Repair or Replace?

Before you make a decision to purchase a new garage door opener, you may want to evaluate whether your current opener may be repairable. Garage door openers are complex pieces of machinery. Unless you are experienced at mechanical appliance repair, call a professional. He can evaluate whether your opener can be repaired, and if so, if he thinks it is likely to fail again soon. Also, if your garage door opener does not meet current safety standards, you should consider replacing it.

Brand

There are many excellent brands of garage door openers. Many of these companies have been in business for decades. LiftMaster and Genie are the most popular, but many of the other brands have excellent reputations and offer long warranties. Click here to see our selection of our Top Garage Door Opener Brands

Get Help or Do It Yourself?

If you are replacing an existing garage door opener and an electrical outlet is already in the proper location, this is a project requiring only a moderate level of skill. If you need to install an outlet, it becomes a much more involved project, and may require permits. Either way, the project is made somewhat more complicated because you will also need to install the infrared safety sensors. Most homeowners have their garage door openers professionally installed, either by the professional provided by or recommended by the seller, or by a local garage door professional the homeowner has located.

Safety

Garage doors openers have become safer through the advent of three safety/security features. If you have an older garage door opener that does not have these safety features, getting a safer opener will be one benefit when you decide to upgrade:

Automatic garage door reverse: In 1993, the United States federal government mandated that all new garage doors have this safety feature. If your garage door comes in contact with an object (other than your garage floor) while it is closing, it automatically reverses direction and will return to the open position. People, pets, and cars cannot get crushed when doors have this feature.

Electric Eye System: Also part of the 1993 legislation, all doors have an electric eye light beam that goes from one side of the garage door opening to the other. The garage door reverses direction and returns to the open position when something passes across the garage door opening while the door is closing and interrupts the beam.

More Secure Remotes: Older garage doors had remote control systems that were not very secure, and an old garage door opener from another garage opener could sometimes open your door. Today's garage door openers do not have this problem, and the remote controls are much more secure.

Mechanism Type

There are three types of garage door openers for you to choose:

Chain drive mechanisms: These are the noisiest type because they draw a metal chain through a metal trolley. They are popular because they are usually the least expensive type of opener.

Screw drive mechanisms: A threaded steel rod progresses through a threaded track, opening the door as it goes. These are often the slowest models, but recent improvements have made some models both faster and quieter. They are moderately priced.

Belt drive mechanisms: If you are parking a Cadillac in the garage, consider purchasing the "Cadillac" of garage door openers. The door is opened using flexible rubber belts, which eliminate almost all of the noise usually associated with garage doors. These are typically the most expensive models sold.

Speed

Garage doors vary in how quickly they open and close the door. Slower door openers tend to be less expensive. A faster opener is desirable, but too much speed can result in harmful strain on the motor as the opener starts (which can cause your motor to fail prematurely), and harmful impact when the door closes (causing your door to fail prematurely). The best door openers slow the motor at the start and end, but move the door rapidly in the middle of the door opening or closing process.

Motor Power

You should get a garage door opener with a motor that has at least 1/2 HP (horse power). If your garage door opener will be opening two or three doors in your garage, or if you are installing a heavy garage door (wood and double steel panels over insulation are relatively heavy), you should look for a motor with 3/4 or more HP.

Remotes

Remote controls are your method for controlling your garage door opener and the doors connected to it. Here are three factors you will want to consider when you make your decision:

Size: Remotes come two formats, small and smaller. All manufacturers make remote controls that are pocket-sized. Some also make remotes small enough to fit on your key chain.

Buttons: If you have multiple garage doors, look for openers with multiple buttons, one to control each door.

Lights: Some remote control systems enable you to control the lights that are located inside your garage opener.

Special Features

Sometimes the special features of one product model make you choose it over another model. Here are some special features available in some garage door openers.

Pet access opening: This feature enable you to press a button and open your garage door just enough for you pet to get in or out of your garage. Some pet access openings are programmable, so you can have the right height whatever the size of your pet.

Lights: Most garage door openers have at least one light that goes on, for at least a few minutes, when the opener in engaged. Some openers support more than one light bulb, and openers vary by the wattage of the bulbs. If lights are an important feature to you, be sure to pay attention to the number and wattage of the bulbs supported.

Motion detector lights: Some garage door openers include a motion detector for their light or lights. That way, whenever somebody walks into the garage the motion detector will activate the light.

Back-up Battery System: Every month, 100,000 homes in the United States lose electrical power. While all garage doors have a manual override feature so you can disengage the motor and open the door manual, some garage doors have an included or optional back-up battery system, when the electricity goes out the battery automatically begins to function.

Price

Garage door openers are available in a range of prices. Chain drive and screw drive mechanisms are less expensive. Models with belt drive mechanisms are more expensive. More powerful motors, configurations for multiple doors, and special features will add to the price of your garage door opener.