Wildfire-Related Garage Door Safety Becomes Law

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill Friday from Senator Bill Dodd, D-Napa, requiring newly sold or installed electric garage door openers to be equipped with backup batteries. The new law will prevent people from being trapped in their garages during power failures such as those triggered by recent wildfires.

“Requiring backup batteries on garage door openers will saves lives and ensure no one is left vulnerable,” Sen. Dodd said. “With the threat of more wildfires to come, we must do everything possible to keep people safe. I thank Gov. Brown for recognizing the importance of this bill.”

Senate Bill 969 follows the devastating October wildfires that caused widespread power outages, leaving many evacuees unable to open their garage doors to flee the flames. The remains of at least five victims were found where garages once stood.

The senator is personally aware of the peril posed by power failures in the face of emergencies. He was forced to evacuate his own Napa home the night of the fall fires and could not open his heavy wooden garage door because power was out in his neighborhood. While garage door motors can be disconnected and opened manually, many people, especially seniors, find it difficult or impossible to do so.

“Most people don’t think about this until it is too late,” Dodd said. “My goal with this bill is to raise awareness and give people the security of a battery backup.”

Senate Bill 969 was supported by the Consumer Federation of California. Assembly member Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, is co-author.

“It is clear from this past year’s fires that we need to protect people when the power goes out,” said Richard Holober, the Consumer Federation’s executive director. “I applaud Sen. Dodd and Gov. Brown for this important new law that will keep people from being trapped in their garages.”

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Senator Bill Dodd represents the 3rd Senate District, which includes all or portions of Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Yolo, Contra Costa, and Sacramento counties. You can learn more about the district and Senator Dodd at www.sen.ca.gov/dodd.

 

Link to the article: http://eastcountytoday.net/wildfire-related-garage-door-safety-becomes-law/

Related articles: https://greenhomeinspections.wordpress.com/tag/safety/

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10 Maintenance Must-do’s To Make Garage Doors Last Longer

(guest post by Ran Keller)

Garage doors are opened and closed multiple times a day, yet few homeowners conduct regular checks and inspections on it. In fact, they are often the most neglected part of a house, even though they are frequently used and make up a large portion of a home’s outward appearance.

Conducting repeated tests on a garage door and its opener can help you catch any problems before they become worse. Moreover, inspections ensure that it is safe. Safety is a particularly important concern when you have kids and pets in the house.

How can you maintain your door so it lasts longer? Here are 10 tips:

Check the hardware

The easiest way to do a quick hardware check is to listen to the door when it opens and closes. It should move effortlessly and make minimum noise. Scraping noises, grinding sounds and jerky movements suggest there is an issue.

Furthermore, ensure that all loose hardware is tightened up. Use a socket wrench to fasten any loose bolts or roller brackets.

Review the balance

To review your door’s balance, you’ll need to first disconnect the opener to the door. Next, manually move the door halfway up or down. It should stay in place. If it doesn’t, the garage door isn’t balanced. You will need to seek a professional garage door repairman to correct this problem.

Replace batteries in remote

Garage doors are opened and closed innumerable times a year. Therefore, it’s essential to replace the remote’s batteries periodically. The remote’s manual should provide the information on when you need to replace the batteries.

Replace weather-stripping if needed

Look at the sides and bottom of your door. There should be weather-stripping on the sides and a rubber weather-seal on the bottom. If it’s cracked or the weather-stripping on the sides is jamming the door, consider adjusting it or replacing it altogether. Use your judgment.

Wooden garage doors might not have weather-stripping at the bottom. However, ideally, you should add weather-stripping to it – which can be purchased at any hardware store – and get it painted.

Lubricate the moving parts

Garage doors are connected by springs, rollers, nuts and bolts. All of these moving parts are used constantly every time you press the remote, and the door opens and closes. Hence, it’s vital to lubricate these moving parts with spray lubricant for springs, and white lithium grease for the chain or screw.

Don’t smear lubricant on the track, because it could cause the door to slip and lose its balance.

Examine the cables

Cables are responsible for lifting your door. Examine them periodically for damage. If you notice signs of wear and tear, contact a garage door repair service rather than take matters into your own hands. High-tension cables have the ability to inflict serious injuries and should always be handled by a professional.

Inspect the garage door’s safety feature

Every door is equipped with two safety features which are mechanical and photocell. To test the mechanical safety feature, simply place a piece of wood or brick below it and close the door. Once the door comes in contact with the wooden piece, it should automatically reverse its direction and go up. If it doesn’t, you will need to adjust the downforce control limit. Read your opener’s manual for directions on how to adjust it.

The second safety feature, photocell which uses photo-eye sensors, are located at the bottom of your garage door and has a beam. They prevent the door from closing if an object is in the door’s path. You can test this feature by closing the door and placing an object quickly in the path of the beam. If the door stops closing, it’s in good working condition. If it doesn’t, clean the sensors with a damp cotton ball and retry the process.

