How Garage Doors Work - The Ups and Downs of It All

Although we can jokingly say that garage doors have their ups and downs, they're mostly ups. There have been very few downs for garage doors since their invention. There was the safety issue, with children being trapped under automatic garage doors, but that's been all but rectified now. And the future looks very promising for the garage door industry. So we're going to bring you up-to-date on everything that's going on with a simple explanation on how garage doors work. We'll show you those ups and downs and all the parts that make them go. We'll branch out a bit into the actual garages, and see how their styling has affected the design of the door itself. So push that remote, close that garage door, and come on in - the class is about to begin.

The evolution of the garage door

For hundreds of years, the material used for almost every kind of construction was wood. It wasn't because wood was the best insulator, or because it looked the best. It was because that was all there was. So builders did what they could with what they had. But when you look at it, they did pretty well. Garage doors evolved fairly quickly, from the old barn-door style of the carriage house, to the folding overhead door that we know today.

The first overhead garage door, which swung outwards, was built by Overhead Door Corporation, back in 1921. Since then, that company has introduced many innovations in the garage door industry. But they're not the only one, by far. One of the largest garage door manufacturers is Wayne-Dalton, who offer a full line of garage door openers and hardware, as well as their own line of high-quality doors, crafted by the meticulous Amish craftsmen. Clopay Building Products is another company that started early, and developed superior technology in their garage doors and openers. In fact, today, Clopay is the largest manufacturer of residential garage door systems in the United States.

There are a number of other companies that have made significant contributions to the industry. Stanley is probably one of the most well-known. Although there's been a split in the Stanley company, they're still contributing to the relevant technology. For example, their StanVision Door Automation and Surveillance System has been installed at the Jacksonville International Airport in Florida. And their sister company, Stanley Hardware, has a complete selection of garage door replacement parts.

And then there are the companies that specialize in garage door openers, like Liftmaster and Craftsman. Liftmaster's latest claim to fame is their EverCharge™ Battery Backup System, which keeps an automatic garage door opener running, even when the power goes out - a valuable tool if you need to get your vehicle out of the garage in an emergency. They also have their own line of opening systems for garage doors. Craftsman's latest contribution is their "Silent Drive" garage door opener. It uses a polyurethane belt that provides the quietest-opening door on the market. And that's important if you have a room above the garage where somebody may be sleeping.