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Using Your iPhone To Open Your Garage Doors

As an avid iphone user and Tech-Junkie the short answer is yes, you can use your iphone to open your garage doors.  The truth is you can probably turn on and shut down and open and close more devices than you think. The auto industry has enabled technology to start your car with Smart Phones.  Smart House technology allows complete house management from a smart phone, but what’s practical and what’s not.

Unless you have 100-150 thousand dollars to devote to Smart house technology so you can dim the lights from Bali, this may be impractical. Unless you want to pay the monthly charges for On-Star, starting your car from work won’t be possible. However you can operate your garage doors using your homes Wi-Fi and some store bought add on’s. If you have the proper in house wiring and some creative programming consider downing load the X10 Commander App to your phone for $9.99! Go online and get a USB to RF X10 interface and an X10 PUM01 low Voltage Controller device, run some low voltage wiring from the garage door button to the controller. Program the software, set it up to be ALWAYS running and “PRESTO” open and close your garage door all day long. I have a nice mini remote on my key-chain ( under 30.00 ) and it works when I am in front of the garage door where I should be when opening it. It leaves me plenty of time to use my iPhone for what it was intended for…to play ANGRY BIRDS .

OK so the iphone does almost anything now, I love 6.0! No, I don’t need the iPhone 5 because the 4S works just fine. OK so unless you are ready to change your automatic garage door opener and drop anywhere from $400.00 – $700.00 to get your iPhone to close your garage door, then simply do this:

” CLOSE YOUR GARAGE DOOR WHEN YOU LEAVE THE HOUSE!!!”  If your life is that kaotic that you could pull away with the LARGEST door  to your house open, then you might require something beyond what your iPhone can give you. If you a Tech-Junkie, implement smart house technology into your entire home and open and close everything with your iPhone.

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How To Install A Garage Door?

When planning on installing your own garage door, it’s vital to determine what kind of garage door you’re trying to install.  Not all garage doors are created equal!  If your door has a torsion-spring system, STOP and call in a professional. An Extension-spring system garage door is held in place by extreme tension, STOP and call a garage door specialist.

What I am trying to say here is, although the BIG-BOX stores would like you to believe that this is a DIY project, its not. As a professional garage door dealer and 25 years under my belt, I too have fallen victim to the thought that “ I can do it myself” when it comes to work around the house. Lets face it most DIY’ers have some sort of trade background and are around a building site long enough to see what goes on, myself included. Watching a trained professional do his or her job well makes it look easy. However an Electrician is not a Plumber.  A Plumber is not a Roofer and a Plasterer is not Car Mechanic. As an I.D.E.A. Certified Garage Door Installer and Carpenter by trade, I attempt most house projects myself.

There is a reason that certain industries require certifications and Licensing. Tradesman may  fix a faucet…yes, Change a Boiler…NO! Change an outlet…yes, replace an Electrical Panel…NO! It’s best to know your limits to avoid more coast and headaches in the future. A garage door is the largest moving object in your home and can cause severe injury or death when handled improperly. While installing a garage door might seems like a doable project, it can be incredibly dangerous.  Many people find great DIY success with installing garage doors but don’t put yourself and your family at unnecessary risk. There are hundreds of reputable professional Garage Door dealers to choose from at www.dooreducation.com . There are also hundreds of Emergency rooms you can visit, but I recommend leave garage door installation with a trained and certified professional like Christie Overhead Door.

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Insulated Garage Doors in New York Save Energy

Since 1945, Christie Overhead Door has been offering quality residential garage doors, commercial garage doors,  automatic openers and gate automation services to the New York Metropolitan and surrounding areas. We are natives of Brooklyn and service New York, New Jersey, Staten Island, and Long Island. We offer a full line of quality residential and commercial garage doors with an emphasis on energy efficiency. Insulated garage doors can help you save on energy bills in the summer and winter.

