weather stripping Archives

Winter Garage Door Maintenance

February 6, 2018 by Rick Scully

With all this snow, ice and fluctuating temperatures, our garages weather storms and thaws that take its toll on our homes. Especially, cold winter days affects the exterior areas of our home including the garage door and the mechanisms that allow it to continue to function flawlessly and effectively.

Neglecting the changing weather conditions will lead to unforeseen hiccups in the early morning work routines to get to work causing stress that we can all easily avoid. Here are some ways to prepare and avoid possible problems which an overnight winter freeze can cause for homeowners.

Replacing Broken Garage Door Springs

Broken garage door springs are a very common garage door repair. Garage doors with the adequate number of garage door springs installed for the size and weight of the garage door will last on average ten thousand cycles. One cycle is one opening followed by one closing of the garage door. If there are two vehicles leaving and entering the garage at different times of the day, these springs may last about 5 years. If you have a more hectic family lifestyle than two cycles per day, you may want to invest in extended lifespan torsion springs which cost more but can last up to 4x longer.

To assess whether the garage door springs may need replacement, take a look to see if there is rust on the springs. Rusty springs may mean that your garage door springs are on the way out. To prevent rust build up and maximize the life of the garage door springs, spray the springs down 3 to 4 times per year with WD-40. If there is already rust on the springs, you’ll want to test them further.

Garage Door Balance Check

A garage door balance check will help determine if the torsion springs are losing their effectiveness and will need replacement. The garage door balance check should be done once a year especially in the winter when springs are most likely to fail. The garage door balance check is easy to do.

To check door balance, lift the door halfway up and let it go. If the springs are in good working order, the door should sit completely still as it is let go. If the door drops or sags as it is let go, the torsion springs are showing wear and tear. It’s probably time to change the garage springs to avoid any issues.

Garage Door Cable Repairs

If the garage door doesn’t work, it may mean the garage door cable is broken. The garage cable or sometimes called aircraft cable is used to prevent the garage door spring from flying off like a bullet if it were to snap. The cable is located near the bottom corner of the door and loops up to the top of the door where it counterbalances the tension of the spring. The cable itself is under a lot of tension so it’s not advisable for the average person to try to replace it.

Instead, prevent damage to vehicles and belongings or injury to family members by checking the cable and preventing a cable failure. To check garage door cables, do a visual inspection and look for corrosion, rust, or fraying garage door cables. If any of these signs appear, call in a specialist to replace the cables.

Have Smooth Running Garage Door Rollers

Garage door rollers make sure the garage door rolls up smoothly and quietly. They either have open ball bearings or enclosed ones. If they have open bearings, then they should be lubricated 3 – 4 times per year to ensure long lasting rollers.

If you see that there is damage to either the rubber or nylon parts of the rollers then it’s time to replace the rollers. Other signs that the garage door rollers need replacement include wiggling of the rollers in the track as the door rolls up or down. Or, if you see the roller is locked and / or you hear grinding of the door as it opens or closes, the rollers are in need of replacement.

When the Garage Door is Frozen Shut

Each year, the weather stripping should be checked for cracks, breaks and pliability to assure that it is doing its job. Not only does it help save energy and keep the garage and vehicles warm for an easy to start to the day, but it also prevents the garage door from becoming stuck.

If on an icy morning, the garage door has becomes frozen shut and you have checked that the door is not damaged in some other way, check to make sure it is unlocked. Then, use the release cord to manually open the door. If the garage door will not open with some moderate effort, then you may need to use a hair dryer or heat gun and alternatively, hot water to melt the ice below the garage door.

On days, where you suspect an overnight freeze, be sure to apply some rock salt around the base of the garage door. Also, it’s a good idea to apply WD-40 to the weather stripping along the bottom edge of the door to improve your chances of avoiding a garage door being frozen shut.

The Annual Garage Door Check Up

If you garage door is functioning well, an annual garage door checkup is the best way to ensure that all the parts are operating well and to replace or repair parts before they malfunction. You can take all these steps yourself or call a professional service such as Aurora Overhead Doors Inc. to do the repairs safely.

On this Earth Day, Green Your Garage

April 4, 2017 by Rick Scully

Earth Day is the perfect time to reflect on our garages. Here are a number of ways to “go green” in the garage. One way to celebrate the day is to get your garage in order again after a messy winter while implementing two or three of these green initiatives to your garage. Prepare for Earth day this April 22, 2017.

