How To Choose A Liftmaster Garage Door Opener
- Casey Heinrich
- August 6, 2020
- 8:12 am
What’s your estimated budget?
However, keep in mind that buying a cheap system might be expensive since these systems require more maintenance, which makes them less reliable.
Where is your garage located?
The garage’s location can also be another significant factor that you’ll have to consider. It can mean the difference between a good night’s sleep and a rude wakeup call in the morning, depending on the type of opener you are going to install.
The chain-driver garage door opener, for instance, is very clanky and is therefore not very suitable when used in homes or offices, especially if the garage’s location is close to either the sleeping quarters or the offices, respectively.
If you feel like installing an opener that is too noisy will affect your daily routine. You should probably install openers that are more accommodating, such as the jack-shaft or the belt drive openers, which are quieter.
How heavy is your garage door?
The heavier your garage door is, the stronger your opening mechanism should be. Belt-driver mechanisms, for instance, should not be installed to operate hefty doors because the door’s weight can take a significant toll on them, causing them to wear and tear quickly and this might cost you more money in maintenance.
The best type of system for heavy doors is the chain-driver opener because it’s more durable, and you can use it over a long time.
What safety measures does the system have?
A garage door opener’s design enables it to do one thing, convenience. You should, therefore, make sure that your garage door suits your needs.
You should go for the best opener that is good for you, which is also within your budget range, Weighing the benefits offered between the two will ultimately give you a good idea of where, to begin with, the purchase.
Security features
It’s now possible for people to hack your phone, computer, home security system, and, by extension, even your garage. Ensuring your garage is safely secured is the best step you can make to help you have a good night’s sleep and keep your property secure.
Try as much as you can to choose a garage opener with the latest anti-hacking security system to make your property safer and keep off intruders.
Many garage door systems have a lot of security features that ensure that no one tries to break into your house while you are away. One of these safety measures is having a rollover passcode.
This feature works by changing the passcode whenever you open your garage door with your remote to keep people from hacking the connection and getting the unlock codes.
Others also have an anti-burglar system that detects when someone is trying to force open the locks and warns you about the same through an alarm or an alert on your smartphone.
Getting answers to these questions will help you narrow down the types of garage openers that may be suitable for you and help you decide which among them best suits your needs. Let’s take a dive and look at some of the various specs offered by different garage door openers.
1. Types of drives available
Jackshaft & Direct-drive openers
Direct-drive openers
This garage opener is best suited for residential houses with light to moderate-heavy doors depending on the motor’s potency. Because rather than a moving belt or chain, it is the motor that moves along the doorway’s length.
Unlike the other types of openers, the direct-drive opener is silent. The motor motion helps lift the door attached to some J-arm, making the whole process extremely quiet.
Belt-drive openers
These openers operate using a belt mechanism attached to the garage door to open and close garage doors. They use a rubber belt, which would make them very suitable for residential places, thus making them some of the quietest garage openers to choose from in the market.
They’re somewhat pricey; however, although installing one in your garage would be a significant investment.
One of the disadvantages of installing belt-drive mechanisms is that they are prone to wear and tear and require maintenance from time to time. However, this depends on the type of rubber material used to make the belt, which consequently determines its resistance to wear and tear.
Using this type of opener on the heavy door, however, is not suitable since too much strain on them can cause them to wear out quickly as compared to the other types of garage door openers. This sort of garage door opener is best suited for people with garage doors that are light.
Screw-drive openers
Since it does not have a lot of parts, the screw-drive opener is comparatively reliable. It operates by rotating a metal pole that’s threaded like a screw to lift and lower the garage doors. Screw-drives are not noisy, but they’re not quiet either. They tend to be in the middle of the pack.
They require slightly more maintenance than the other kinds of openers since, despite having fewer moving parts, the metal pole is threaded meshes against a driveway section with plastic teeth. It may strip them and cause them to wear, especially if you don’t lubricate the mechanism enough. Constant lubrication and greasing needed to help prevent the plastic’s teeth from wearing down.
These openers are not very powerful with heavy doors since the extra weight may strain the drive’s teeth, causing it to wear and tear.
Horsepower
1/2 HP (standard)
3/4 HP
1 HP
Motors with this amount of horsepower made to lift heavy industrial doors. These types of doors are more massive and therefore require engines with more strength to raise them. They are costly when compared with the regular models, but they are more durable and long-lasting.
The extra power allows the motors to lift their load more readily and reduces wear and tear, making them very useful. They provide more strength and efficiency and are more durable when compared to the other two. They also have a much bigger lifespan than the 1/2 and 3/4 HP motors, making them more reliable.
What to look at when buying motors:
The opener motor’s lifespan
The size and weight of the garage door
The type of motors (DC&AC)
There are two types of motors, direct current motors, and alternating current motors. DC motors are mostly used on belt drive openers, although manufacturers have started incorporating them into other forms of openers.
They’re much better than AC motors since they give the added benefit of smooth starts and stops, which means they impact a slow lift and a slow stop when opening and closing a door. Such a feature cuts the noise they would have otherwise made and minimizes the door’s jerk as it starts, making it easier for you to operate it.
DC motors also offer a battery backup option that makes it possible for you to use your garage a couple more times even when there’s a power blackout.
Conclusion
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