If you are in the market for insulated garage doors make sure you purchase and install your doors using a certified and professional installer like Christie Overhead Door. Insulated doors can be very beneficial in keeping down your residential energy costs. Typically speaking, many homes lose energy by leaks in and around their garage doors, windows and other openings. When you install insulated doors, you can substantially cut down on costs and protect any garage door items that you’ve been storing all year long.

You will experience a tremendous savings in your energy bills over the long haul. Protect your belongings by ensuring that humidity and cold never penetrate your through your garage doors. You can safely store even the most important possessions in a garage with insulated doors. You won’t have to worry about weather related problems or natural elements ruining those possessions during unexpected storms. Insulated garage doors are available in many designs and styles including steel and wood. When you want to add the beauty of a garage door along with the security of blocking out harmful weather and elements, insulated doors are the perfect choice.

We’ve installed countless insulated garage doors throughout Staten Island, Brooklyn and New Jersey. Since the weather has changes so drastically in the Northeast, homeowners seem very interested in purchasing insulated garage doors.  There is nothing better than having a beautiful garage door and saving on energy costs. At least that’s our opinion.

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What Does Garage Door R-Value Mean?

The best selling garage doors will boast their R-Value. The R-value is a measure of thermal resistance used in the building and construction industry. Under uniform conditions, it is the ratio of the temperature difference across an insulator and the heat flux (heat transfer per unit area) through it or  R = \Delta T/\dot Q_A. The R-value being discussed is the unit thermal resistance. This is used for a unit value of any particular material. It is expressed as the thickness of the material divided by the thermal conductivity. For the thermal resistance of an entire section of material, instead of the unit resistance, divide the unit thermal resistance by the area of the material.

For example, if you have the unit thermal resistance of a wall, divide by the cross-sectional area of the depth of the wall to compute the thermal resistance. The unit thermal conductance of a material is denoted as C and is the reciprocal of the unit thermal resistance. This can also be called the unit surface conductance and denoted by h. The bigger the number, the better the building insulation’s effectiveness. AREN’T YOU GLAD YOU ASKED!!!!

What does this mean to the average home owner looking for a quality garage door. Here’s the break down. There are several factors that would make R-Value more or less significant. How often you use the garage door, what you use the garage space for, and how well the actual garage is insulated. As a professional Garage Door Dealer its our job to survey and assess the over-all importance of purchasing a garage door with R-Value.  Don’t stress, it will be the one of the easier decisions in the whole process because it will save you money over time.

Christie Overhead Door located in Staten Island, NY has been providing residential and commercial garage doors, automatic garage door openers,  gate automation services and garage door repairs in Brooklyn, New Jersey and Long Island since 1945.

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Does Your Garage Door Company Have A License And Insurance?

It’s super important that your garage door company have a license and insurance.  Three local contractors were arrested on Staten Island for performing work without proper HIC Licensing. That’s only one story we heard in the news. Homeowners have told us horror stories about fly-by-night garage door installers they have worked with before contacting us. It can be a true nightmare hiring a garage door company that’s not licensed and insured in the state where you live.

It’s a good idea to ask a garage door company for licensing and insurance credentials before performing any work.  Additionally, it’s a must to ask for a Certificate of Insurance from any company that does work on your home.  This is your right as a homeowner and obligation to ensure that you are doing business with a qualified garage door company. The reason why a professional garage door company needs to charge a little more is because insurance and licensing are part of the costs of doing business. The fees for insurance and licensing are minimal but it’s worth the investment to protect our customers.

As a consumer, it’s advisable that you consider licensing and insurance in your decision to choose a garage door company.  Companies that have an actual place of business and a good online reputation are definite considerations. It’s very easy to check out a company on Google, Yelp or Angie’s list before doing business with them.  You have the most powerful resources at your fingertips today to obtain valuable information about garage door companies online. Use your iPhone, Tablet, or computer to invest garage door companies before making a decision.  Doing a little online research could save you from spending thousands of dollars unnecessarily.  It may help you avoid worse. Having to chase down an unlicensed, fly-by-night contractor that charged you a little less and then disappeared is no fun. Purchasing a garage door from a licensed and insured garage door company and operating your garage doors with ease or automatically is much more fun!