Energy Savings found in the Garage

A good place to start is by checking the exterior door from the house to the garage. It should be a solid core exterior door with full weather stripping like any other exterior door of the house. Assure the weather stripping is in good shape and that it prevents drafts as well as fumes from leaking into the house from the garage. Not only will the right door and weather stripping save energy but it’ll assure the air quality within the house remains low in pollutants and toxins.

Just by emptying the central vacuum and changing the filter regularly, you’ll be able to optimize the performance of your central vacuum cleaner and minimize the energy consumed by the household.

Next, if a refrigerator is something you own in your garage, upgrade to an ENERGY STAR refrigerator. With the changing temperatures of the garage, the newer fridges with better seals and improved energy efficiency will help you reduce energy consumption significantly making it easier on the pocket book and better for the environment.

Green the Garage Door

The garage door is typically the largest single door to the outside. If you’re looking to replace the garage door, the new garage doors can be made of sustainable and recycled materials. The new garage door materials not only make the door lighter but they provide improved insulation value over the original aluminum or wood doors.

The new garage door materials use modern paints and finishes that are baked on or powder coated leaving stronger and more durable coatings and finishes. These newer materials last longer and the industrial strength finishes won’t chip and wash off into the local water system like the older garage door paints.

Finally, when selecting a new garage door, pair it with one of the new door openers which run more efficiently than older models. This means energy consumption savings over some of the older door opener systems and improved safety features for your loved ones.

Green the Lighting within the Garage

These days LED lighting can be found in all types of light formats including pot lights, floodlights and standard bulb formats. Not only do LED lights last 20,000 to 50,000 hours which is 5x more than any comparable light bulb, but they use even less energy than CFL or incandescent light bulbs.

LED light bulbs run better in cooler temperatures. Choose an outdoor LED light for the sconces outside the garage. LED lights are far less appealing to bugs so they don’t attract bugs the same way that CFL or incandescent bulbs attract swarms of flying insects. Save energy while improving the aesthetics of your outdoor light sconces.

Protect the Air Quality around the Home

Clean out your garage regularly of hazardous wastes such as paints, solvents, pesticides, fertilizers, old batteries, empty oil cans and other solvents which may emit undesirable or toxic fumes into the air within the garage.

Start a recycle centre area in the garage for hazardous waste and bring them to a local hazardous waste depot regularly. To find a depot, check out these websites:

For single-use batteries, pressurized cylinders, antifreeze/coolant, empty oil containers, oil filters: http://www.makethedrop.ca/
For medications and sharps syringes: http://www.healthsteward.ca/returns/ontario
For paints, pesticides, fertilizers, solvents: http://www.regeneration.ca/

To reduce the amount of pathogens from entering your home, add an external floor mat in front of the door to the house from the garage and then a runner or floor mat just inside this external door. This allows family members to travel a longer distance with their shoes so more particles are left behind on the mat. Just 5 steps on a runner or mat will significantly reduce the amount of particles and oils tracked into the house.

Green Your Garage Floor

Upgrade your basic cement garage floor to a polyaspartic coated garage floor or add garage floor tiles. These flooring materials make them easy to clean and don’t absorb oils or chemicals like the typical cement floor. Nor do they chip like painted garage floors so family members don’t drag in paint flakes or dust from the exposed cement when they walk through the garage.

Polyaspartic flooring is also UV resistant which means the coating does not disintegrate under the sun and provides many years of durable floor protection. Clean up is a breeze meaning that slush, snow and vehicle fluids sit on the surface and allow for removal instead of soaking down into an uncoated cement floor which makes cleaning and removal much more difficult.

When the garage floor can be cleaned easily and regularly, family members don’t carry the fluids, oils and multitudes of particles left behind by car tires, vehicle leaks or exhaust fumes with every footstep.

Get the Whole Family Involved

When greening your garage, get the entire family involved. Explain the changes and their value to the family as well as the impact to the planet. Get involvement from the entire family to make new initiatives a reality for the entire family. Celebrate your “green” garage initiatives with pride and make it contagious throughout your entire neighbourhood.

Happy Earth Day 2017!

Garage Door Challenges of Winter

February 7, 2017 by Rick Scully

The garage door has been rattling off and on for the last few weeks. Now, on a cold winter morning with ice and snow everywhere, the garage door refuses to open. It’s time to call the office, get alternative transportation for the kids and someone to help get the door moving again for the next day.

To get out of a pinch like this one, there are garage door services to help. Even better, with a few minutes of inspection and some care tips, we can all elude a troublesome morning because of a malfunctioning garage door.

