FAQ
1. Should I visit the showroom
- a. visit to a garage door company's showroom can often be worth
its weight in gold, especially in today's environment. With so many companies coming
and going, a visit to the showroom helps you to see that there is a real company
and not just simply a website or advertisement. Many companies often work out of
their home and cell phone and then when you need service or warranty work, cannot
be found. Anaheim Door has multiple locations with showrooms.
- b. A proper showroom should let the buyer see the full-size doors
on display which provides a much better understanding of the product than trying
to decide which product to buy by simply looking at a flyer or from a few beat-up
hand samples from the back of a pick-up truck.
2. What are some of the important factors to consider when buying a garage door
- a. The Garage Door Company is perhaps one of the biggest factors
when buying a garage door. Many companies, especially in today's economy, come and
go and often work out of their home or the tailgate of their pick-up referred to
as 'tailgaters'. Consumers which just purchase by looking at a pretty advertisement
or website may not realize that they are dealing with a tailgater which often does
not have the proper resources to support the products installed leaving the homeowner
with nothing but a tailgater phone number when problems occur or warranty work is
needed. Anaheim Door has multiple locations and has been established for over 40
years with over 400,000 jobs.
- b. Employees are another large, yet overlooked factor. Many companies
will subcontract the installation to installers which pay piece work meaning the
installer wants to get in and out as quick as possible. Hourly paid company employees
do not have incentive to get out as quick as possible. They are paid for the amount
of time the job takes. Although many companies misrepresent their installers as
hourly, having uniformed installers in lettered trucks helps to confirm that the
installers work directly for the garage door company. All of Anaheim Door's installation
trucks are lettered trucks with uniformed installers.
- c. Insurance should be a factor as all companies should have workers
compensation insurance if they have any employees. This is for the protection of
the homeowner because without workers compensation insurance, the homeowner could
be liable for any injury that occurs at the homeowner's residence. Anaheim Door
maintains not only workers compensation insurance, but auto and general liability
insurance for your piece of mind.
- d. Contractor's License is a must. Any garage door company in California
should have a license from the California State Licensed Board, CSLB. In general,
the lower the license number, the older the company. Anaheim Door is a CSLB.
3. What are the different categories of garage doors
- a. Typically there are three different categories in garage doors.
These are Carriage House Doors, Panel Garage Doors (raised panel or flat panel),
and Glass Garage Doors. Each category can be made of many different materials including
natural stain grade woods, paint grade wood, composite materials, steel, and aluminum.
- b. Carriage House Garage Doors are typically custom made. There
are often unlimited designs from standard to highly custom. They can be made from
many different materials including natural stain grade woods, paint grade wood,
composite materials, steel, and aluminum. Anaheim Door offers models with all the
different materials. Composite is rapidly becoming one of the most popular. Click here to see the photo gallery of Carriage House doors.
- c. Panel Garage Doors are the more traditional designs and can
be a raised panel, flat panel, or no panel (flush). Panel doors are often referred
to in design by panels across then panel vertically such as a 6/4 which would be
6 panels across and 4 panels high. The most flexible in panel design is wood panel
doors which can be made in numerous different panel designs. They can be made from
many different materials including natural stain grade woods, paint grade wood,
composite materials, steel, and aluminum. Different designs and models can be viewed
by clicking the following link Click
here
- d. Glass Garage Doors are a unique design made for a niche market.
The glass garage doors are often made with aluminum rails and stiles and have a
flat glass panel. The glass can be made of numerous different types of glass from
completely clear to white frosted to tinted or completely obscure. Anaheim Door
offers two different models in glass garage doors. Pictures of these doors can be
viewed by clicking on the following link
Click here
4. What is the difference in garage door materials
- a. Garage doors can be made of many different materials. The most
common are composite, steel or wood. Different materials have different advantages
depending on what the consumer needs. Many companies only offer steel doors, but
a more established company will have a full array of models with all the different
door materials. Anaheim Door has numerous models in each category.
- b. Steel Garage Doors are most common and often start as the cheapest
in garage doors, but can get much more expensive as the quality of door, steel,
and insulation increases. Our steel doors are prepainted in with baked on paints
in different colors, however, they can be painted if you want a custom color.
- c. Composite Garage Doors are rapidly becoming the premium garage
door. Composite doors like the Excel composite provide the look and feel of wood
with the durability of steel. The Excel composite does not dent nor rust like steel
doors can. The Anaheim Door Excel composite does not have seams or separations as
found in wood doors which often means less maintenance than traditional wood doors.
- d. Wood Garage Doors just cannot be replicated in aesthetic appearance
and flexibility. The richness of a well constructed wood door is unmatched by a
steel or composite door. Wood doors can be either a bare wood to be stained or paint
grade using materials better suited for painting. All of the paint-grade doors by
Anaheim Door are typically factory primed for the best protection and can be factory
pre-painted in any color as an option prior to installation. Wood doors can be made
as raised panel, flat panel, or flush (no panel). Anaheim Door custom manufactures
doors in the Anaheim location.
5. What are the different garage door panel options
- a. Garage doors have several different panel options including
raised panel, flat or recessed panel, and flush (no panel). Anaheim Door has these
on display in their showrooms to fully illustrate the differences.
- b. Raised panel is a raised panel made by shaping a wooden panel,
embossing steel, or pressing or shaping composite materials.
- c. Flat or Recessed Panel is more of a contemporary look and is
typically found in natural or paint grade wood doors.
