  A standard lift garage door requires ten to twelve inches of headroom for installation.  Some garages have more headroom than that and you can utilize that space by installing a high lift track system. The customer here needed the headroom for his automotive lift. The doors pictured are Windsor Model 790 18×8 and a 8×8 double steel insulated. These doors travel up the wall four extra feet before turning back at the ceiling. He can lift a car all the way up with the garage door opened. This looks much cleaner and less cluttered than a standard lift door with the long hangers coming down for the tracks. However, this does create a problem with the garage door opener installation. A normal garage door opener won’t work because of the vertical travel of the garage door. A jackshaft opener like the Lift Master Model 8500 is perfect for this application. It will work great on high lift doors or full vertical lift doors. None of this is standard, so you can expect to pay more than standard prices. We have solutions for all your garage door needs. Tell us what you want your garage to be used for.

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