Worn Out Moving Parts of a Garage Door

If we think about it, the garage door opens and closes almost daily and mostly, twice daily. Worn out parts is a natural part of the life of a garage door. Listening and paying attention for squeaking, rumbling and other sounds from the garage door is a way to remain alert to potential issues. Following up with a visual inspection of the moving parts while the door is opening and closing allows us to find and replace worn parts before they prevent the garage door from opening or closing.

The moving parts to inspect are the rollers, hinges, bearings and latches. Replacing these worn out parts will keep the garage door operational and running smoothly all year around. By getting parts replaced along with regular checkups of the garage door, any problems will be prevented without disrepair.

Clear and Properly Aligned Tracks

If the garage door sounds persist, it may be the garage door tracks. The place to start is checking for impediments in the door tracks such as leaves, gravel, dirt and salt. Impediments can cause premature wear and tear to parts such as rollers and other parts.

If the tracks are clear and the sound is a rubbing sound, it could be the door tracks are not aligned. This may be due to something as simple as a loose screw. If that’s not the case, then err on the side of caution by calling in overhead door professionals to assure the tracks get aligned properly. A garage door which is properly balanced and with garage door tracks aligned will reduce wear and tear on the parts to ensure long lasting and problem free garage door ownership.

When it comes to a balanced garage door and properly align garage door tracks, leave it to the trained professionals for peace of mind.

Metal Parts Need Lubricants

Many of the garage door parts are metal. Lubricants such as silicone based ones or grease help prevent friction between parts as well as expansion of metal which causes ill-fitting parts to rub together unnecessarily. Lubricants protect metals from freezing or freezing to other parts. With lubricants, metal parts continue to glide smoothly over each other even when frigid temperatures settle in. Assure lubricants are clean and the correct viscosity for the cold of winter and then again for the heat of summer.

Check with your local garage door expert for advice on lubricants which work best for the seasons experienced in your region.

Reduce Drafts with Fresh Weather-Stripping

The weather-stripping that runs along the bottom edge of the garage door serves to prevent cold air from rushing into the garage. If there are broken edges to the weather-stripping, the garage and house may be losing heat. This makes it more difficult to maintain a warm garage and home.

Weather stripping should be soft and pliable to effectively seal against water and cold. Brittle weather-stripping is more likely to lift and collect ice at the base of the door. Weather-stripping in good condition will also keep out insects and small rodents. Care for the weather-stripping of your garage door and it will protect your family and home.

If you’re handy, there are many YouTube videos and help by the local hardware store to show you how to replace the weather-stripping. Otherwise, request a weather-stripping replacement from a local handyman or garage door specialist.

Checking the Auto-Reverse Safety Features

Automatic garage doors come with a safety feature so loved ones will be protected from the closing mechanism should they be in the path of the garage door while the door is on its way down. The way to test if the safety features are still working properly is to place a piece of wood or a brick on the ground in the path of the garage door. Then, push the button to close the garage door. When the garage door presses against the wood or brick, it should release and return back to an open position. If your garage door is not doing this then there is something amiss.

If your garage door has photoelectric sensors, it might be the photo eye that is a problem. To test the photo eye, wave the handle of a broom or shovel in front the photo eye sensor while the garage door is closing. The door should reverse when the sensor beam is broken and return to an open door position. If this is not happening, start by wiping the front of the sensor to clean the path for the beam to appear.

If the path of the beam is clear, the next step is to make sure the sensor is pointed towards the sensor on the opposite side of the garage door opening. If not, the sensor may have been knocked out of place so a small adjustment may re-align it and make it activate again.

If any of these safety features continue to malfunction, it’s time to have your trained garage door professional troubleshoot the safety mechanisms so your family will remain unharmed.

General Care for a Garage Door

Overall, a semi-annual check of your door for wood chips, rust and fraying tension cables will help maintain your garage door for many years of use. While the handyman in the family can sand wood and rust from garage door parts, seek a professional if you find any fraying tension cables. Garage doors can be very heavy so a well-maintained door is important to its daily function and to your family’s well-being.

An ignored garage door can lead to a wide range nuisances, damage to vehicles and most importantly, endanger the safety of family members. If you believe there may be an issue, call your local professional today and make a semi-annual garage door inspection part of a garage maintenance routine.

Protect Your Garage Door during Winter Weather

December 15, 2015 by Rick Scully

Harsh Canadian winters are tough on roads and automobiles. The weather can also wreak havoc on your garage door. Ice and snow builds up beneath the garage door, freezing it shut. Metal components contract and seize up in extreme temperatures. Old lubricating grease hardens when temperatures drop, gumming up the tracks. While some issues cause minor inconveniences, others can lead to expensive damage to your garage door or garage opener.

