How Do Garage Doors Work?

Your garage doors are the largest moving part in your entire home and you use them on a daily basis, but many people don’t know how they work. Here is a brief rundown of how they work. And if you have more questions about garage doors in Hugo, give Premium Garage Door Service a call!

Garage doors rely on a counterbalance system in order to operate, which means they use a force to offset the weight of the garage doors. The two types of counterbalance systems are torsion spring systems and extension spring systems.

A torsion spring system is the most common. Springs are horizontally mounted above the garage doors’ opening. There are also cables attached to the bottom of the garage doors’ corners. The cables cause the springs to wind and the winding is what energizes the system. The energy is then shifted to the door through the unwinding of the springs when the garage doors are opened.

An extension spring system is not as common as a torsion spring system. Extension springs are attached to cables that are then attached to the garage doors’ bottom corner. The springs will stretch as the garage doors close. When the garage doors open, the stored energy in the extension springs lift the doors.

And this illustrates why it is so important to make sure your garage doors and all of their parts are in good working order. It is frustrating to try to open and close your garage doors only to discover they are not working properly and the springs or cables need to be replaced or repaired! Thankfully, we offer 24/7 emergency service, so you never have to go long without working garage doors!

For more information on garage doors in Hugo, call Premium Garage Door Service at 651-344-0489 or contact us and Request Service.

Garage Doors: Fun Facts and Trivia

Garage doors are an interesting topic to those of us here at Premium Garage Door Service. Over the years, we have learned quite a bit about them. As a company that installs and repairs garage doors in New Brighton, we’ve collected several interesting facts that we’d like to share with you now.

• Did you know that installing new garage doors could increase the value of your home by 1 percent to 4 percent?
• One of the best safety features for garage doors is a photoelectric eye. These can help protect you from getting injured by a closing garage door.
• Seventy-one percent of homeowners use their garage doors as the main entrance to their home, according to a 2007 Perfect Home survey.
• Proper maintenance and repairs are essential to keeping your garage doors in good working order. Garage doors are the largest moving part of your home!
• Do not try to open or close a garage door if it’s broken. This could make the damage much worse.
• If you are thinking of trying to do repair work by yourself on your garage doors – don’t! Repairs should always be done by the professionals, like the ones here at Premium Garage Door Service.
• New garage doors can add curb appeal to your home and can help your home stand out among the others on your block. Plus, custom garage doors can give your home a unique appearance.
• You can save money on your electric bill by getting new garage doors installed. New ones nowadays have added insulation.
• Garage doors are made out of aluminum, wood, steel and other similar materials.
• Fifty percent of all residential burglaries occur because a garage door was left unlocked or open.

For more information on garage doors in New Brighton, call us at 651-344-0489 or Request Service.

What's So Important About Garage Door Springs?

When you open and close your garage door, do you ever take a close look at all of its components? Did you know that one of the main parts of a garage door are the springs? Premium Garage Door Service, a Forest Lake garage doors repair and installation company, has several reasons it's important to keep an eye on them.

These springs help the garage doors open and close, which is their most basic function. The garage door's motor couldn't open and close them on its own, so these springs play a vital role. One of the main reasons these springs break on garage doors is due to the outdoor elements, like weather. Old age is also a factor because these springs only last about 5 to 10 years tops.

Replacing these springs when they break off of garage doors is a tough job. You should not attempt to fix the springs on your own. Because there is so much tension in them, they can snap or break and cause serious injury to someone who isn't sure of what he or she is doing. So that's why it's important to call in the experts, like Premium Garage Door Service, any time you notice a broken spring or one that looks like it's on its way out. Experts like us can repair just about anything on garage doors, and springs are one item we seem to replace quite a bit! We definitely don't want anyone to get hurt while attempting to fix them, so that is why we always recommend you call in the professionals like us. We can come to your home or business and get the springs replaced in a safe and timely manner!

So when you need springs repaired on your Forest Lake garage door, just give us a call at 651-344-0489 or Contact Us.

Updating Your Garage Doors in Lino Lakes: Choosing the Right Doors

Are you looking to upgrade your garage doors in Lino Lakes? It may be overwhelming when you first begin your search. There are so many color and style options to choose from. As experienced garage door installers, we'll help you through the selection process. We want to make sure you get garage doors that are practical, but also ones that match your personality and style. In this blog, we're going to cover some of the major choices for garage doors.

