Happy Rosh Hashanah from BH Door Solutions: Holiday Hours and a New-Year Door Checklist

Shana Tova from all of us at BH Door Solutions. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins at sundown on Friday, September 11, and our team is taking the holiday off. Here is when we are closed and when we are back, a little about the holiday itself, and a short new-year checklist for the doors around your home.

Rosh Hashanah holiday hours

The holiday falls over a weekend this year, so the change to our schedule is short.

• Friday, September 11: open our regular Friday hours, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
• Saturday, September 12: closed, as on every Saturday. This year it is also the first day of Rosh Hashanah.
• Sunday, September 13: closed for the second day of Rosh Hashanah. We are normally open on Sundays from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, so please note the change.
• Monday, September 14: back to our regular hours from 9:00 AM.

What is Rosh Hashanah?

Rosh Hashanah, literally "head of the year", is the Jewish New Year. It falls on the first and second days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, and this year it welcomes the year 5787. The first day is Saturday, September 12, which is also Shabbat, and the second day is Sunday, September 13.

In Metro Detroit, candles are lit at 7:31 PM on Friday, September 11, and the holiday ends at 8:28 PM on Sunday, September 13 (times from Hebcal for Oak Park, MI). Because the first day falls on Shabbat this year, the shofar is sounded on the second day, Sunday. Yom Kippur begins at sundown on Sunday, September 20.

A few of the traditions you may see this weekend:

• Apples dipped in honey, a wish for a sweet year.
• A round challah, for the cycle of the year.
• "Shana Tova", which means "a good year".
• "Shana Tova u'Metukah", which means "a good and sweet year".

A new-year checklist for your doors

A new year is a good moment to look over the doors around the house, and it is easier to do before the cold arrives than after. None of this needs special tools. It works for entry, storm and interior doors, and each door takes a few minutes.

• Check the weatherstripping before the cold. Close the door on a sheet of paper at a few points along the latch side and the top. If the paper slides out with no drag, the seal is not touching there. Look for strips that are flattened, cracked or pulling loose.
• Make sure the door latches without slamming. A door should click shut with a gentle push. If you have to slam it or lean on it before the latch catches, the latch and the strike plate are no longer lined up, often because the door has dropped slightly on its hinges.
• Tighten the hinge screws. Open the door and try each screw with a hand screwdriver rather than a drill, so you do not strip the hole. Loose screws on the top hinge let the door sag toward the latch side. If a screw just spins, the hole is stripped and needs a proper repair rather than more force.
• Check the deadbolt alignment. With the door closed, turn the deadbolt slowly. It should slide all the way into the strike without you pushing, pulling or lifting the door. If it only turns when you lean on the door, the bolt and the strike have drifted out of line.
• Test the storm door closer. Open the storm door fully and let it go. It should close on its own and latch without slamming or stopping short. Most closers have an adjustment screw at the end of the cylinder that sets the closing speed. A closer that no longer holds the door, or lets it bang shut, is worth replacing before winter.

See you Monday

If a door gives you trouble while we are closed, you can send us the details through our contact page over the weekend. Your request will be waiting for us when we reopen on Monday, September 14 at 9:00 AM.

Once we are back, you can request a free estimate or give us a call about anything the checklist turned up, from a hinge that will not hold a screw to a storm door closer that has given up. Our door repair and locks and hardware pages cover most of the fixes on this list.

From all of us at BH Door Solutions, Shana Tova u'Metukah: a good and sweet year to everyone celebrating, and a good season to all of our customers across Metro Detroit. See you Monday.