- d. Flush Panel is a design that has no panels. It is a flat surface
which can be either smooth or textured depending on the type of garage door.
6. What is the difference in insulation factors
- a. R- Value - will vary considerably from one door to another depending
on many different factors. One of the primary factors is the type, thickness and
density of the insulation. The primary types of insulation in garage doors are Polyurethane
and Polystyrene - see the next FAQ for explanation between these two types of insulation.
The higher the R-value number, the better the insulation provided.
- b. Uninsulated (1 layer) - Steel doors have different insulation
options. Uninsulated means that the door does not have insulation which may sometimes
be referred to as '1 layer' or a pan door. Uninsulated steel doors have an open
interior which shows all the stiles and panel embossments.
- c. Partially insulated (2 Layer) - refers to uninsulated (pan)
steel doors that have insulation added to the open interior framing. This is typically
a polystyrene insulation. The polystyrene insulation is often protected by either
a vinyl or steel backing sheet. The partially insulated door provides slightly better
insulation than uninsulated doors. Often consumers select this option to quite down
the door as well as provide more of a finished interior appearance.
- d. Fully insulated (3 layer) in regards to steel doors typically
refers to a garage door with a steel front and steel back. The fully insulated doors
are typically made only as a fully insulated door. They do not have an option for
uninsulated or partial insulation. A fully insulated, 3 layer, door typically provides
a continuous steel back hiding all the vertical stiles. This provides the most aesthetically
pleasing option.
7. What is the difference between Polyurethane insulation verse Polystyrene insulation
- a. Polyurethane insulation is typically a foam in place insulation
providing a denser insulation than Polystyrene and a higher R-value for the same
given thickness. Polyurethane typically gives you better insulation although this
can be affected by many factors. Anaheim Door offers models such as the AnaCapa
and Coronado with an unheard of insulation r-value of 18. This door has tremendous
insulating factors.
- b. Polystyrene insulation is similar to the bean bag material pressed
together into a sheet. Anaheim Door offers the Clemente with a Polystyrene insulation
and steel back which offers an impressive 10.25 r-value.
- c. Typically, the thicker the insulation, the better the insulating
R-value when staying with the same type of insulation. Anaheim Door has several
full-size models on display in their showrooms to illustrate the difference between
uninsulated (1 layer), partially insulated (2 layer), and fully insulated (3 layer).
8. What is the best gauge of steel
- a. Gauge is an important factor in the measurement of steel. In
general the lower the number, the thicker the steel. 24-gauge steel is thicker than
25-gauge steel with all other factors remaining equal. Some manufacturers may use
steel as thin as 27-gauge. Others may just refer to the steel as non-gauged which
is often because they do not want to publish just how thin it is. Some manufactures
have steel so thin that it can be simply punctured by a pencil.
9. What are the different drive types of garage door openers
- a. There are four primary drive types consisting of belt, chain,
screw, and direct drive. These refer to what drives the garage door opener to operate
the garage door.
- b. Belt drive - This is often the quietist of the different drive
types and consists of a ribbed drive belt made of polyurethane and molded with flexible
steel cords, similar to a steel belted tire.
- c. Chain drive - This is one of the oldest and most proven methods,
but tends to be a little louder than other types. The chain is a very reliable drive
type when a continuous high-quality chain is used. Some manufactures may try to
reduce cost by using a chain cable combination, but this often comes at the expense
of reliability.
- d. Screw drive - uses a type of screw that turns within the rail.
This was once a very popular type, but has now for the most part been replaced with
the quieter belt drive.
- e. Direct drive - uses a direct drive mechanism, often referred
to as a jackshaft opener. It does not require a traditional rail. It mounts to the
side of the garage door at the header. It is typically more expensive than the other
drive types, but allows the opener to be used where clearances would not otherwise
allow a traditional drive opener to be installed. Many consumers have started to
prefer the cleaner appearance of the jack shaft. Not all jack shaft openers are
created the same. Many are not strong enough to properly operate standard garage
door.
10. What are the different type of garage door motors
- a. Garage door opener motors can be one of two types, either AC
or DC.
- b. AC motors are the traditional motors and tend to be a little
louder.
- c. DC motors tend to be little quieter and allow for slow start/stop
operation. Many DC openers have the option for a battery back-up or even better
have the battery back-up unit integrated within the opener. The Anaheim Door model
ADR3850b is one such unit with a DC motor and integrated battery back-up allowing
up to 40 cycles within a 24 hour period and will recharge automatically when the
power returns.
11. What is a wireless keypad
- a. Wireless keypads are devices that are typically mounted to your
existing garage door jamb. They have a ten-digit keypad on the device. This allows
the user to enter a 4 digit code to open the garage door. The code can be changed
by a simple programming sequence which can be done from the keypad itself. The user
can program codes to be good all the time, for a predetermined number of uses or
a set number of days. The model 377 keypad can be seen at Click here
12. What are some of the primary factors to consider when buying a garage door
- a. There are several important factors in buying a garage door.
One of the biggest factors is the garage door company itself. How long have they
been in business? Do they have a physical location or even multiple locations? Do
they have a showroom? Do they have a contractor's license? Do they have company
installers? Do they have workers compensation insurance, general liability insurance,
auto insurance? Anaheim Door has been established for over 40 years with multiple
locations and showrooms in each location. Anaheim Door is licensed and bonded and
carries workers compensation, general liability and auto insurance.
