The inventions and subsequent commercialization of garage door openers allowed many people to open their doorsfor garage conveniently without getting out of their cars or needing the help of others. Since the conception of door openers for garage in 1926, many similar products have emerged. These days, hundreds are now available in the market that it seems such an overwhelming prospect to choose the one that will suit your needs.
Here are some things that should be on your checklist before making your purchase.
1. Drive System
Your search for the ideal door opener for garage will start with determining what kind of drive (the mechanism used to raise and lower the door) you should get.
The chain drive is the most common and the most affordable among the three kinds of drives sold today. This drive gives good value for you money. The only downside to this system is that it can be very noisy.
The belt drive is the most quiet as it operates with a rubber belt and reduces vibrations and metal-on-metal contact, which makes the chain drive noisy. However, this is also usually the most expensive.
The screw drive is the trade-off between the other two. This system works with a few moving parts and may come in a plastic-lined track that allows it to bring the noise level down. The screw drive costs midway between the chain and belt drives.
2. Horsepower
When determining the HP or horsepower, consider the weight, composition, and number of garage doors. One-third HP is adequate for a single-door garage, while you need ½ HP if you have a two-door garage. Openers with 3/4 HP are recommended for commercial use. Products, like the Seip tm60 has the soft start and stop feature where the motor runs slowly at the beginning and the end. This allows for a quieter operation and reduces the wear and tear on the door for garage.
3. Security and Safety
A door for garage should be secured to ensure that you are protected from outsiders. To guard against intruders, make sure that the door opener for garage system uses rolling codes where new codes are generated every time the door is opened or closed.
As per U.S. laws, door openers for garage should be able to stop and back up whenever its sensors detect (through an electronic beam) something in the way. This feature is important because it ensures your family's safety.
4. Remote and Fixed Controls
The remote control is used to open the door for garage while you are still inside your car. Some of these controls (like those offered by Seip tm60) are scaled down to fit your keychain.
Fixed controls are usually located on the wall inside or outside the garage. This includes keyless pads for those who do not like to use keys or those who forgot their remote controls.
5. Light and Backup Battery
It is necessary for the garage door openers to provide light because most of the time, they provide the only source of illumination. The standard openers have 60-watt bulbs but you can also get those with 100-watt bulbs.
A battery backup is a good additional feature to allow you to use the openers during power outages. This is not a standard in most systems but new models, as the tm60 offers this as an option. After you have gone through these details, it is now time for you to get yourself a new garage door opener.
