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Top 10 Garage Door Maintenance Tips For Homeowners

There is no other part of your home that experiences as much wear and tear as your garage door. You never realize how often you use your garage door until the day it breaks down on you.

The majority of families in the United States use the garage as the main entrance into their home, being used multiple times throughout the day, thousands of times per year. When kept in good working order, it can provide security and storage at your convenience.

Having a garage can really make life easier, but when it is not cared for can become a safety risk to you, your family, and especially children. With it's natural wear and tear, a garage door cable can come apart or a door opener can malfunction, resulting in a hazard to your belongings and anyone near your door.

In order to keep it running properly, it is essential to perform routine maintenance to avoid expensive repairs. The following top 10 here door maintenance tips for homeowners will help keep your door working properly for years to come. These maintenance tips require no special skills and usually take less than 10 minutes each to perform.

Required Materials Needed

Avoid last minute trips the hardware store by having all of your materials onsite and ready ahead of time. You may not use every single tool listed, but having it available will save you time and frustration.

Wrench set

Tape Measure

Hammer

Pliers

Screw gun

Weatherstrip

Lubricant/Cleaner (WD-40)

White Lithium Grease

Toothbrush

Flat blade screwdriver

Garage door rollers

Safety First

In order to ensure safety while working on your garage, remember to never remove the lift cable. The garage cables are under extreme tension and will cut like a knife if released.

Never try to adjust or release the garage door springs. This is a job that should be left for the professionals only.

1.) Paying Attention

When was the last time you visually inspected your garage door? You may not be a certified technician, but you can take the time to check out your garage.

If you have a metal garage, check for rust spots. These areas should be sanded, primed and painted. If you have a wooden garage door, it should be checked for water damage. If not sealed properly, wood garage can warp and lose their shape over time.

It will also be good to wash your door on a regular basis with an all-purpose cleaner. Your garage door makes up a large portion of the exterior of your home, so keeping it clean and presentable will have a positive effect on the appearance of your home.

2.) Watch & Listen To Your Door As It Operates

Do you have a noisy garage door? Do the springs pulleys and cables on both sides look symmetrical? Does it move smoothly? Or does it jerk in certain places?

Taking the time to observe and listen to your garage every time you use it is the best precaution every homeowner can perform. By doing this, you will be aware when something doesn't sound right, or when something looks out of place.

3.) Testing The Balance

First, disconnect the opener. You do this by pulling the red handle at the end of the red cord. Once it is disconnected, open the door about half way. If the garage door starts to close on its own, then the garage door is not balanced properly. The springs on the door need to be re-adjusted. We recommend that you contact a certified professional to repair or replace your springs.

Your garage opener will have to work harder if the door is not properly balanced. This will ultimately shorten the lifespan of the door.

4.) Test Safety Features (Auto-Reverse)

There are two safety mechanisms on your garage: mechanical and photocell. A door that does not have these safety features is outdated and needs to be replaced immediately.

In order to test the mechanical safety feature on your garage, place a solid object on the ground in the path of the garage door. When the garage touches the object while closing, it should automatically go back up.

When testing the photocell feature on your garage, simply stick out your leg in the door's path when closing. Your leg will come in contact with the photoelectric beam (not visible) that runs across the bottom of the door. The garage should automatically reverse once your leg contacts the photoelectric beam.

5.) Visually Inspect Your Cables

You should never touch the cables. These high tension cables are responsible for lifting the door. They have enough force to cause serious injuries, even death. You can visually inspect that garage cables too if there are any broken strands or anything that is out of order. If you see there is damage, we recommend that you hire a professional.

6.) Clear The Tracks

Take a look at the tracks on both sides of the door. Clean the garage door tracks so there is no debris or trash. Also, look for any physical damage making sure it is straight and aligned. Tracks that are damaged can cause the door to not be smooth and it will be very noisy.

Spray the garage tracks with a citrus-based solvent or WD-40, then wipe everything clean with a cloth. If needed, use an old toothbrush to loosen up dirt and grime, then wipe with a cloth.

