Articles & Insights by Ken Mickey
How Insulated Garage Doors Improve Your Home’s Energy Efficiency
November 5, 2025
When you’re trying to make your home more energy efficient, you probably think about updating windows, sealing doors, or adding attic insulation. But in the winter, your garage door can quietly drain heat without you realizing it. The National Energy Assistance Directors Association noted that home heating costs were expected to rise by ...
The Ultimate Garage Door Maintenance Checklist for 2026
October 21, 2025
Your garage door logs thousands of moments. Think about it: from early morning coffee runs to late-night returns, it constantly lifts and closes, and does so with little recognition. Yet when that panel jams, sags, or skips a beat, it suddenly becomes the headline of your day. A recent review of injury data ...
What to Do When Your Garage Door Gets Stuck Halfway
September 3, 2025
Few home headaches are as disruptive as finding your garage door only open halfway. Whether you’re late for work, trying to park on a snowy night, or running a business that depends on easy access, you’re punching the remote control as a malfunctioning garage door throws everything off. For commercial properties, a door ...
How to Reset Garage Door Opener After a Power Outage
August 19, 2025
Sudden power outages often do more than turn off your lights. They disrupt the systems residents and business owners rely on for daily convenience. A garage door opener, a familiar part of many properties, often needs attention even after the power comes back. It’s a common scenario: the power comes back, but your ...
How to Fix a Noisy Garage Door: Comprehensive Guide for Homeowners
July 16, 2025
Few things disrupt a morning routine like the sudden clatter, screech, grinding, or squeaks from a noisy garage door gone rogue. For many homeowners, these sounds are more than an annoyance; they are warning signs that something within the system may soon fail. In fact, a 2024 Angi survey says noisy garage doors ...
Garage Door Maintenance Checklist: What to Inspect Every Season
June 17, 2025
Your garage door opens and closes day after day – until it doesn’t. Maybe it starts squeaking, sticks during a cold snap, or refuses to budge when you’re trying to get out the door. It’s one of the most-used parts of your home or business, and like any mechanical system, it needs regular ...
10+ Best Practices and Safety Tips for Your Garage Door
May 21, 2025
Your garage door is a heavy, hardworking part of your home that takes a lot of wear and tear. But it’s also one of the most overlooked hazards on your property. Garage doors cycle up and down thousands of times a year. That’s a lot of movement for something that weighs hundreds of ...
The Most Common Garage Door Issues Homeowners Face (and How to Spot Them Early)
May 7, 2025
Garage door problems always seem to strike at the worst possible times, like when you’re late, when it’s raining, or when you’ve got a car full of kids. No matter the issue, it’s enough to throw your whole day off track. However, most common garage door problems don’t come out of nowhere. They ...
What Qualifies for Emergency Garage Door Repair?
March 11, 2025
There’s nothing more frustrating than a garage door that stops working when you need it most. And sometimes, it’s more than just an inconvenience. Every year, thousands of people are injured due to garage door malfunctions caused by broken springs, failing sensors, or off-track doors. A broken garage door can also leave your ...
The Pros and Cons of a Garage Door with a Pedestrian Door
March 7, 2025
Here at Thompson Garage Doors, we’re always on the lookout for innovative enhancements—which is why the rise of pedestrian garage doors has our attention. Built within a solid midline, the pedestrian door allows easy access to the garage without having to open it entirely. Pedestrian garage doors—also known as man doors, walk-through doors, ...