At the heart of your garage door system is your garage door opener. It is the motor that opens and closes your garage door without having to do it manually. Yet, there is not exactly a one size fit’s all garage door opener. The one you want to get depends on what garage door features you are looking for.  Today we are going to look at several important garage door opener features that can affect the decision on which garage door opener to get.

Garage Door Opener Features

The Type Of Drives a Garage door opener has.

There are several types of drives a garage door opener can have that raise the garage door up and down.

Chain Drive: The chain drive features a chain that pulls the door up to open. The upside to these types of drives is they are usually the least expensive to purchase. There are two major downsides though. The first is they are the types of drives that require the most lubrication. The Second is they are usually the ones that is the noisiest.

Belt Drive: In belt drives, the belt is made of rubber or polyurethane.  The belt drive is almost as cost-effective as the chain drive. Another upside to the belt drive is they produce fewer vibrations than a chain drive which helps contribute to the fact they are quieter.

Screw Drives:  The screw drive uses a threaded metal rod to pull the garage door along the track, offering a more reliable and longer-lasting track system. The upside to this is the screw drive consists of fewer moving parts than a chain drive.

Wall-Mount Jackshaft: Jack Shaft Garage door openers are mounted to the wall instead of the ceiling. Jackshaft openers are connected to the garage door’s torsion bar to raise and lower the door. This system is suitable for any type of garage door including full vertical lift, standard lift and high lift doors. The upside to these types of openers are that they are incredibly quiet and require less maintenance because there is no chain, belt or screw. The downside is they do cost more than the other options.

Horsepower matters.

Horsepower is defined as follows; a unit of power equal to 550 foot-pounds per second (745.7 watts). Every garage door opener has a horsepower rating.  Generally, garage door openers range from 1/3 horsepower to 1.5 horsepower. Generally, unless you have a single car garage with a light aluminum garage door, you want to look for ½ on up. ½ to ¾ horsepower will work for a two-door garage. Large houses or custom heavy doors may require more horsepower.

Safety Features of Garage Door Openers

Auto Stop and Reverse

Garage door photosensors are 2 small little devices with lenses on the front that are positioned about 6 inches off the ground on either side of the garage door track. What does this have to do with the garage door opener? When something crosses that beam it triggers an auto-stop and reverses feature inside your garage door opener. This is to protect small children and pets from being crushed under the weight and torque of the garage door.

Rolling Code Technology.

With everything becoming more digital, you have to stay ahead of want-to-be thieves that are smart enough to use more than a crowbar.  Rolling code technology is one of the next steps to doing just that. Every time you use your garage door opener remote, your remote and your opener randomly choose a new code, with over a million possible codes available. This has become standard technology on Liftmaster garage door openers since 1993.

Battery Backup

Some garage door openers come with a battery backup option. This can come in handy in case of a power outage in your home.  You will want to check your manual for how many times can it be used during a single outage, as they do have limits. The only other downside is they will have to replace about every 2 to 3 years.

Security Lights

Many modern garage door openers, including the newer Liftmaster garage door openers, come with a security light.  The security light turns on automatically when the garage door opener is activated. Many of the models with security lights are now motion-activated, allowing deterrence of intruders.

Wifi Integration

Although not exactly a security feature in itself, it does allow you to use apps like MyQ, a garage door app that let’s you control and monitor your garage door wherever you are.  It can alert you when your garage door has been opened and let you see inside your garage if you have a camera.

If you are considering getting a new garage door opener or having issues with your current garage door opener motor, Spectrum Overhead Door LLC has been giving award-winning garage door service to the Houston area since 2006. Call either our main office at 281-748-9542 or  East Houston office 713-557-3407 to schedule an appointment for a free quote with no trip charge!