So, now you have a garage door. But you still have to have a way to open and close it! There are many options available for garage door openers. Here is a little bit about what you will want to know when purchasing or replacing your opener.

Safety First

Automatic garage door openers can be a great convenience but they can also be potentially dangerous. There are a couple of safety features that come standard with most openers. 

Laser ‘eyes’: These are a set of lasers that are mounted on either side of your garage door opening. Usually fairly near the ground. When objects pass through the infrared beam, the door automatically stops closing and then reverses. You can check this feature periodically by waving a stick in front of the lasers as the door is closing. If the door does not stop, check your opener manual or call a professional.

Automatic Reverse: If your garage door is coming down and hits an object like a car, it will automatically reverse back open. Some openers even have DoorDetect monitoring systems which will stop the door if any significant change in operation occurs. You can check the automatic reverse by placing something like a piece of wood in the path of the closing door. If the door does not reverse upon encountering the wood, call a professional.

DIY?

There are aspects to maintaining a garage door that you can certainly do yourself. Installing or fixing a door opener is probably not one of them. It is not impossible. But between the skills needed, the heights at which you have to work, and the time it will take, we would recommend hiring a professional.

Types of Systems for Garage Door Openers

Chain Driven

A chain drive garage door opener​ uses a chain riding along a sprocket to move the door open and closed.  It’s suitable for most garage doors. Chain drive has been around for many years and will last a long time with routine maintenance.  Chain drive openers are typically available at an opening price point. These can be louder than other types of openers, but these are solid, common, and relatively inexpensive openers. 

Belt Driven

These use rubber belts to open the door and because of that, a belt drive garage door opener is super quiet.  Our belt drive opener models are some of the quietest garage door openers you can buy.  These openers are especially great for garages that are attached to the house. Because there is no metal-on-metal contact, a belt drive opener will experience less sound and vibration when operating. These should last just as long as a chain driven opener, but will likely be a little bit more expensive.

Screw Driven

These garage door openers will give you the most power with fastest operating speeds.  If you have a large garage door measuring 14 ft. high or one-piece doors that are up to 8ft high, then these are the openers you’ll want to use. Our screw drive openers feature an exclusive direct drive system that transfers more power from the motor without using a gear reduction system.

Additional Possible Features

Depending on the opener you choose, you may be getting a number of different features that could influence your decision about which is right for you. For example…

  • Some openers have four lightbulbs instead of two, providing more light for your garage while the door operates.
  • Some openers include motion detection lighting. 
  • Many openers are compatible with systems that sync your opener to your car.
  • Most openers are compatible with OHDAnywhere™ which allows you to open, close, and monitor your garage door from almost any mobile device. See when someone is using your garage door; open the door for someone when you’re not homecheck to see if your door was left open; use ‘virtual keys’; and more.
  • Some openers have a “Soft start – soft stop” feature that allows your garage door to start slowly, speed up, and then softly stop.

So what opener is best for my garage door?

That depends! It depends on many factors, including the size, height, and weight of your door, and features that you value most. Our professionals can help you find the opener that matches all of those variables. Contact us today!