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Overhead doors are being operated no less than an average of 1500 times per year.
With the door’s weight, height, and size, it is certainly not easy to lift it alone.
As technology progressed, garage door openers were introduced to make life easier for garage owners.
Garage door openers lift the doors for their owners— lot of help for a single machine.
Using a door opener can certainly make things so much easier for garage door owners.
They can open and doors so much faster, they have the option to optimize their doors and add sensors, there are a lot of options that you can do.
However, for you out there who have no idea what garage door openers are, how are they installed?
And how do you know which opener is the right one for you?
What are Garage Door Openers?
Garage door openers exist for one and one function alone – to make the lifting of your doors so much easier anytime you need it.
Simple as it seems, there are actually different kinds of openers in the market nowadays and deciding which one is the best for you can be a hard job.
There are a lot of factors you need to consider, such as budget, size, and functionality, when deciding what kind of opener to go for.
So, what exactly are the three kinds of garage door openers available in the market nowadays?
One type of opener available in the market is called the Chain Drive Opener.
These are generally the cheapest option out of all options.
The downside is it can be really noisy as it uses chains as the connector.
Since they are cheap, they are certainly good for those tight on the budget and don’t mind the noise.
Another type of opener you can choose to buy is the Belt Drive Opener.
These kinds of openers use a rubber belt as its main driver.
It works by having the belt slide the pulley when the door is lifted up and down.
Compared to chain drive openers, Belt Drive openers are generally quieter and produce less vibration.
This makes it a good choice for those who wish to have a quiet opener with fewer vibrations induced and low maintenance costs.
The last type of opener you can choose is the Direct Drive Opener.
This type of opener does not use belts or chains for its main function.
Instead, it has the motor directly connected to the trolley.
This simplifies the whole function of the opener.
It also has smooth operations and is definitely quieter compared to the previous options.
What to consider when choosing a garage door opener?
After having known what the available openers in the market are, it is now time to consider the other factors you look at for your garage door.
An important thing you have to consider is your garage door opener’s horsepower.
This refers to the driving force needed to lift your door up and down.
A higher HP does not mean that your door will open and close faster. It simply means that it will have enough strength needed to lift your door.
The higher the HP rating is, the easier it will be for your opener to lift your door.
It reduces the stress and strains it places on your opener and prevents your opener from breaking down due to overloading.
The HP of your garage door opener is decided depending on the size and weight of your garage door.
Choosing a lower HP opener will save you a lot but if it is not proportional to the weight of your door, it will not be able to lift it at all.
Thus you will need to make sure that the power supported by your opener is exactly what you need for your garage door.
Another thing you must consider when deciding on garage door openers is the features that come with it.
There are a lot of different features that your opener can have that can help make things easier for you.
Although most of these features are not really necessarily important to the main function and purpose of your door, it can be quite handy to have.
Here are some features you should definitely consider having for on your garage door opener:
- Remote Support
- LED light
- Manual Release function
- Automated System Functions
- Auto close functions
- Back-up batteries in case of emergencies
Although the above-mentioned features can be considered as what you call accessory features, it would be extremely nice to have them.
Aside from internal functions built-in on your opener, you should also consider external features you can add on top of your garage door opener features.Some of these features include:
- Sensors
- Automated Locking systems
It can be quite costly but the additional safety functions it can provide sure is nice to have. Sensors can be used to detect if there are obstructions under the door to prevent having the door closed on someone while locking systems improve the overall security of your home.
Conclusion
Over-all, garage door openers are extremely important functions you can add on to your garage door.
Sure it is possible to lift your door manually, but having openers will make the task easier and faster for you.
You might never know when you might need that extra minute or second that you could have saved from manually lifting your garage doors.
Choosing the right kind of opener can also be confusing but that is okay.
Just find something that would fit your budget and needs and you should be fine.
You don’t have to have a lot of your features for your opener.
If it opens and closes your garage door just fine, then there is nothing else you should really worry about.
You can also choose to do the installation process yourself.
There are a lot of guides and tutorials on how to install openers online.
However, it is highly recommended to hire a professional for a job like this.
Doing so will assure you that your garage door opener will be installed perfectly and without any errors as they are individuals trained to do this job after all.
If you need professional help for installing your garage door’s opener, GDR Los Angeles Garage Doors will always be happy to help you.
Their 12 years of existence in this industry show how long they have been mastering their crafts making sure that your garage doors are in good hands.
The company also offers 24-hour repair services so they can certainly cater to your needs 24/7.
Having specialists well trained for the job, they have been continuously satisfying both of their residential and commercial clients with their outstanding service.
So if you live in Los Angeles and you need help in installing your garage door opener, or maybe you want someone to do the entire job instead, then look no further.
GDR Los Angeles will be at your beck and call. We will provide all the emergency repair services you need and fix any problem for you.
Contact us now and leave your garage door troubles to us.