Any major repairs or adjustments to the tracks should be handled by a professional garage door technician.

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Commercial Mortgage Loans - Strategies for Eight Difficult Commercial Financing Situations

Getting commercial real estate loans approved is almost always complex and frequently difficult. Business borrowers need to realize that there are several commercial mortgage loan situations which can be especially difficult to get approved. Examples of eight difficult business loan situations are described to illustrate two key points: (1) these difficulties are not uncommon; and (2) these difficulties can be overcome in most cases.

Difficult Commercial Mortgage Loan Situation Number 1:

A commercial loan that needs to be closed in 60 days or less. It is not unusual to discover that a traditional lender considers six to nine months "normal" for commercial loan underwriting. Obviously this will act as a severe constraint if a commercial borrower is trying to buy a property that the seller wants to close in two to three months. If quick funding is essential, the here borrower should contact a non-bank business lender where most commercial loans will close in 45 to 55 days.

Difficult Commercial Mortgage Loan Situation Number 2:

A commercial loan that won't work without long-term financing. What is long-term financing for a commercial loan? Some commercial lenders view 3-5 years as the longest period before a commercial loan will be subject to a balloon payment. If that sounds short-term instead of long-term, most non-bank business lenders can arrange 25-year to 40-year commercial real estate loans for commercial properties. Longer-term financing will often be the critical difference that facilitates a successful business investment (especially because mortgage payments will be reduced dramatically).

Difficult Commercial Mortgage Loan Situation Number 3:

Providing financial data to a commercial lender after the loan is closed. Some commercial loans will have covenants stipulating that the lender must receive financial data even after the loan closing and that the loan can be recalled (forcing the borrower to repay early) if the audit of this data is not satisfactory to the lender. In stark contrast to this, commercial loans via non-bank commercial lenders based on Stated Income will not require business plans or income verification either before or after the loan is closed.

Difficult Commercial Mortgage Loan Situation Number 4:

Borrower is self-employed or income is paid on a commission, bonus or incentive basis that is somewhat erratic and difficult to document properly. Non-bank commercial lenders using a Stated Income business loan program will not require tax returns or any income verification. They also will not require commercial borrowers to sign IRS Form 4506 (which authorizes the lender to obtain tax returns directly from the IRS), a form routinely required by many commercial lenders.

Difficult Commercial Mortgage Loan Situation Number 5:

A borrower wants to refinance a commercial property and use $500,000 to $1 million from the proceeds to buy another property. Most commercial lenders will restrict the maximum cash that can be taken out of a refinancing, with a normal limit of $100,000 to $250,000. It is also not uncommon to encounter restrictions on the use of the cash. With a commercial loan via most non-bank commercial lenders, the commercial borrower could receive unrestricted cash up to one million dollars and use the proceeds without restrictions.

Difficult Commercial Mortgage Loan Situation Number 6:

A borrower wants to use a substantial amount of subordinated debt (a seller second or other secondary financing) to reduce the amount of cash needed to purchase a commercial property. Many commercial loans will not permit a seller second or other forms of subordinated debt. With a commercial loan via most non-bank business lenders, a commercial borrower can obtain Combined-Loan-to-Value (CLTV) ratios up to 95% with subordinate financing (including seller seconds).

Difficult Commercial Mortgage Loan Situation Number 7:

Sourcing and Seasoning of assets or ownership. For a purchase, commercial lenders will frequently want documentation about where the down payment is coming from (the source, so having limitations about where the funds are coming from is called sourcing). Commercial lenders will frequently have requirements stipulating that the down payment funds must have been in a specific account for a specific period of time, often 3-6 months or longer (this is called seasoning because it is tantamount to requiring that the funds have matured by being in the same place for a while). Seasoning of ownership is similar to seasoning of funds, except this requirement involves the minimum time someone has owned a commercial property before they can refinance the property. Most non-bank commercial lenders do not have any requirements or limitations involving either sourcing/seasoning of funds or seasoning of ownership.

