A.B.E. Doors & Windows Blog

Garage doors - they are a fundamental necessity and welcoming comfort to any residence.  Garage doors allow every homeowner to experience a level of convenience, functionality, security, and self-expression.  Not only is your garage door one of the most hardworking and frequently used entranceways into your residence, but it is oftentimes the most overlooked household appliance in your daily life.  Because your garage door is certainly the largest and heaviest moving entity of your home, it can cause serious injury, or even death, if misused or left unattended.  This is why it is crucial that adults and children alike should be educated on garage door safety.  Fully understanding the importance and benefit of spreading knowledge and safety awareness, the IDA (International Door Association) has created a website dedicated to all this and more:  GarageDoorCare.com.

"Garage Door Care's main intent is to make sure that you and your family knows how to properly operate and maintain your garage door system safely at all times."  And this site offers truly insightful facts and educational information on what exactly it takes for a homeowner to respect and properly care for their garage door.  Garage Door Care has a variety of simple and easy-to-understand guides and media content that touch on subjects such as:

• The components of a garage door system and what should be done to best maintain any garage door to ensure reliable and excellent operation.

• How to perform simple safety and maintenance tasks yourself, and when NOT to!  It is always best to use extreme caution when working on or near a garage door, and sometimes you absolutely should leave it for a trained professional to service.

• IDA's Garage Door Safety Challenge, which quizzes your general knowledge of garage doors and offers enlightenment as to whether or not yours meets safety standards.  This section also includes wonderfully efficient "kid safe" tips to use when teaching children about garage door risks and how to avoid them.

• Finding a qualified professional in your immediate area to service all of your garage door needs, and what you should look for in any reputable and reliable garage door technician.  These qualifications include Experience, Workmanship, Code and Regulatory Compliance, Insurance Coverage, and Financial Integrity.

Whether you are a homeowner looking to become more informed about one of the most significant pieces of equipment in your household, or you are a trained and certified garage door service technician looking to review what you already know, I recommend that you visit http://garagedoorcare.com.  Absolutely everyone who visits this site will gain something of value.  The benefits you will gain from educating yourself and consistently using safety-conscious practices will last you a lifetime!

When homeowners consider ratings on replacement windows, air infiltration is often overlooked. That's not surprising. Currently this information isn't placed on windows - yet it is an important detail in assessing how well they'll perform.

Manufacturers do provide U values to help buyers gauge window performance. That's a helpful measurement, and it should be considered whenever you think about a window purchase. But it doesn't tell the whole story. If a window isn't doing a good job of preventing air infiltration, rooms can feel cold and drafty. Windows made without today's high-tech airlocks, weatherstripping, and air-trapping baffles won't deliver the comfort you want.

Infiltration is measured in cubic feet per minute, or CFM. The industry average for new windows is .30 CFM where the wind load is 25 miles per hour. A traditional wood window protected only by weatherstripping comes in at .23 CFM. Standard vinyl windows carry a somewhat better air infiltration rating of .15 CFM.

If you want really exceptional resistance to infiltration, we recommend our flagship windows from SoftLite. The popular, mid-line Bainbridge window is rated at .07 CFM - and the premium Elements window allows only .01 CFM of air leakage per minute.

To put that in perspective, you could install 23 Elements windows and have only as much air infiltration as a single wood-framed window would allow. Think about that seriously before you purchase a window that's not really built to limit air infiltration. You won't experience the same comfort with a window that leaks a lot of air. That's another reason we encourage you to call us first at 610-398-2430 anytime you're considering replacing your windows.

For the last few installments of our blog, we've been looking at some of the things homeowners can do to get ready for what's predicted to be a much tougher winter than the one we sailed through last year. Here's one more aspect of that subject to consider: weatherstripping.

For entrance doors and garage doors, making sure that the weatherstripping is undamaged and properly installed can make a difference every day you're heating your home. (It helps when you're air conditioning the house in hot weather, too.)

We recommend that you start with a simple visual inspection. Just check out the door frame and take note of any weatherstripping that has come loose or isn't in good condition. We especially recommend paying close attention to the material at the bottom of your garage door.

If you need to replace some or all of the weatherstripping on your doors, stop by our office in Wescosville. Weatherstrippping isn't universal, so you can't really get a good result by just picking up the first thing you find at a big box store. The good news is that we stock the correct material for many types of doors, and often can provide just what you need. The best idea is to bring along a sample from the door you're servicing.

When you have door problems that look like more than simple home-handyman repairs, we'll be glad to help. Just call our office at 610-398-2430 and ask for Terry in our service department. If you really do need a new door, you're already on your way with the region's installation leader. The colder days are right aroung the corner, so phone today.

It's a little strange to think about it, but in less than three months we'll be in the middle of the holiday season. Like it or not, winter isn't far off - so now's the time to get started on storm door replacement that can give you better performance when foul weather hits.

Many storm doors still in use were built and installed 10 years ago or longer. Older wood-core doors often rot from the inside out; they may also delaminate and crack. Hard-used aluminum storm doors show dents, dings and wear. Any older door may no longer close and fit the way it was designed to. And in the wintertime that can make your home more expensive to heat and harder to keep comfortable.

Many ABE customers like the convenience, performance and sheer good looks of our top-of-the-line storm doors, the Spectrum Series from ProVia. These premium doors feature superior style and outstanding functionality, including a feature that's really popular with homeowners who are tired of swapping out screens and glass each spring and fall. It's called the InVent retractable screening system. When the change of seasons means its time to switch from screen to glass, the screen simply retracts to a built-in roller tube inside the door. Slide the glass in place and you're set. You don't have to remove, replace or store framed screens and windows, and the changeover is a snap.

Many of our customers also favor ProVia's workhorse Deluxe line. Made with standard-type screens and windows, Deluxe storm doors are available in a wide range of beautiful styles that complement the look of any home. They're built with tempered safety glass and durable finishes, and protected by a Lifetime Limited Transferable Warranty.

Whether you select from these or other lines of ProVia storm doors, you can choose doors in an array of colors and customize them with your preferred hardware styles and finishes, including satin nickel, bright brass or aged bronze. You also have the convenient, secure option of setting up the lock so that one key opens both the storm door and the entrance door inside. Contact ABE Doors & Windows today for more on the perfect selection to keep this winter's storms at bay.