All You’d Ever Want to Know about Garage Door Openers
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“The peace of mind knowing whether or not your garage door is up when you’re around the corner or the world is unbeatable.”
Even though we do, most people don’t spend much time thinking about their garage door openers. They go up, and they go down. And that’s the end of it.
Their presence isn’t usually realized until their absence is felt. When it starts acting temperamental, making squeaking noises or not entirely shutting, it sends people into a mild panic. It can ruin your day if you can’t leave for work or drop the kids off at school. They are everyday life’s silent (or nearly silent, at least) heroes.
Fortunately, a range of garage door openers can meet your specific needs. At Austin’s Greater Garage Doors, we offer garage door installation in Austin and garage door installation in Pflugerville.
There are two basic types of garage door openers: Manual and Automatic. Each has its benefits and challenges, but we hope this guide helps you choose the best option for your home.
Manual Garage Doors
Manual garage doors (i.e., carriage doors) are the traditional garage door style that swings outward from hinges or uses a pull string to operate the mechanism. They have fewer components than automatic garage doors, with nothing affixed to the ceiling.
While automatic doors come in standard shapes and sizes, manual entries can be custom sized. They can provide a historic charm wildly if they swing on hinges. As the name implies, you must be physically at the door to open it.
They can’t be hacked because they aren’t electric or connected to wifi.
Pros:
Simple installation works during a power outage, historic charm, custom sizing, privacy, safety, and lower maintenance costs (fewer moving parts).
Cons:
Inconvenient and no remote access.
Buy if:
You want a low-tech solution for your garage door needs and don’t mind getting out of the car whenever you need to open it. Maybe you need something custom with a historic charm that offers privacy and safety.
Electric Garage Door Openers.
The segmented garage door was built in 1922, and the electric garage door opener was built in 1926. In 1993, the US government mandated safety sensors for all residential units.
A motor mounted on the ceiling pulls the segmented garage door up a pair of parallel tracks until it is mainly parallel to the ceiling. A remote keypad on the outside allows a code to be entered to gain entry into the garage, even if the owner is outside.
A remote opener control can often be mounted inside or programmed into a car to allow for complete convenience in entering and exiting the garage. Newer models have wifi capabilities, which allow the owner to check whether or not it is up or down as long as they are connected to the internet. The opener generally lasts 10-15 years, and batteries last 3-5 years.
The peace of mind that comes with knowing whether or not your garage door is up when you’re around the corner or the world is unbeatable.
Pros:
Quiet, Convenient, wifi access, remotes, and physical safety.
Cons:
More technical installation doesn’t work during a power outage, higher maintenance costs, susceptibility to hacking, and extra hardware mounted to the ceiling
Buy if:
You want a high-tech, convenient solution to your home functionality and security. You don’t want to open the garage door every time manually, and you want the ability to check to see if it’s open from a distance. You want your kids to be safe if they play in or near the garage.
Different Electric Garage Door Opener Brands.
We only install electric garage door opener brands whose quality and reliability we can guarantee. All our service technicians are experts, so know you’ll be taken care of.
- Guardian
- Liftmaster
- Genie
- Chamberlain
- Wayne Dalton
- Linear
Austin’s Greater Garage Doors
Here at Austin’s Greater Garage Doors, we have 15 years of experience in all things garage doors. We pride ourselves on our fast response time. We will have a service member out to your house within an hour and sometimes within 30 minutes.
If you love your garage door opener but just need it repaired, we also offer repair in Austin. If you aren’t thrilled with the performance of your current garage door opener, we offer garage door replacement in Austin and garage door replacement in Pflugerville.
Your satisfaction is our top priority. Call us for a free estimate today.