Types of Garage Doors

There are four basic types of garage doors for you to choose from. At the end of the day, it really comes down to what you prefer personally. There are many different style choices that can make your garage doors look unique and fun. Here are four of your primary options:

·         Flush Panels: These garage doors have paneling, but the panels do not protrude. They are a nice complement to the home, and won't be an obvious change.

·         Short Raised Panels: Short raised panels add some definite definition to your door. They are a more obvious style, with raised sections.

·         Long Raised Panels: These are the same idea as the short raised panels, the panels are just longer. They are for those residents who have style and want to show it off!

·         Painted Panels: Painted panels are the most customizable. You are able to have them painted with colors that are complimentary to your home.

No matter what your garage door needs are, we can help. Your garage doors are one of the most prominent features on your home, so you'll want to make sure you're getting ones you'll love for years to come.

Are you looking for new garage doors near Lino Lakes? Contact us today by calling 651-344-0489 or Contact us Online. 

Troubleshooting: My Garage Door Won't Open at My Mendota Heights Home!

When your car is parked in your Mendota Heights garage and the garage door won't open, what do you do? Especially if it's an emergency situation and you need to get your car out NOW? If it's not an emergency situation, you should call Premium Garage Door Service. Our experienced team members know exactly what to do to get your garage door back in working order. But if you need to get out as soon as possible, there are a few things you can try on your own. Here is a list of some of the safer things to try:

First, check to make sure your Mendota Heights garage door isn't in “vacation” or “lock” mode if it won't respond to the garage door opener when you use it from the outside. If the garage door opener still won't open your Mendota Heights garage, one of the most obvious things to check are the batteries!

If you are inside of your Mendota Heights garage, check the garage door opener's wires and make sure they are all still in one piece and aren't frayed. If they are frayed or torn in any way, call Premium Garage Door Service so we can make the necessary repairs or replace it for you.

Also, you can check your Mendota Heights garage door opener's electric eyes. Make sure the beam isn't being interrupted by an object and make sure it's aligned. Make sure both eyes are completely clean. The two eyes should be pointed directly at one another too, so double check that as well.

If all of this fails to fix the problem at your Mendota Heights home, pick up the phone today and call Premium Garage Door Service. We aren't just open during normal business hours. We also have 24-hour emergency service, just for situations like these. Give us a call at (952) 513-4849 (South Metro), (612) 234-4812 (Minneapolis), (651) 344-0489 (St. Paul) or (763) 607-3402 (North Metro) or contact us online.

Benefits of a New Garage Door

There are several reasons a new garage door makes sense for your Twin Cities home, and a few big benefits you can receive by going with such a purchase. We’ve picked the top three and detailed them below.

Increased home value

For homes selling at $175,000 or higher, a $2,000 garage door investment could add as much as $7,000 to the resale value. Not a bad return on investment, huh?

More protection

Depending on the type of garage door you have in place now, an up-to-date garage door could provide greater security not only to the vehicles that are stored inside your garage, but to your family as well, since many garages have an entry door to the home.

A cleaner home

A new garage door with a keypad for entry can become a second front door. When coming indoors from poor weather conditions, or from a dirty job, your garage gives you a sheltered location to take off your messy items of clothing before entering your actual home. This helps keep your home clean.

Want more information? Contact Premium Garage Door Service today at 763-607-3402 or request service now.

Importance of a Properly Functioning Garage Door: Keeps Bears Out

With National Garage Door Safety Month wrapping up, we'd like to remind you again just how important it is to keep your garage door completely closed and locked. Not only will it help you keep burglars out of your garage and your home, it'll also help you keep out other unwanted intruders; namely, animals, like the bear cub in the video below. The cub, who became trapped in the garage after crawling in under the door, crawled on top of the door's track and hung there until his mother arrived. Amazingly, the mother bear opened the garage door like a human and held it open while she called for her cub.


A garage door that closes and locks properly can help you keep guests like this one out of your garage. If you haven't had your door checked out in a while, you may want to get in touch with a Minneapolis garage doors company like Premium Garage Door Service to have it looked at. Regular maintenance to your garage door can keep it operating as intended, and can also help spot wear on certain components that could lead to larger, more expensive repairs in the future.

Make sure your garage door is working the way it's supposed to. Get in touch with Premium Garage Door Service today at (612) 234-4812 to schedule an appointment.

Checking On Your Automatic Opener

An automatic garage door opener can add a fair amount of convenience to your life. Think about living with a manual door in the past, which required you to get out of the car and open or close the door every time you wanted to enter or exit your garage. An automatic opener provides you with a remote control and the ability to open and close the door with the push of a button.