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What to Look For in a Laser Scanning Services Company

From law enforcement offices to engineering firms, laser scanning services benefit any organization that relies on the timely, accurate collection of physical data. In the absence of laser scanning services, organizations that need to capture the data of objects and environments are left with two options: they can rely on traditional analogue and GPS scanning methods or they can purchase their own laser scanning equipment. The problems with traditional scanning methods are three: they aren't as accurate as laser scanning; they take longer to produce results; and they cost more than here. The drawback to purchasing scanning equipment is obvious: depending on the equipment, a single laser scanner can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. To avoid the inaccuracy and expense of traditional scanning methods and the expense of purchasing scanning equipment, most organizations rely on laser scanning services. But before you hire a scanning service, it pays to make to make some critical considerations, three of which we list below.

Does a Company Have the Right Equipment?

If you don't have expertise in 3D laser surveying, then you probably don't know what scanning equipment is right for your scanning project. To find out, you can either perform an Internet search or contact several scanning companies for a free appraisal of your scanning needs. Although most scanning companies own a variety of scanning equipment, you shouldn't risk the quality of your project by contacting only one company. After performing a thorough Internet search or contacting multiple scanning services, you should have a good idea about what scanners are right for your scanning project and feel confident about moving forward.

Does a Company Have the Right Experience?

When choosing among scanning companies, always go with a company that has experience with your type of scanning project. For example, if one scanning service has 20 years of experience but no experience in scanning for brownfield projects, if you have a brownfield project, it's better to go with a service that has less cumulative experience but experience with brownfield projects. Laser scanning involves more than just pressing a button, and you want to hire a service whose experience will translate to your specific project.

Does a Company Offer 2D Drawings?

It might sound strange that a laser surveying client would be interested in 2D drawings. After all, computerized scanning models provide the same data as 2D drawings and allow you to view it in the form of polygon mesh models, surface models and solid CAD models. Nevertheless, receiving 2D drawings of your data is important for a variety of reasons, including: they serve as a hard copy in the event of computerized data loss; they can prove valuable for presenting product ideas to potential partner companies; and they allow you the perceptual experience of seeing object data in the form of geometrical drawings. If a scanning service doesn't offer 2D drawings, it doesn't mean that they don't offer quality scanning. But if you anticipate receiving 2D drawings, it's best to ask upfront if a scanning service employs a draftsman.

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Angkor Wat - The Bayon

Jayavarman VII built the Bayon in the late 12th century as his state temple. It is located at the physical center of Angkor Thom, the nine square kilometer or (three and a half square) mile city complex, and is the focal point of the building boom Jayavarman VII initiated after he defeated the Chams to reclaim the Khmer Empire. As with his other constructions, the Bayon is a Mahayana Buddhist temple; its primary deity is Avalokitshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. Since the Bayon sits in the center of Angkor Thom, his state capital, this monument makes the entire capital a temple complex, with the walls of the city and the moat representing the outer mountain ranges and oceans of the mythical Hindu universe. In various ways the relationship between Hinduism and Buddhism is seen here. Just as the Victory Gate was part of a three-dimensional representation of the Churning of the Sea of Milk, with Phinemeakas as the central churning stick, the Bayon is a similar representation with the gates at the four cardinal points of Angkor Thom. The naga balustrade of one side of a gate that symbolically extends to the Bayon, wraps around the temple, and then continues to the opposite gate, where the opposing force holds the other side of the snake. The Bayon sits in the center as another metaphorical Mt. Meru. This setup also makes the Bayon look a bit different, since its outer walls are so far removed as to seem nonexistent. From the outside, this gives the Bayon an open feel, but the interior of the temple is actually quite cramped. The temple is organized on three levels, but the specific arrangement has led scholars to believe that the original plan was a flat temple along the lines of Ta Prohm,here which is located to the east.

