Question:
How do Amarr garage doors (aka ReliaBilt, sold by Lowes) compare with
Clopay (aka Holmes, sold by Home Depot)?
Amarr's website says they have "true 24 gauge" steel, but does that
apply to their ReliaBilt brand name? Is Clopay "nominal" or true 24
gauge?
Answer:
-One way to find out specs is to call Customer Service and ask for
bochures on the products you are inetrested in. Most web sites have 800
numbers for just this purpose.
FWIW, Clopay has been around for ages, never ran across Amarr before,
but then our local Lowes store is rather recent.
Spend some time browsing through Google listings and look over web
sites for more info. If you have a handy local library, check out the
Thomas Register, a compendium of thousands of manufacturers and note
the listings that appeal to you.
Remember steel gauge is only one facet of quality. More important is
the galvanizing and the multilayer topcoats. Read up on metal roofing,
for example , for good info on finishes. Better one carry a 50 year
warranty.
-Check your phone book to see if Wayne Dalton store is in your area. They
make superior doors. Lowes may carry them but in my experience WD will sell
it installed cheaper than Lowes. Also they have a neat opener that fits
over the door instead of needing a track across the ceiling.
-I got a hold of Amarr and Clopay cust svc.
Clopay (Holmes/Home Depot) says their's is a nominal steel gauge rating
while Amarr (ReliaBilt/Lowe's) says theirs is a true gauge. I'm still
not sure how much difference that makes. I've searched the web a bit,
but if it were really that important I would expect there to be a lot
more info explaining it.
-I have 5 Amarr doors, three insulated. All have the torsion spring(s)
which are matched to the door weight. Preload the specified number of
turns and they work correctly every time.