Whether your garage is unfinished or you’ve invested in a snazzy garage renovation, you want to protect your home and the items stored inside your garage. Not all of the consequences of brutal winter weather can be avoided. However, a few preventive steps will greatly reduce the likelihood you’ll return home to the aggravation of a frozen garage door.

Inspect Your Garage Door Regularly

Like many elements of your home and car, your garage door should be inspected regularly. From inside, with the garage door closed, do a monthly inspection of the door and its moving components. Examine rollers, pulley, cables and springs for damage or excessive wear. Confirm that the mounting hardware is securely fastened.

If you see evidence of damage to cables or torsion springs, do not try to adjust them yourself. This can cause injury to you or severe damage to the garage door. Instead, consult a garage door professional who can take care of trickier maintenance and repair issues for you. If you don’t know one, a good garage renovation specialist can likely recommend one for you.

Get the Gunk Out

The moving parts of your garage door require lubricant to slide against one another easily each time the garage door is opened or closed. The grease used to lubricate garage door parts can thicken over time. Debris also tends to collect in the tracks and on the rollers, interfering with movement.

When air temperature dips considerably, the old grease and debris caught in the tracks tends to harden. This clogs the tracks and prevents normal operation of your garage door. To remove built-up gunk, use a damp cloth to remove debris and grease that has built up inside the tracks or on other parts.

Lubricate Your Garage Door

Once you’ve cleared away the hardened grease, get a good grade of silicone lubricant made for use with garage doors. For smooth, trouble-free operation during the winter, and year-round, all the moving parts of your garage door must stay lubricated. Spray rollers, bushings and hinges liberally with the lubricant. Then spray between the sections of the garage door to prevent them from sticking together during icy weather. Do not spray the spring, the chain, the bottom of the chain rail or the track.

Check periodically to ensure that all components are lubricated and operating optimally. Reapply lubricant, as needed. However, be careful not to lube components too much. Too much lubrication can interfere with the alignment of the rollers and lead to a buildup of gunky grease again.

Keep your silicone lubricant and any other household items out of the reach of pets and small children. A locked storage cabinet or high garage shelving are ideal for storing such household items.

Clean and Examine Weather Stripping

The weather stripping beneath your garage door plays an important role. It prevents water, snow, ice and debris from entering your garage. Frequent use of the garage door puts wear and tear on the weather seal. When the weather stripping is compromised, water and dust can get into the garage and damage items stored there. Ice and snow will also build up beneath the garage door if the weather stripping is worn or damaged. If this happens, you could return home from a long day of work one wintry evening to discover that your garage door is frozen to the ground.

Maintain your weather stripping to protect your garage door and the opening mechanism, which can be damaged when you try to raise a garage door that has been frozen shut. First, take a rag and wipe down the seal, inside and out. Then, thoroughly examine the weather stripping. Check for cracks, wear and missing pieces. Test the seal to ensure it is keeping cold air and moisture outside.

If your garage door weather stripping has been damaged, replacing it is an easy fix. Purchase a good garage door seal and install it after removing the old one. If you’d rather not tackle the job yourself, a garage door professional can handle the job for you.

For added protection in the event that moisture does get inside the garage, store items inside your garage above ground whenever possible. A good slatwall organization system, garage storage cabinets and overhead garage storage racks will keep your belongings high and dry if water or ice gets inside.

Four Ways to Reduce Costs by Winterizing Your Garage

November 24, 2015 by Rick Scully

Frigid winter temperatures can wreak havoc in and around your garage. More than a mere inconvenience, freezing temperatures can drain the energy efficiency of your home, putting a sizable dent in your wallet. Preventive maintenance in your garage will save you time and heating energy while preventing expensive repairs. Consider four ways you can reduce costs by winterizing your garage.

