When it comes to choosing a garage door opener for your garage, there are a few factors or features you need to consider before shelling out your cash on anyone. Today, there are different types of garage door openers available, manufactured by different brands, and each one with its own features.
With this large selection of garage door openers, choosing the right one for your home can turn out to be very difficult or confusing especially if you have no prior knowledge about this necessary home accessory. That is why we’ve created this guide to walk you through the different features you need to consider and the questions you need to ask yourself when choosing a garage door opener. After reading this article, we’re pretty sure you’ll be confident when choosing the garage door opener for your garage door.
So, here are the features and factors we believe you should consider.
Compare the motor horsepower to the type of garage door you have
No matter how fancy looking a garage door opener is, if the motor in it doesn’t have enough power to lift or open your garage door safely and efficiently, then it’s pretty useless for you.
That is why one of the first factors you should consider is the horsepower of the motor. The horsepower will determine if it will be able to open your garage door without any strain on the motor. There are 3 models you can go for. They are ½ horsepower, ¾ horsepower, and 1 horsepower models.
The ½ horsepower garage door openers can lift or open most garage doors, but they will be less ideal for heavy garage doors or even the well-insulated ones.
Garage door openers with ¾ HP motors are a step more powerful than the ½ HP models. Apart from being more powerful, they’re also more durable and perform a little better, and they will obviously be a little more expensive.
You should go for the ¾ HP models if you have a one-piece wooden garage door on a two-car garage or if your garage door has heavy insulation that will require more power from the opener.
1 HP models are top-of-the-line models. They offer the maximum power and efficiency you need to open any type of garage door. They are meant to open the heaviest garage doors in commercial buildings or homes.
Consider the type of drive
Another very important factor you must consider is the drive type of the opener. The drive is the main mechanism or connection between the motor of the opener and the garage door, which helps in raising and lowering the garage door.
When it comes to the drive type, there are 5 different options you can choose from. They include chain drive, belt drive, screw drive, jackshaft, and direct drive.
The type of drive you go for will determine how reliable the garage door opener is, and how quiet it operates.
The chain drive: This drive option is pretty easy to understand from the name. It makes use of a chain to connect the motor to a trolley which raises and lowers the garage door. The chain drive option is the most economical and it works very well for heavy one-piece doors and insulated doors. However, it creates vibration and can be pretty noisy during operation, and thus is not ideal for garage doors close to your sleeping quarters or your bedroom.
Belt drive: The belt drive option makes use of a belt to connect the motor to the trolley which raises and lowers the door. Unlike the chain drive, it has few moving parts, with no metal parts to make noise. Hence, it’s the quietest option you can choose if you’re concerned about noise. It’s also relatively very easy to maintain due to the few moving parts it has.
Screw drive: A garage door opener with a screw drive is usually quieter and operates faster than a chain drive. The downside is that it requires more maintenance, as it makes use of a long threaded metal rod which turns like a screw as it opens or closes the door. This means that for it to operate smoothly, you have to lubricate the screw regularly. It also means there’s a limit on the amount of load it can bear without wearing the screw down. Hence, it’s not suitable for heavy wooden or oversized garage doors. It’s better suited for a single door or lighter steel garage doors.
Jackshaft drive: Garage door openers with the jackshaft drive attach to the front wall of the garage and employ the use of pulleys and rolling torsion bars to raise and lower your garage door.
This type of garage door is usually more expensive and it’s ideal for sectional garage doors.
Direct drive: With the quiet operation of a belt drive, the direct-drive openers are can be quite expensive, but they require little maintenance once they’ve been installed. Instead of using a chain or belt, the motor itself moves along the rail track to raise and lower the garage door. Putting these factors into consideration, such as the horsepower rating of the motor, the drive option as well as the noise rating, we’re confident you’ll choose the best opener suitable for your garage door.
Conclusion
Now that you have been educated on the differences in Garage Door openers, do a little research for your home and find the one that best suits your needs
For more great home ownership tips, check out the other blogs on Check This House.
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