Apart from enhancing safety and security, a garage door opener gives you the ability to open the door with the touch of a button. The features that these openers enhance are particularly important if you have children running in an out of the garage with skateboards, bikes and basketballs.
When it comes time to get a new one, you might be amazed at the number of options you face as the openers are available in different sizes and styles. But in order to make sure that you buy a product that meets your needs, it is very important to learn all that you can about how to buy an opener. Below are some guidelines on how you can make the best choice for your garage.
1) Power
There are different sizes of openers: 1/3-horsepower, 1/2-horsepower and 3/4-horsepower. Before buying an opener, you need to be sure that it can lift one or two doors. A standard 2-car garage door is best served with a 1/2 – horsepower opener and a smaller motor might also be fine on a one-car garage with light door. However, a 3/4-horsepower model is a better choice for heavy doors. Larger, oversize and heavy doors will require the most horsepower.
2) Help and Support
Good customer service is very important for any product. Whether the opener can easily be installed by a homeowner or a professional door company, it is important to choose a product that offers its own layer of customer support. This is because, even if you consider yourself to be a handyman, you are sure to have questions at some point along the way.
3) Safety and Security
It is important that all openers include features which prevent the doors from destroying objects in their paths. This is usually controlled with an electronic beam. The safety mechanism is triggered when someone or an object breaks the beam, causing the garage doors to reverse direction.
Also, virtually all openers today make use of rolling codes for the highest security. A random, new code is generated whenever the garage door is opened. Most openers have a security light which comes on whenever the system is activated and remains on long enough for you to leave the car and go into the house. A lot of remotes have buttons which turn the light on without engaging the door.
4) Warranty
Warranties vary from model to model. Look for warranties that are longer term and cover the motor of the opener and the parts. You can find an opener with lifetime warranty and there are some with up to 10-year warranties. However, separate components like chains and belts, will usually be covered for shorter periods of time. Having a warranty provides peace of mind that your opener will work for years or that you will be taken care of if it has a defect.
5) Battery Backup
Although this is available in some models, it is not a standard feature. A beeping sound is emitted whenever the battery isn’t able to recharge or whenever it’s operating off of battery power. A good, fully charged battery should be able to provide enough power to the opener for one to two days of normal operation whenever power is lost. Whenever your electric power is knocked out, the backup kicks in, allowing you to make use of the opener. Without it you may find yourself locked out of your own house.
Always keep safety in mind when looking to purchase a garage door opener. Your next opener may last for years. But whether those years are carefree or plagued by calls to your repair person depends on the choice you make now. However, the tips discussed above can help you choose the best openers for your needs.
