You are getting ready to upgrade your old electric garage door opener, and it’s about time. You want to have an opener that is more reliable, and that is quieter. Essentially, you want to have something that is modern and that will work well for you. Of course, you also want to think about the various types of tech that can integrate with the garage door openers. It tends to be quite a bit to think about, but we can help to answer your questions and make things a bit easier for you when you are making your decision.
Understand the basics
The first thing you need to do is have an understanding of just how the electric garage door opener works. Without a quality opener for your garage you would have to get out and open up the door and close it each time you needed to get into and out of the garage through the door. This is no fun when it is cold out or raining. A proper garage door opener will open and close the door with the touch of a button.
To use a garage door opener, the door needs to be balanced with either a torsion or extension spring system. It will act as a counterweight for the door. The dead weight of the door can vary. It could be from 90 lbs. on the low end up to 350 lbs. on the high. When the door has been balanced correctly, the door will only feel that it weighs about 10 lbs. or less.
Can you tell if there is an issue with the spring system? The easiest way to know if the system is not balanced properly is to disconnect the electric door opener when the door is shut. With manual power, open up the door halfway. It should stay in the position without moving. However, if it falls shut or if it opens quickly, it means that it is not balanced properly. What should you do if your door is not balanced? It has the potential to be dangerous, so you will want to make sure that you talk with a specialist from All‑Mont Garage Doors to get some help.
It is not something you want to ignore. There is the potential for these doors to crush people when they are not installed properly and if there is an issue with the balance, being safe is always better than being sorry.
What terms should you know?
We will be talking about motor sizes soon, but it is important to learn a few terms before going further. HP stands for horsepower. The two types of electrical current that connect garage door opener motors are alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC). AC will be measured in HP. With DC, the measurement is in Newton force or N.
You might be wondering what the differences are. Simply put, the AC-type motors will remain at the same speed. The DC motors will start slowly, but they will increase in speed. Before they stop, they will reduce their speed and slow down. When it comes to performance, you will find that they tend to be about equal. The only major difference is that the AC models will be somewhat louder than the DC counterparts.
What motor size is needed?
You now have more knowledge about doors, it is time to look at some of the various options that are available for garage doors like yours. For residential garage doors, the range for AC motors is 1/3, ½, and ¾ HP. With DC, you will find them in 500 newtons or 700 newtons. A motor that is 500 newtons will be the same as a ½ HP AC motor. The 700‑Newton options are the same as the ¾ HP DC motors. The ½ HP and 500‑newton motors tend to be the most popular for residential homes.
When it comes to commercial garage doors, the doors themselves are typically much larger. This means that they need to be more powerful. In some cases, they could be up to 4 HP or even 5 HP.
For a single door, which usually measures 9’ x 7’, the ½ HP/500N motors are a good option. Those who have a double door that measures 16’ x 7’ will likely want to have a ¾ HP/700N motor. The same holds true for a solid wood door.
There are plenty of other things you will have to consider when you are choosing a motor, including how long you want it to last. Most will last for about seven years without trouble. Those that are more expensive can last for up to 15 years. Consider some of the other accessories, as well, such as a remote light switch and garage door monitor.
Using the smartphone
It seems like today, you can control many different parts of your home with your smartphone, as long as you have the right technology installed. Most of the door openers today will have Wi-Fi connectivity, and most will allow you to control the opener from your phone. One of the big benefits is that you don’t even need to be near the door for this to happen. You can control the door from anywhere in the world, as long as you have a connection.
When you work with All‑Mont Garage Doors, we can let you know everything you need to know about these and other features of a new garage door system.
Keeping safe
It is important that you always make sure safety is a top concern for you. You need to make sure that you have a door that is properly balanced. Be sure to test it at least a couple of times per year, just to make sure that there are no issues that could cause problems or be a danger. Work with a garage door professional if there is.
It is Time You Learned More
You should not hesitate to get in touch with us, you can contact us by calling 1-800-957-5865. We can let you know more about all of the various electric garage door openers that we have available, and we can help you to find the one that will be the perfect solution for you, even if you are on a budget. If you would like, we could even send you a quotation via email.
Of course, if you would like, you could always head on down to our showroom to get a look for yourself. You can check out our Design Centre and the image gallery. These can make it easy for you to get some ideas of what type of garage door you might want to have for your own property.
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