If you know you need to buy a new garage door opener but don’t know where to start, The Door People at Overhead Door Company are here to help!
First, What Is It??
Let’s first clarify what we mean by the garage door opener…we’re referring to the motor usually mounted on your garage’s ceiling that runs your overhead door up and down. Sometimes the terms “garage door opener” can easily be interchanged with what we refer to as a “handheld remote”, the device you use by pushing a button to open or close your overhead door. In this article, we are referring to the motor as the garage door opener.
What Are The Differences In Garage Door Openers?
The differences in garage door openers usually has to do with its horsepower and features. If you have a double wide door compared to a single stall door, you may need an opener that has more horsepower to run your door up and down. Take into consideration what material your garage door is made of. Heavier materials require more strength and power to operate compared to a lighter overhead door, or even one that isn’t insulated. Take the following items into consideration when choosing a new garage door opener for your door:
Size and Weight of Your Garage Door
The size and the weight of your door matters when determining what type of opener to purchase. The increase in horse power allows your opener to handle the increased weight and size of a larger door. It allows your opener to run smoothly and efficiently.
The size and weight of your garage door may help you determine whether to buy a chain or belt operator. We recommend belt operators. Technology has vastly improved and belt operators run much quieter than a chain operator. If you prefer less noise and vibration when opening and closing your garage door, opting for a belt operator is a smart move. You will pay approximately $20-$40 more for a belt operator when compared to the chain operator.
Something else you’ll have to take into account are rail sizes. Larger rail sizes are available with more powerful openers since a more powerful opener should be paired with a larger door. If your door has a max height above 8 ft. then it most likely requires an opener with more power.
Features
Advances in technology have allowed garage door openers to have bells and whistles you may want to consider which are designed with safety and convenience in mind. For example, do you want the ability to have a hand held remote tell you whether you shut your garage door or not? If so, this is a remote that is only compatible with Overhead Door’s Odyssey® and Destiny® openers.
Does the speed in which your door opens and closes matter to you? If so, you are going to want to choose an opener with more horse power. Are you aware of the fact that if your power goes out and you have an attached garage, most standard openers are not going to open or close the door because they require electricity? Overhead Door has an opener that has a battery back-up unit built into the opener itself which means if your power goes out for whatever reason, it will still operate your door!
Give us a call or stop into our showroom and we would be happy to help answer your questions! You also can complete the Request A Free Estimate form.
