A garage door opener is essential to access the garage and ensure the safety of your belongings inside. But, with so many options available, choosing the best garage door opener is never easy.
In today’s post, we will discuss 3-important factors to consider when buying garage door openers. Let’s dive in!
Types of Drive Openers
All garage door openers use the same mechanism to function. There is a central motor that drives the trolley with a rail. This movement causes the garage door to open and close too. But, the way the motor drives the trolley may vary between different openers.
Generally, there are 4-ways in which that happens:
-
Chain-Drive Openers
These garage door openers use a metal chain, which makes them the most durable option in the market. You can use them for any garage door, but most people prefer them for heavy, oversized, insulated, or one-piece doors.
Their popularity also makes them highly affordable. However, the metal hitting metal produces an unpleasantly loud sound. If you live in suburbs or even suburban areas, the noise won’t be much bothersome.
-
Screw-Drive Openers
This type of opener features a threaded metal rod that resembles a screw. Since it has fewer moving parts, the drive is very reliable and fast. It opens 10” to 12” of the door in a second.
But it makes a moderate level of noise. It also cannot lift heavy garage doors. You can use it for only single-car doors or thin steel doors.
-
Belt-Drive Openers
If you want a noise-free garage door opener, choose the one with a belt drive. It uses a rubber belt and clogs to move the door up and down. While this is not very reliable, no metal parts are grinding against each other and making ugly noises.
-
Direct-Drive Openers
The direct-drive openers remove the role of the trolley from the mechanism. Instead of a trolley, the motor directly moves along the rail using a J-arm. These openers are very quiet, reliable, and durable. But they also cost a lot.
-
Horsepower
Horsepower refers to the energy or power that an engine produces. The higher horsepower of a device is, the faster it will move. So, if you want the garage door to open quickly and swiftly, high horsepower is necessary.
But this doesn’t mean you should select the highest horsepower available. It won’t guarantee optimal performance. You need to consider the size and weight of your garage door to select the ideal horsepower of the opener.
Usually, people opt for ½ horsepower. It lifts single and double garage doors of average weight easily. However, if you have a heavier garage door, go for ¾ horsepower.
Smart Connectivity
Lastly, it’s best to choose garage door openers with smart connectivity. Since the majority of present-day households are smart, this feature will help the door opener connect with the rest of the devices and create an integrated system. Check Family Christian Doors new custom garage door builder and build the garage door of your dreams!
Interesting Related Article: “The importance of winter garage door maintenance“