At Neighborhood Garage Door Service of Hartford, CT, we get a lot of questions about all the different parts of the garage door system. One of the most frequently asked about component is the automatic garage door opener. So, we’ve put together this list of garage door opener basics to help you better understand this important piece of your home.
Before Openers
Automatic garage door openers have come a long way in their relatively short history. Prior to their invention, you had to get out of your car and manually open the garage door. This was especially inconvenient when trying to get in during rainy or snowy conditions. With the invention of the automatic opener, all of these problems simply went away.
Drive Systems
There are several different types of drive systems to choose from nowadays. Each has its own benefits and drawbacks that you should consider before settling on one. Let’s take a look at the differences.
- Chain-driven doors use a carriage that is pulled along by a chain on a track. This is probably what you’ve seen in most garages. This is very cost effective but is also the noisiest option.
- Belt-drives work just like chain-drive but with a steel-reinforced belt. It is the quietest option of the four main types.
- Screw-drives are similar to chain and belt in that it uses a carriage that moves back and forth on a track. However, It uses a long screw to pull and push the carriage. This makes it fairly quiet, but not as much as the belt-drives.
- Jackshaft openers are the most unique of the bunch. Instead of a motor on the ceiling in the middle of your garage, this one mounts directly beside your door opening. It uses a turning motor to crank the door up. This makes it the most compact and space-efficient system.
Safety Features
One of the most significant advances in garage door openers has been in the area of safety features. The number of accidents related to garage doors has dramatically reduced over the last few decades. You may be familiar with some of these features, but not all of them.
Safety eye sensors sit on either side of your door opening and stop the door from closing if something passes through them. The emergency reversal system activates if the opener senses that the door has collided with something. All doors all also equipped with an emergency pull cord to disengage the motor allowing for manual opening during a power outage.
Increasing Access and Convenience
Garage door openers are also incredibly convenient thanks to remote control options that are available. Not only can you activate the opener from inside with a wall-mounted button, but with remotes. You can get remotes that stay in your car or that clip to your keychain. Nowadays, you can even get openers that you can control with your cell phone.
Call Today for Garage Door Opener Service
The garage door opener basics should give you a much better understanding of how your garage door functions day in and day out. Neighborhood Garage Door Service of Hartford, Connecticut has you covered for any repairs you may need on your opener, door, tracks, springs, and anything else. Give us a call right away for service.