While the bas-reliefs of the Hindu temples often deal with the gods and their epic adventures, those in the outer gallery of the Bayon deal more with historical events and everyday life. Part of the reason for this change in focus may be the differing views of the Hindu and Buddhist religions. The Hindu religion puts much emphasis on matters of cosmic importance like the battle of gods to maintain good and evil. The Buddhist religion emphasizes that enlightenment is achievable by the actions of the individual. For an example of a Buddhist bas-relief, take a look at the bas-reliefs of the southern gallery. Some of its highlights are the bas-relief that details battles with the rival Cham Empire as well as everyday market scenes, fisherman, and even a cockfight. The inner galleries primarily depict Hindu mythology again. These were added by Jayavarman VIII, a successor who restored Hinduism as the state religion of the Hindu Khmer Empire. He converted the Bayon to a Hindu temple, and these bas-reliefs were added later to reflect this change. Some of these images are vague beyond their connection to certain gods like Shiva and Vishnu, but of course classic stories like the Churning of the Sea of Milk appear, too. In addition to adding the more strictly Hindu imagery, Jayavarman VIII took the main statue from the central tower's sanctuary, a 3.6 meter (or 12 foot) tall Buddha, and smashed it, throwing the pieces down a well. The statue was recovered and pieced back together again in 1933. It now sits in a small pavilion on the road from the Victory Gate to the Elephant Terrace to the northeast of here.

The real draw of the Bayon, however, is the top level. As in the other temples, the stairs lead up from each of the four cardinal points to the top level, where over four dozen towers hold giant faces nearly 2 meters (or six feet) in height. Most of the faces are oriented to the cardinal points of each tower, and with so many four-faced towers at different heights, you always have someone looking over your shoulder. It really is interesting to view the towers from different angles to see how the faces line up.

The exact meaning of the faces is still under debate by scholars. One explanation is that the primary deity of the temple is Avalokiteshvara, also known as Lokesvara, or the "lord who gazes down on the world" or "he who hears the cries of people who need help". Avalokiteshvara is a bodhisattva or Buddha-to-be who listens to the prayers of people in need and has postponed his own enlightenment until he has assisted all people in achieving nirvana. To help all of these people and hear all their prayers, he would need many eyes and ears, which may explain the multiple faces. Others have argued that the face is that of Jayavarman VII himself. This is also realistic, since Jayavarman VII considered himself a devaraja, or god-king. George Coedes, a former director of the École Française d'extrème-orient, also known as the EFEO, saw these two interpretations as complementary rather than mutually exclusive. Since Jayavarman VII considered himself a god-king, it makes sense that he would use himself as the prototype of Avalokiteshvara. The reason for the huge number of faces remains a mystery. Some have tried to tie some significance to the number of faces, but the state of disrepair of the temple has made accurate counts difficult.

The Bayon is one of the more popular temples. To avoid most of the crowds, you might want to time your visit for dawn or sunset. Most of the crowds flock to Angkor Wat at dawn and the hill Phnom Bakheng at sunset, allowing you to enjoy some solitude at the Bayon. The golden, slanted light at those times of the day make the faces even more magical, as the enigmatic smile of one face will jump out past the shadow of another. It's worth an early morning trip, because those moments are the true magic of the temples of Angkor.

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The Day Spa Experience

In the past, going to a day spa meant you probably received a manicure and a pedicure and maybe received a massage while you were there. Today, most day spas provide far more advanced selections than the day spa your mother and father used to go visit. Technological enhancements have made day spas a one-stop destination for treating numerous body parts, offering a wide range of exciting and satisfying treatments. Whether you have tired skin, acne scars or brittle nails, there is something for everyone at a  here.

Throughout the world, numerous day spas have made a name for themselves by offering healthy, all-natural procedures that aim to revitalize, rejuvenate and refresh the body, face and skin. As people scramble to take hold of the reins of a youthful appearance, the day spa offers numerous selections to achieve health and beauty goals. It is also a great alternative for those who do not wish to go under the knife and surrender to cosmetic surgery. Below you will find some of the common and not-so-common treatments that a day spa may offer.

Facials

When it comes to relaxing the muscles in a tense face or smoothing rough, tired or sun-damaged skin, a facial is a great way to go. Today, seaweed treatments are popular in day spas. These place a nourishing and hydrating mask to the face. This organic treatment uses ingredients from nature to cleanse and massage the skin. There are also facials that focus on only the revitalizing qualities of a mask. Sometimes ingredients, such as honey, cucumber and almond are included.