Remove rust

Rust tends to accumulate on steel doors. Locate the rusted areas, sand it, prime it and finally paint over them. Wooden doors should also be examined for damages and kept painted to protect the wood.

Check if tracks are clean

Talk to a garage door specialist in order to get the best cleaner for the tracks on your door. Do not lubricate or use an all-purpose cleaner.

Clean your garage door

Last but certainly not the least, it’s imperative to wash your garage door with an all-purpose cleaner. You can do it while washing your cars during the weekend and make it a fun family activity. Cleaning removes built-up grease and gunk and maintains your house’s spotless appearance.

Use the aforementioned garage door maintenance tips to ensure that your door lasts long and saves you on repair costs. Most of these suggestions are easy to follow and only take a few minutes. It’s a good idea to call a garage door repairman to conduct biannual inspections. Always keep your door clean, fully-functional and safe throughout the year.

 

Editor’s Note: Ran Keller is an experienced handyman who’s been working for EliteGarageWA for 10 years. When he’s not fixing garage doors, he likes to share his repairment ideas and knowledge with others.

 

Link to the article: http://blog.extremehowto.com/2018/02/20/10-maintenance-must-dos-make-garage-doors-last-longer/

Related articles: https://garagedoorrepair111.wordpress.com/

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10 Car Security Tips To Prevent Your Car From Being Stolen

Rosie on the House: Sunscreens can help prevent damage to home’s windows

Rosie Romero Rosie on the House

Each year, thousands of Arizona residents email or call Rosie Romero’s radio show with questions about everything from preventing fires in their chimneys to getting rid of tree roots invading their sewer systems. His goal is to provide answers that suit the specific lifestyle wherever someone lives in Arizona.

 

QUESTION: I’m replacing four windows in my house that had suffered serious sun damage, and I’m curious about whether putting sunscreens on them each summer would provide protection so this type of thing doesn’t happen again.

 

ANSWER: Yes, that’s possible. Just be sure to install a shade that will reflect 80 percent of the sun’s heat.

If you don’t have sunscreens, the summer heat and UV-rays can damage the vinyl frames on windows and bleach furniture, flooring and rugs.

 

The heat on glass can also break the seals in dual-pane windows. In that case, you might end up with moisture penetrating the seal and fogging up windows.

One thing to remember: Sometimes installing sunscreens can void the warranty on your windows. So check the fine print on the warranty first.

 

Q: What about blocking the sun with the old “aluminum foil inside the window” trick? Will that help keep sun and heat out of your house? Is there any harm in doing that?

 

A: It might keep the heat out of your house, but then all the sun and heat would still hit the outside of the windows and could damage the glass.

Q: I had two air conditioning units installed in my house in 1999 as part of a remodel. I was told they were horizontal units installed vertically due to tight spacing. But as a result I have had a big problem over the years with condensate leaking into my walls. I’ve even used tubs under them to catch the excess water. I was told I couldn’t install new units without removing part of the remodeled area. I was also told that replacing them might cost $45,000. What can I do about this continuing problem?

 

A: I think you have to install new properly positioned units to solve the problem. You can buy vertical air handling units that would probably fit the space without ripping up the house. I also don’t think this would cost you $45,000. Have a reputable air conditioning contractor come to your house and give you an estimate for free. It’s also probable that those old units are now reaching the end of their natural lifespan by now.

Q: I have a very tall palo verde tree that helped shade a window on the second story of my house. Then a microburst from a monsoon storm came along and tore off some of the branches. About one-third of the tree was damaged. Can I keep the tree or does it have to be removed?

 

A: Desert trees are very resilient. If you trim off some of the jagged edges on the broken branches, the tree will probably sprout new growth and continue to shade your home.

 

Q: I have a red bud tree that was planted as a sapling that I got from Georgia about 19 years ago. Now, some of the branches are starting to die off. What can I do to save it? I’ve mulched around it and I was wondering if I should fertilize it some more.

 

A: It’s very impressive that a red bud has lasted for 19 years. Arizona is definitely out of a red bud’s normal growing zone. But many unusual things can happen here if you build a little microclimate to keep a tree like that sheltered from desert winds.

These imported trees can get established and do pretty well. Unfortunately, however, it sounds as if your tree will have to be replaced at this point.

For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. Romero, an Arizona home-building and remodeling-industry expert for 29 years, is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning “Rosie on the House” radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST (790-AM) in Tucson and from 9-11 a.m. on KGVY (1080-AM and 100.7-FM) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.

 

Link to the article: https://tucson.com/lifestyles/home-and-garden/rosie-on-the-house-sunscreens-can-help-prevent-damage-to/article_26f033de-c9d1-5cc4-bf08-123eef551390.html

Related articles: https://247wallst.com/housing/2018/05/13/6-home-maintenance-chores-to-do-now/

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