Organize Your Garage

Avoid the frustration of rummaging through the garage to locate the window washer fluid or a shovel when it’s icy outside. Organize your garage for the most efficient use during winter (and throughout the year). A complete garage renovation during a bitter cold Toronto winter isn’t feasible. However, the following steps will help you organize your garage for winter:

Group items into task-related zones. Create zones for winter sports, automotive care, winter yard care, tools, household items and the garbage and recycling. You can quickly locate the item you need when it’s stored in the same place every time.
Store chemicals, household products and other items in garage storage cabinets. Tall, locked, vertical cabinets keep dangerous chemicals beyond the reach of pets and small children. Horizontal cabinets create hidden, accessible storage. Countertops double as project workspace. Relocate paint and fuel gels, which can freeze, inside during winter.
Reclaim floor space with a garage slatwall organization system. Lockable hooks, shelves and baskets provide flexible storage for ice skates, sleds and hockey sticks. Shelves, hooks and baskets can be quickly and easily moved. High hooks and shelves keep items out of little hands. Low baskets enable small children to store and retrieve their own winter toys and gear.
Store out-of-season items or those infrequently used on overhead garage storage Overhead storage racks are ideal for storing outdoor furniture cushions, holiday decorations and bulky items that take up too much space.

Garage organization doesn’t have to be daunting. Keep it simple until you’re prepared for a more ambitious garage renovation.

Weatherproof Your Garage

The harsh Canadian winter is tough on garages. Heat loss during cold weather wastes energy and significantly increases heating costs. Take an hour or so to care for the tasks below. You’ll reduce energy costs and prevent costly repairs.

Seal garage door and trim. Reduce drafts in your garage by applying weatherstripping around the sides and bottom of the garage door. Caulk the leading edge of the newly-installed weatherstripping. Fill gaps in garage door trim using foam or caulk backer rod (for larger gaps). Finish up with a quality indoor/outdoor caulk.
Insulate the garage door. Heat loss via your garage door can lower the temperature inside your garage (and the vehicles stored there) considerably. A single or double layer of foam board installed between the garage door frames reduces heat loss.
Fix or replace weather stripping around doors and windows. A tight seal is the key to keeping warm air inside and cold air out. Weatherstripping around windows and doors compresses over time and deteriorates due to age, exposure to the elements and other damage. Do a visual inspection of weatherstripping around windows and doors. Look for obvious damage. Close the door and check for gaps. Repair or replace weatherstripping as needed.
Insulate older, less efficient water heaters. Newer water heaters are insulated for cost-effective operation during brutally cold winters. Older tanks with an R-value rating of less than 24 must work harder to heat water and keep it warm, especially when located in an unheated space. Reduce heat loss by up to 45% and cut your heating costs by as much as 9% by draping the water heater with a water heater insulation blanket.
Insulate outside wall light switches and electrical outlets. As much as 5% of outside air that seeps inside your home each year enters via exterior wall light switches and electrical outlets. Reduce drafts and heat loss with inexpensive foam insulation designed for electrical covers.

Prevent Pipes from Freezing

Frozen water pipes and spigots can cause costly damage to your home. To prevent damage:

Drain, remove and store garden hoses. If left connected, ice can form and create pressure in interior water lines. This could lead to an expensive water line break. Instead, remove the hose, drain it and store it.
Turn off outside water sources during the frigid winter months. If there is an interior shut-off valve, cut off the water to exterior water spigots. Allow water to drain from faucet to prevent freezing.
Insulate pipes. An insulated faucet jacket will protect your exterior water spigot and connected interior pipes from frigid temperatures.

In addition to preventing damage and costly repairs, you’ll prevent accidents that could occur when dripping water freezes, creating a slippery surface.

Seal Garage Floors

A polyaspartic flooring system is a tough, durable floor coating with the look of granite. It seals floors, keeps moisture out, reduces dust, provides non-slip grip and is easy to clean. This professionally-installed flooring system includes a ten-year warranty and is available in a wide range of colours.

This winter, your garage will take a beating from cold temperatures, ice and snow. Lessen the impact of harsh winter weather by organizing your space with a garage wall storage system and garage cabinets; weatherproofing your water heater, windows, doors and electrical outlets; turning off exterior water sources; and sealing garage floors.

Ready to improve the look and function of your garage? Garage Tailors Garage specializes in custom garage renovations designed to maximize storage and make your garage the envy of the neighborhood. Request a consultation and reserve your space today on our spring garage renovation schedule.

Seven Ways to Make Your Garage More Green

April 22, 2014 by Rick Scully

Today, the world is celebrating Earth Day, a day for renewed appreciation of the earth and the environment. It’s also an excellent time to examine ways that we can live a more earth-friendly lifestyle. We often consider how to make our homes greener. Yet, an important part of our homes is often overlooked: the garage. However, there are several ways, big and small, that we can incorporate our garages in the plan to make our homes more eco-friendly.

