With winter coming close, the last thing any driver would want is to step out of the car, out in the freezing cold, and manually open the garage door. Or even during rainy nights and you’re going home late from work. This makes automatic garage door opener a sensible choice.
Having an automatic garage door installed is convenient. It eliminates the need to open the garage door or having to wait for someone to open it for you. With an automatic garage opener, you can stay in your car and use the remote to open the door. This definitely spells convenience, especially during harsh weather conditions.
Choosing a Garage Door Opener: What to Consider
If you are thinking about buying an automatic garage door opener, there are several things you must take into consideration including safety of the door, security, the quality of the motor, and its cost. As much as possible, you would want to make a worthy investment. Thus, it is heavily important to look at all of these factors to ensure you are making a wise decision in your purchase.
Some of the best garage door openers offer special features like a backup power source or a timer that automatically closes the door behind you at a predetermined time. Here’s a quick guide of things you should look into when buying a garage door opener.
Horsepower
The best way to find the right garage door opener with the right horsepower is to check the rating of the existing unit in your garage. Get a unit that has equal or higher power. Most homes have single and double-car sectional garage doors made of aluminum or steel which are relatively light. A motor with a rating of 1/2 horsepower is more than enough for this type of garage doors.
Lift Systems
Your choice of lift system determines how smoothly and quietly an opener moves the garage door. The most common lift systems are chain, belt, screw, direct drive or jackshaft.
A chain-driven lift system uses a durable steel chain similar to a bicycle. This is very reliable but can be rather noisy.
Belt-driven lift system, on the other hand, uses a reinforced rubber belt that reduces vibration. It is much quieter than a typical chain-driven system.
Screw-driven lift systems attach a long screw to the motor to move the garage door. These systems are powerful, fast, relatively quiet and require less maintenance than typical chain- or belt-driven systems.
Unlike chain and belt-driven systems wherein the motor remains stationary while moving a chain, a direct drive motor moves as the chain stays in place. The only moving part is the gear the motor uses to move while lifting the door.
Jackshaft is a type of direct drive lift system that mounts on the side of a torsion spring equipped garage door. It turns the spring unit directly instead of moving a trolley. This type of opener is compact and frees up the ceiling space.
Security
Garage doors are primarily used to prevent unauthorized access to your home. If you are going to purchase a new garage door opener, look for these two standard security features: rolling codes and a lock mode.
Rolling codes feature allows the remote in your car to communicate with the garage door opener using a unique verification code every time. This reduces the possibility of intruders guessing your code and use it later to enter your home.
Lock mode prevents the garage door opener from connecting to remotes and keypads when it’s active. You can activate this feature using the interior control panel for added security especially at night or if you’re planning to go on vacation.
Another helpful security feature uses a timer to close your garage door automatically after use. You might need to activate this feature on a new garage door opener, but it will add another layer of security to your garage.
Advantages of Automatic Garage Doors
Automatic garage doors have many advantages. If you have children, have a disability, or is living with seniors, automatic garage doors will make life easier for you. It provides convenience and makes entering and exiting the garage easier and without having to mess around with lifting and pushing doors.
Having an automatic garage door opener installed helps keep you safe. With automatic garage door openers, it eliminates the danger of having to get out of the car late at night to open the gate Safety should always be your priority. No need to get out of the car until you are in the safety of your garage with the doors closed.
Author Bio
Mik Vil writes for Canadian Garage Door Calgary – a company that provides repair and replacement garage door services for residents in Calgary.
