garage door maintenance

Garage Door Maintenance And Repairs Crucial in Winter

Garage door maintenance and repairs are almost inevitable in winter with the change of season. It’s a good idea to inspect your garage door and garage door opener thoroughly since we’ve been having extreme temperatures in Brooklyn, Manhattan, New York & Staten Island.

It is common to have difficulty in lifting or opening your garage doors whether manually or remotely in winter. The overhead springs on your garage doors tend to break easily especially in cold weather. Since temperatures can be extreme with warm weather one day and freezing cold weather the next day, it’s understandable that garage door malfunctions can happen.

Garage Door Maintenance or Repairs for Springs Are Common In Winter

Christie Overhead Door has received calls for garage door maintenance and repairs to replace springs this winter. Garage door springs are a common repair especially, since the temperature has fluctuated from warm to cold so often. Sometimes your garage doors will give you a warning sign that something could be wrong. You may hear unusual noises coming from your garage doors or garage door openers
such as squeaks or creeking-type sounds. This could be an indication that you need to lubricate the tensioners or other parts of your garage doors.

Your garage door opener may even stop operating unexpectedly during winter. Christie Overhead Door can troubleshoot or inspect your garage door problem by dispatching a certified technician. In most cases, a service charge is all you need to get your garage door back in working order. Sometimes more extensive work needs to be done. You might have to replace your garage door opener.

Garage Door Maintenance and Repairs Without Worry

You don’t have to worry when contacting Christie Overhead Door about your garage door maintenance or repairs.  Service fees are always applied to the work actually being done. Contact the experts at Christie Overhead Door if you need to maintain or repair your garage door in Staten Island, New Jersey, Brooklyn or Manhattan, New York.

Residential Garage Doors

Residential Garage Doors And Commercial Garage Doors That Reflect Your Lifestyle

Residential garage doors and commercial garage doors can make a bold statement about your lifestyle. Gone are the days where all residential or commercial garage doors in Brooklyn, Staten Island, New York and New Jersey have one solid, white or brown color. The residential garage door and commercial garage door industry has evolved tremendously over the years. Christie OverHead Door is proud to have evolved with the garage door industry by offering the latest garage door designs to customers across Brooklyn, Staten Island, New York and New Jersey.

Residential Garage Doors & Commercial Garage Doors With Innovative Designs

Residential garage doors and commercial garage doors are much more innovative today. The designs can have the luxury of wood combined with the durability of steel. You can even choose accent plank doors that look similar to the look of wood floors. Accent plank garage doors are available in rich and exquisite hues that match the facade of your home or office. The garage door and commercial garage door industries have come along way. Garage door manufacturers have made great strides in making residential garage doors and commercial garage doors more appealing for homeowners and business owners.

commercialgaragedoorsWhen someone drives or walks up to your home or place of business, does your residential garage door or commercial garage door enhance the look of your home or office? You can make a beautiful design statement by choosing a garage door with colorful images to compliment the way you live or work. For example, do you love to travel or have a favorite baseball team? Maybe you are an avid golfer! You can choose from multiple accent images whether it’s a favorite vacation spot or a logo of the New York Yankees or New York Mets. If you are looking for a commercial garage door, consider using your logo as the accent image. It just might be a great form of advertising. Especially, if your business is located in a high traffic area.

Residential Garage Doors & Commercial Garage Doors With Design Options

Next time you are shopping for a new residential or commercial garage door ask about the following options:

• Wood tones with the durability of steel
• Accent planks for traditional or contemporary garage doors
• Accent images featuring destinations, your favorite MLB™ team or sports game

Did you know that garage doors are available in 3D patterns of nature too? The print technology available today really allows you to totally transform the look of your residential garage doors or commercial garage doors. To learn more about the latest garage door design patterns, wood plank options and accent images available please visit Chiohd.com.

Have more questions? Contact Christie Overhead Door, the experts in residential garage doors and commercial garage doors located in Staten Island since 1945.

Energy Efficient Garage Door

Energy Efficient Garage Doors Help Reduce Costs

Energy efficient garage doors can help you save money on energy costs. Durable layers of polyurethane foam are added to heavy gauge steel for maximum strength, durability and thermal resistance. An R-value refers to the measure of thermal resistance in the building and construction industry. The ‘R’ stands for resistance. Energy efficient garage doors with a higher R-value can help save on energy bills especially in winter. 

Energy Efficient Garage Doors Reduce Overall Costs

The past two winters in Brooklyn, New York, New Jersey, Staten Island and the northeast have been brutal to say the least. It’s important to purchase energy efficient garage doors with an R-value range of 9.1 to 17.2 to help save you money. New homes take advantage of higher R-values. Older homes generally do not have energy efficient garage doors. If you’ve been feeling a draft in your garage, it’s more than likely you are spending a higher amount on your heating bills. Energy efficient garage doors keep warm air from escaping outside your home or commercial dwelling during winter. Even glass can be insulated to help reduce energy costs.

Energy Efficient Garage Doors Have Insulated Materials And Parts

Insulated materials can be used on many parts of a garage door helping to make it more energy efficient.  The R-value depends on the type of insulation that is used on the garage doors, glass, weather stripping and more.  You’ll want to make sure to use a factory-applied heavy duty weather seal on the bottom of your garage doors to keep the cold elements outside.

If you’re looking to purchase energy efficient residential or commercial garage doors, contact Christie Overhead Door for more information. Christie Overhead Door is a certified residential and commercial garage door expert and installer. Christie Overhead is also an accredited C.H.I. Overhead Doors specialist serving homeowners and commercial businesses in Brooklyn, Staten Island and New Jersey since 1945. 

aluminum glass garage doors

Aluminum Glass Garage Doors Are A Modern Trend For Homes & Commercial Businesses

Aluminum glass garage doors can modernize your space.  If you are looking to make contemporary updates on your home or office space, consider aluminum glass garage doors for your home or commercial business. Aluminum glass garage doors allow natural light to filter into your space without sacrificing privacy. There are so many options available with glass garage doors:

• Clear glass
• Tinted glass
• Mirrored Glass
• Frosted Glass

Glass garage doors come in half inch insulated glass. Glass garage doors are insulated to help you save on energy bills in winter and summer.
You can control the amount of light entering into your space by selecting a glass garage door with your desired amount of light control and privacy. The glass is factory tempered so it does not shatter into large pieces. It’s similar to a car window. If there is any impact the windows break into small chunks.

glass garage doorsAluminum glass garage doors do not corrode like wood or rust like steel making it a great choice in terms of durability. The look of aluminum glass garage doors can’t be beat. They add a beautiful architectural element to your facade and the glass windows are easy to clean. Use your favorite glass cleaner or soap and water to keep your garage doors looking new.

Aluminum garage doors come in many different colors and finishes. Choose from 180 powder coated colors and even faux wood stains. Just like you can choose the type of glass, you can customize the color. From traditional white garage doors, faux woodgrain stains to black and oil rubbed bronze, there is a color to satisfy your personal taste.

Aluminum garage door panels are available in matching colors to coordinate with the outside look of your home of office space. Aluminum glass garage doors are rust free to protect your residence and for office space to divide space without closing in walls, and commercial buildings from the outside elements. Heavy duty vinyl seals are used at the bottom of the garage doors for increased protection.

When it comes to architectural beauty, energy efficiency, ease of maintenance and durability aluminum glass doors are an excellent choice for home and commercial buildings in Staten Island, New Jersey and New York.

View the aluminum garage door portfolio for some ideas or contact Christie Overhead Door for more information.

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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!