Get Green Garage Doors

If you have an attached garage, a significant amount of heating and cooling energy escapes your home through the garage. A lack of insulation in the garage door, coupled with its frequent opening and closing, can make your garage extremely cold in the winter and uncomfortably warm in the summer. Any room sharing a wall with your garage will experience energy loss. However, an insulated, energy-efficient garage door can mitigate the temperature difference, reducing energy loss by more than seventy percent. This results in considerable savings on your energy bill.

Energy-efficient garage doors are more expensive. So do your research and check the R-value of any door you’re considering. This number represents the door’s ability to resist heat flow (in or out). The higher the R-value is, the stronger the door’s insulation properties. In addition to being energy-efficient, many green garage doors are made of recycled material.

Use Solar Power to Light Your Garage

Looking for a way to reduce your energy bill while also keeping your home safe? Install solar-powered floodlights and/or lanterns on the garage exterior. Install solar-powered spotlights along your driveway. These energy-saving lights are reasonably-priced at a local big box store and can be installed fairly easily. Solar-powered lights will make your home safer and more beautiful. The energy savings you’ll enjoy can quickly recoup the cost of the lighting.

Make the Switch from Incandescent Bulbs

You might not be prepared to invest in solar-powered indoor lighting. Yet, there’s another way to go green with your indoor lighting. Make the switch from incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent (CFL) or LED bulbs. CFL or LED bulbs will cost a bit more than incandescent light bulbs. However, an incandescent bulb lasts for about a year while a CFL bulb can last up to ten years and an LED bulb can last up to twenty-five years. CFL and LED lights are also more efficient in their energy use, unlike incandescent bulbs which waste up to 90% of their energy consumption on heat, rather than light.

Use Lighting with Motion Detectors

Take the energy-efficiency of your outdoor and indoor lighting one step further by incorporating motion detectors. Exterior lighting with motion sensors provides an additional layer of security to your home. Inside the garage, lights with motion sensors will automatically shut off when there is no movement in the garage. This eliminates the energy waste experienced when someone inadvertently leaves the lights on inside the garage.

Mind the Gaps

Another place where energy is lost in your home is through the gaps between the walls and floor of your garage. Over time the garage settles and the spaces between the floor and the walls widen. Heating and cooling is lost through these gaps as air escapes into the garage. This can be resolved with a relatively simple and inexpensive fix. Get some caulk and a caulk gun and fill in the spaces. Talk to the clerk at your local hardware store to ensure that you purchase the appropriate caulk for the job.

Put your hand near the perimeter of the door between the house and the garage. Do you feel a draft? If so, cold air is seeping into the house through the gap around your door. Close this conduit for drafty air with inexpensive weather stripping. It’s an incredibly simple job that you can do in less than an hour with a few simple tools. Weather stripping will make your home warmer and more comfortable, plus you’ll see a reduction in your energy bills.

There’s one more gap that needs minding. Since there isn’t a visible gap around your electrical outlets and lighting fixtures, you might not realize that air can also seep through the spaces around them. Additionally, carbon monoxide fumes can escape from your garage into your home through those fixtures. To remedy the situation, simply buy an inexpensive package of fire-resistant foam seals made for this purpose. Remove the faceplate. Place the seal. Replace the faceplate. Voila! You’re done. After you’ve sealed all of the faceplates between the house and garage, put seals on all outlets and light switches on exterior walls inside your home for maximum benefit.

Capture and Reuse Rainwater

Take your commitment to going green up a notch by capturing and reusing rain water for jobs that don’t require potable water. For instance, recycled rainwater can be used to water the lawn, wash the car or bathe the dog. Purchase a rain barrel and then install it in three easy steps. Measure the height of the barrel. Cut the downspout. Then install the elbow that will divert rainwater into your barrel. The next time it rains you’ll be collecting fresh water. The best part? You’ll be rewarded for your efforts with a reduced water bill.

Install a Car Charging Station in Your Garage

What better way is there to make your garage greener than to switch to an eco-friendly vehicle, like a hybrid or all-electric car? If you’re considering making the switch, there’s one more eco-friendly element you’ll need to add to your garage. You’ll need to install Electric Vehicle Service Equipment (EVSE), or what is often called a car “charging” station. This allows for convenient, overnight charging of your vehicle.

Doing our part to help the environment may feel overwhelming, at times. However, a greener lifestyle doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing proposal. Every little bit helps. Start by incorporating one or two green initiatives into your daily lifestyle. Do the options discussed here seem like more than you’re ready to take on alone? If you want to make your garage greener, but you aren’t sure how request a garage renovation consultation. Alternately, you can start smaller. Check our most recent post for seven easy ways to go green this spring.