Obviously, a garage door is an important component to your garage. It’s finding the right garage door opener that will make all the difference.
Here are a few basic types of garage door openers to consider:
- Chain Drives are the most common type of openers. It uses a chain to pull and push a trolley that moves the door up and down. While they can be noisy, chain drive openers are the most affordable out of the bunch.
- Belt Drives are similar to chain drives, except for the fact that the door open and closes by use of a belt instead of a chain. Since they are a quieter option to the chain drives, they’re ideal if your garage is attached to your home. Keep in mind that they are a bit more expensive than your other options.
- Screw Drive openers rotate a threaded steel rod to move the trolley as it opens and closes the door. This option is noisier, but it doesn’t have as many parts as the other drives which means less maintenance in the long run.
- Jackshaft openers mount on a wall beside the door, and complements garages with both high or low ceilings. A 24-v DC motor drives pulleys and cable that turn the tension bar, which raises the garage door, and lowering back down again when the motor is reversed and the cable tension is loosened.
- Direct-drive openers utilize a motor, rather than a trolley, to travel along a stationary chain fixed within an overhead rail, while a J-arm links the moving motor to the door.
A Few Tips
If the power is out or the motor is not working right, a manual release and battery backup will help you open the garage door. Make sure to test this on a regular basis to make sure that it is working properly.
As a safety precaution, check to make sure that your door sensor is working. This is the component of your garage door opener that casts an invisible beam across your garage doorway to prevent the door from closing on anything that breaks its path.
Never install an opener on your own, follow instructions and use the proper tools. These steps seem obvious, but it really does make the installation process much easier. In fact, you could say that this could be considered an open and shut case – garage door opener edition.
