How Hard Is Installing a Garage Door Opener?

Tips for deciding whether to hire a professional to install your garage door opener.

If you need a new garage door opener, you might be wondering whether it is in your best interests to call a professional or to try to install the new opener yourself. While a new garage opener can certainly be installed by anyone with the right tools and basic mechanical aptitude, this task is actually best left to the professionals. Why? Because for the roughly $100 or so you pay for professional installation, you get all of the following benefits:

Parts & Labor Warranty

Probably the number one reason to get professional garage door opener installation is that this typically entitles you to both a product warranty on the opener (assuming you buy from the pro’s company) and a labor warranty on the installation. This protects you in the unlikely event that an installation error leads to poor performance from your new opener or even damages the opener or the door. If you did the job yourself, you might very well make an installation error and you would have no protection for it.

Peace of Mind You’re Getting the Right Opener

Another good reason to reach out to the pros rather than buying and installing a garage door opener on your own is that the pros will make sure you are getting the right opener for your needs including but not limited to the size and weight of the door. For example, they might come out and measure your garage to make sure you have enough clearance for the new opener. If you don’t, they can offer specialty openers such as wall-mounted openers that you may not find at the store.

Better Installation Hardware

Often, when you purchase a garage door opener from a home improvement store it will come with somewhat flimsy hanging hardware. A professional will often replace this hardware so that you get a sturdier setup, especially for jobs involving heavier doors. For example, the flimsy hanging straps would probably get replaced with heavy gauge angle iron and the multi-piece rail could be replaced with a one-piece rail. A professional garage door installation tech will also know in advance whether your door requires an additional drawbar plate or reinforcement strut and have this part on hand to complete the job properly. If you were doing your own install, you might have to make a run to the store, adding time and hassle to the job.

Complimentary Garage Door Balance & Adjustment

Finally, when you turn to the pros for garage door opener installation, they make sure the garage door is properly balanced and adjusted after they’re done. They may also lubricate the door as an additional courtesy if needed.