If you can’t remember when you purchased your garage door opener, then it’s probably time to think seriously about changing it. Here are four reasons why you should replace your garage door opener:
Improve your safety
For most homeowners, the garage is the main entry point to the home. Most people park their car there and leave for work in the morning and come back in the evening through the garage.
With all the time spent entering and exiting the garage, it becomes very important for your door opener to be safe and not likely to hit or injure anyone. Did you know that before 1993 door openers had only one automatic reversal system: when the door is lowering, if it encounters an object or person, the pressure will cause it to immediately reverse direction. Today’s systems use mechanical systems along with newer photo-eye systems. These systems consist of two visual sensor units placed on each side of the door, about 4 to 6 in. from the ground with one sending a beam of light to the other. If anything breaks this beam, the door automatically goes back up.
Prevent intrusion
Since 1993, most door openers have used the technology of rolling codes. This means that each time you press on the remote, a completely new code is generated for the subsequent use. In 1993, Chamberlain Group (including the brands Chamberlain, LiftMaster and Craftsman) started equipping its remotes with the Security+ system which allowed for many millions of codes. This was followed by its Security+ 2.0 system in 1996 offering more than 1 billion possible codes. The newer your opener, the harder it is to breach.
Take Advantage of Technology
Today, you can open and close the garage door from your smartphone. Many new garage door opener systems use Wi‑Fi technology, meaning you can use your smartphone, tablet or laptop to open and close your garage doors from anywhere.
Reduce noise
Older garage doors can be very noisy, and this is annoying especially if your bedroom is located over the garage. If your door opener operates with a chain drive, like that on a bicycle, or a system made up of a chain attached to a steel cable, you understand. Today, there are door openers that use rubber belts (reinforced with metal fibers similar to the way car tires are made) that are proven to be much quieter.
To reduce the noise even further, you can choose to replace your metal rollers with white or black nylon rollers. In addition, there is even a vibration isolator system which uses rubber placed between the opener motor and the metal brackets holding it to the ceiling to further quiet operation.
Give Midlothian Garage Doors a call today, and find out about all the exciting new options that are right for you!
