TO INSULATE OR NOT...The benefits of the Steel-Back Insulated Overhead Door.

In today's garage door market there are many opinions on what is the best method to keep your garage cool in the summer and warmer in the winter. Certainly, it is my job to educate my clients to help them understand the benefits of keeping the heat gain to a minimum, while increasing the efficiency or R-Factor of their Overhead Door. In recent times many critics of garage doors will say that spending the extra money for a higher R-Factor is not necessary,especially if your garage is non-conditioned, however; I think that the extra money is worth spending, why? Since the standard garage door can be boring when it comes to aesthetics, they do provide functionality for the money about $345.00-$700.00 for a standard size with a minimum 10 year warranty on the panels against rust or defects.

Insulated Steel-Back Overhead Doors can serve a function for many, many years while giving you many options in design and Thermal Factors. Most higher end garage doors will range in price from $645.00 for a standard 8x7 opening to $1150.00 for a standard 16x7 opening with the majority of manufactures providing a lifetime warranty on panels against rust or defects. One manufacture that I favor due to the reliability of the product, style, design, and cost is The Genie Company. Many of the Insulated products produced by the Genie Company qualify for the Energy Tax Credit for the 2010 tax year. This is amazing because you can get 30% of the purchase price of the doors back as a credit from the government. This is a great incentive for those who are thinking of upgrading their current garage door(s) to new steel doors. In that case, why not upgrade to steel-back insulated doors and get the bigger bang for your buck while adding curb appeal to your residence. Genie also has produced some the finest DC Ultra Quiet Energy Star Rated garage door openers on the market today. I hope i can help educate all those interested in energy smart technologies for your garage and attics so please, keep in close contact with me to learn more in the near future. Feel free to email me or respond to this blog as I would like to hear what you have to say or what your thinking regarding this subject.    

Garage Door Opener 390 Mhz Frequency Interference

BREAKING NEWS 03/14/10: Since 2004 the Government has told Garage Door Opener Manufacturers to update their frequency technology due to the upcoming communication changes within the Government. Most of them complied. However, there were some who have ignored (I presume) or just did not make the needed changes as required by the Department of Defense. Yes being in business is hard at times, we get that...but when consumers who patronize your companies for quality products for the benefit of coming home day in and day out to have a reliable and functioning garage door, I feel that they just seem to turn the other cheek for greater PROFITS. Certainly there is nothing wrong with profits...that is why I am in business. But, one example of this is the Overhead Door Corporation or the Japan-based Sanwa Shutter who owns Overhead Door through its Sanwa USA subsidiary. Recently in San Antonio, Texas USA (http://www.ksat.com/news/22816740/detail.html) my clients have been experiencing intermittent interference due to the continued use of the 390 Mhz frequency built into its Genie and Overhead Door Brand of Garage Door Openers. Other manufacturers have completely revamped their products to comply with the Governments need to use a frequency that according to the FCC belongs to them anyway. I have been promoting and installing these great products for the past 5 years and now it seems that the Overhead Door Corp. is again turning the other cheek and will not cover the cost of replacing the technology currently used in their products. My clients feel have trusted our company to educate them on the best products for their use and now are upset due to this pending disruption.

Overhead Door Corp. representatives say that people living in a 1/2 - 1 mile radius might be affected, I find that hard to believe since I have clients as far as 11 miles from the NSA building complaining of interference from the LMR (Land Mobile Radio) Antennas. The current interference is in the "TEST MODE" and the live mode will not take place until April 1, 2010. Some April Fools this is going to be! Of course there is a solution for the matter:
1. Purchase the external 315 Mhz module (average cost $45.00 per unit plus labor)
2. Purchase Additional Remotes (average cost $28.00 per unit)
3. Purchase Compatible Keyless Entry Pad (average cost $40.00 per unit)
4. Replace the your Garage Door Opener all together (average cost $300.00 parts and labor)

Why should the consumers pay for anything to begin with since Overhead Door Corp. knew about the pending changes almost 6 years ago or so. I would be a miracle from the Garage Door Opener Gods if they do the right thing. Only time will tell and maybe the old adage should be used here "the squeaky wheel get the oil".

In conclusion, we can point fingers all day and all night, but we just want better support from companies who rely on us to promote their products. It is my opinion that if the Overhead Door Corp. and its board of directors want to see continued success for years to come they would do right by its constituents who have put them there "THE CONSUMER".

I look forward to your response in the near future. Inform me if this is happening in your community and what is being done about it.

Warmly,

The Garage Door Guy