More intense facials may include a process that uses numerous layers to achieve results. These kinds of facials may use seaweed treatments, hydrating creams and facial massages, as well as various minerals. The results of a facial range from renewed layers of skin, increased elasticity, a smoother skin texture, reduced pores and even skin tone. Usually, a really good facial takes anywhere from 1 to 1 � hours.

Massages

When the body is in need of one-on-one personal relief, day spa massages are great for providing relaxing results. Some day spas will charge by the minute, using a portable massage chair. Then, there are the full-body massages, which relieve the most stress and tension. An employee, who uses a combination of long strokes and muscle kneading, performs these types of massages. This is called a therapeutic massage. You may also opt for an aromatherapy massage, which incorporates many different essential oils that work wonders on the mind and spirit.

Sometimes, you will encounter body part-specific massages at a day spa. For example, scalp and head massages aim to rejuvenate these areas. Not only do tight muscles loosen up, relief from headaches and sinus problems are also experienced. Depending on the day spa, reflexology might be offered, which manipulates the pressure points of the feet to achieve decreased stress and increase relaxation.

Hand and Nail Treatments

You can get your nails done at any salon, but what about the deeper procedures that treat your hands, fingers, cuticles and nails like royalty? Day spas go beyond the usual trim and polish of nails. While artificial nail services are commonplace at the spa, you will benefit from a wide-range of selections that some nail salons do not offer. Many day spas offer acrylic, fiberglass, sculptured, linen or silk options.

Basic nail treatments usually involve the trimming of the nails and cuticles, followed by a relaxing hand massage. To complete the procedure, buffing and/or polish application follows. Want softened hands and feet? Try a warm, paraffin wax treatment, which also relieves tension in the muscles. As for the feet and toes, spa pedicures are some of the best, especially when the day spa features hydrotherapy whirlpool foot spa treatments. Sometimes exfoliating scrubs are given.

Tanning

Want the look of sun kissed skin every day of the week? Year-round tanning may be offered at the day spa of your choice, providing the latest in sunless tanning options. Sometimes an exfoliation of the skin is offered before applying a self-tanner. How deep you wish your tan to be determines the number of sessions you may need.

Body Treatments

The entire body deserves attention when visiting a day spa. Their answer to providing well-rounded visits is to feature numerous treatments for the body. Herbal wraps provide a great way to hydrate the skin, as well as provide detoxification. For those looking for a natural way to lose a few inches, an herbal wrap is a nice, natural choice, showcasing one of the most effective approaches toward reducing cellulite. Sometimes an herbal wrap is accompanied by a massage. To reenergize the body, you may choose a sea salt scrub. Seaweed body masques add much-needed moisture to the skin. The possibilities are endless when it comes to day spa body treatments.

Hair Removal

While body waxing is often associated with a day spa visit, the advancement in hair removal techniques has brought laser treatments to the forefront. Along with electrolysis, this is the closest thing you will come to for achieving a near-permanent hair removal treatment. Laser treatments are also much faster than other methods. Face and bikini areas can be completed in less than ten minutes.

Microdermbrasion

When choosing an exfoliating treatment for the skin, microdermabrasion uses a flow of microcrystals to penetrate the skin and remove dead skin cells. Flaking skin will also be eradicated. A rejuvenation of skin is achieved through the stimulation of skin cells and collagen to provide a more youthful appearance. Instead of plastic surgery, consider this approach as it is non-invasive and does not use any harmful tools to infiltrate the things blemishing your skin.

Customers who wish to achieve a smoother texture with a feeling and look of renewal, microdermabrasion is quite satisfying. This treatment also reduces fine lines and wrinkles, as well as eases some pigmentation concerns. People suffering from acne and chicken pox scars will also benefit from this sort of treatment. This is also a good way to treat stretch marks and is also used to even out skin tone. Additional examples of skin damage can be treated with microdermbrasion as well.