How to Choose a Garage Door Opener for Garage Doors in Santa Monica CA

If you’ve ever had to haul open a garage door manually, you know how important it is to choose a high-quality, reliable electric garage door opener that will keep you away from this arduous task in the future. Here are few things to consider when choosing your next garage door opener for your garage doors in Santa Monica CA.

Drive Type

There are three different types of openers that can be used to raise and lower your garage doors in Santa Monica CA: chain-drive, belt-drive, and screw-drive openers. While chain-drive openers are the most traditional, they can also be extremely noisy as the bicycle-like chains rattle along through the T-rail every time the doors open or close. Belt-drive openers work in exactly the same way as chain-drive openers, except instead of a clanking chain, they have a quiet rubber belt. They tend to be a bit more expensive, but the peace and quiet is often worth the extra cost. Screw-drive openers are mid-way between chains and belts in terms of price and noise. Their main drawback is that they require frequent lubrication, and they can sometimes cause the T-rail to wear out early.

Power

In order to ensure that your next garage door opener lasts as long as possible, it is crucial to choose one with sufficient horsepower. In general, a ½ horsepower opener is sufficient for standard two-car garage door openers. If you have heavy wooden doors or carriage-style doors, you will want to invest in more power. Basically, when in doubt add more power. It will not hurt to have an over-powered opener, but an under-powered one can strip its gears and even damage your door when it fails. The power source of your opener is also important. If you live in an area prone to power outages, or if you have extremely heavy doors that you know you cannot open manually without straining, you will want to choose an opener with a self-charging battery backup system.

Security

Security will be a major concern when choosing your garage door opener. In the past, garage door remotes used a single code to open the door, which could easily be captured and used by thieves. Now, most openers use a rolling code system, so that a unique code is used every time the door opens and no code is ever used twice. Other security features you might be interested in include a keyless entry pad that allows you to open the door without carrying a remote.

When in doubt as to what garage door system is right for your garage doors in Santa Monica CA, don’t hesitate to call the in the professionals for advice. It is also a good idea to have your new opener professionally installed, to ensure that everything is in working order before you use it for the first time.