Garage Door Openers – What You Should Know!
Electric garage door openers are a luxury that no one with a garage can seem to live without. Lets face the facts, who in the right mind wants to get out of their car during a Nor’ Easter and open their garage door to park the car. Door openers are an affordable luxury that when purchased and installed by Worcester Door Company, will provide years of dependable service.
Door Opener Types
Garage door openers today, offer much more in the way of options and accessories. There are four basic types on openers on the market place today. There is the standard reliable Chain Drive with either a 1/3hp or 1/2hp motor. There is the standard Screw Drive with a variety of different motor ratings and speeds. Then there is the quiet Belt Drive system with its standard ½ hp and ¾ hp ratings. Finally, the new kid on the block is a residential jackshaft door opener designed for use with torsion springs and specialized track designs. The Chamberlain Group is the only Company that manufacturers all four door opener types. We highly recommend Chamberlain products because they are the leader in the marketplace and build more door openers than any other.
Brand, Cost and Installation
The company Chamberlain Group produces the well known brands of Lift Master, and Craftsman. The life span of a standard door opener today, no matter what drive design is approximately 10-15 years depending upon the amount of use over its life span. The average cost of a standard chain drive garage door opener professionally installed is between $300.00 and $400.00 dollars. If you took the higher amount and divided it out over lets say 12 years, the unit would cost you on average 33.33 per year. If you took the amount and divided it over 365 days, it comes out to about .09 per day. Most store bought door openers especially under the Genie brand name last about 5 to 7 years and will run you about $250-$350 installed. Considering the cost involved with purchasing a door opener, it makes sense to purchase a high quality door opener from a local reputable door company.
Garage doors are the least serviced item in the home; we will not install a door opener on a mechanically bad working door for it will only compound the problem and present a serious safety hazard. Garage doors need to be working properly in order for the door opener to do its job and provide you with its full life span.
Safety
All door openers installed in the U.S. since 1993 must have more than one safety reverse system, either in the form of photo electric eyes or an electric safety edge. The electric photo-eye system is the most commonly used in the field today because of its simplicity. They are designed to be installed 6” to 12” from off the garage floor near the door opening. The “photo-eyes” cast an infra-red beam across the opening when the door begins to close and if beam is broken or obstructed in any way the door automatically reverses to full open. Unprofessional installers will mount these safety devices in the ceiling near the power head because they are not concerned with your safety and are simply trying to get the installation done as quickly as possible. This practice is illegal and can be reason for your home failing an inspection by your insurance company or a potential home buyer. Remote controls and key pads are the most common accessories that are for the most part, standard. Garage door openers today are available with battery back up systems that in the event of a power outage your door would still be able to open electronically. This is very important to consider if your garage is your main entry point to your home. Once door openers are installed the doors are impossible to open manually unless the release cord is pulled from the inside.
Please contact me directly with any questions you may have, my number is 508-791-3424 or you can email at miked@worcesterdoor.com