Of course, as is the case with anything that has moving parts, you may run into some issues down the line with your automatic garage door opener. That's why it's important to regularly check out these parts to ensure that the opener continues to function properly. Fuses can go bad, as well as power sources and switches, and the more mechanical parts, such as the pulleys and levers that are required for the garage door to physically open and close. By taking a look at these items occasionally to make sure everything looks good and no wearing has occurred, you can be sure your garage door will work as intended.

If you're already experiencing problems and you need a repair company to turn to, get in touch with Minneapolis garage doors repair company Premium Garage Door Service.

The Importance of a Properly Working Garage Door

Is your garage door currently in a state of disrepair? If so, you could be putting yourself at risk of being burglarized.

Some cities, like El Cajon, California, are seeing an increase in robberies as a result of burglars entering homes through open garage doors. If your garage door is not closing properly and it can either be opened easily or is partially open already, someone intent on invading your home could simply enter through that very easy passage and gain easier access to the inside of your home.

If your garage door is in need of some kind of repair to get it back into working order, you should absolutely not wait to take care of it. Get in touch with a St Paul garage door repair company like Premium Garage Door Service and schedule service on your garage door as soon as possible. It could mean the difference between staying protected or having your home burglarized. Call us today at (651) 344-0489 to make your appointment for a repair.

Have a smartphone? Open your Liftmaster door with it!

Smartphones are handling more and more of our day-to-day tasks these days, and you can now add opening the garage door to the list.

Garage door company Liftmaster is now selling two garage door openers that utilize the Internet instead of the more traditional short-range radio frequencies of traditional garage door openers. Not only can you use your iPhone or Android application to open or close your garage door from home, you can do so pretty much anywhere you have an Internet connection -- even if you're thousands of miles away.



Premium Garage Door Service installs and services Liftmaster products, and we'd be happy to help you learn more about this product or any other product in the Liftmaster family. Contact us today!

Garage Door Murals

Looking for a way to make your garage door stand out a bit from the others in the neighborhood? A German advertising agency called Zweinullvier Werbeagentur figured out a way to do just that.

Take a look at these.







No, that's not an enormous dump truck stuck in that garage. There's not a race car or an airplane in the others, either. These are actually murals that are placed on your garage door to give the illusion that something more unbelievable is stored inside. The company has over 200 other designs, ranging from $230 (for a single door) to $450 (for double doors).

Having garage door issues? Call Premium Garage Door Service, or complete our request service form on our website.

EZ-Set Garage Door Torsion Springs

While EZ-Set torsion springs look a lot like the more common standard torsion springs, the hardware differs significantly, as EZ-Set torsion springs are mounted to winders on the ends of a shaft.

Depending on the size of your garage door, it will likely use either one or two EZ-Set torsion springs. Wider garage doors will also have two shafts, as well as a coupler to join the two shafts.

If your broken garage door spring is an EZ-Set torsion spring, get in touch with Premium Garage Door Service to schedule a garage door spring repair.

Standard Torsion Springs for Garage Doors

As the most common type of garage door springs there are, standard torsion springs are usually found in installations of one or two springs, through four or more can be used for garages that require wide openings for large vehicles.

Standard torsion springs can be installed in one of four different configurations: the linear system, the duplex system, the triplex system, or the mixed system. The linear system is used mostly on wide garage doors. The duplex system uses two larger springs, and each spring has a smaller spring inside. The triplex system is much like the duplex system, except three springs are inside the outer spring instead of two. Finally, the mixed system uses a combination of the linear system and either the duplex or triplex system.

If your garage uses standard torsion springs, the professionals at Premium Garage Door Service are experienced in installing them in any kind of setup. Whether your garage utilizes the linear, duplex, triplex, or mixed systems, we'll safely install your springs and get your garage door working like new. Give us a call today to get started on your garage door spring replacement or repair.

Learn More About Premium Garage Door Service

Watch this video we created to learn more about the services we provide and the garage door products we use to add convenience and beauty to your home. We've been serving the Twin Cities region of Minnesota for over 21 years -- why trust anyone else with your garage door installation or repair?

Garage Door Accidents: More Common Than You Think

If you watch any TV, you've likely seen a sitcom or two where one of the characters have accidentally crashed their car into the garage door. This type of accident isn't just the butt of a joke -- it actually happens quite a bit.

Here are a few photos featuring garage doors that went head on with cars, trucks -- even Oscar Mayer Weiner Mobiles -- and lost badly. These people need garage door replacements. If you do, too, and you live in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, don't hesitate to contact Premium Garage Door Service, Inc.