Has it been a while since you installed your garage door opener? Chances are good that it was there when you bought the house, and it might have been there when the previous owner bought the house, too. Whatever the case, chances are very good that it’s time to think about replacing it.
Not sure why you should spend money on a garage door opener replacement? Let’s look at five reasons why you should be ditching that dinosaur and moving on to something a bit more modern. Really, it’s all about safety and being able to make the most of new technology.
Ramping Up Your Safety
With an attached garage, what would you say is the main point of entry into your home? If you said the front door, you’re wrong. Most homeowners (and their children, and their children’s friends) use the garage door. It’s natural. You pull up, pull in, get out, shut the garage door and enter from the garage. The same thing applies to those who use the garage as a workshop, or to store their lawn mower and other tools.
Given the fact that you and everyone in your family probably uses the garage to get into the house, it means it’s vital that you think about safety. Your garage door opener must be safe. If it was built before 1993, there is only a single mechanical reversal system in place. This is an auto‑reverse system that causes the door to reverse if it encounters something while closing.
In 1993, the US and Canadian governments introduced a mandate that all garage doors be equipped with photo eyes as a second security precaution. This system used two photoelectric eyes to create a beam across the opening of the garage. If the beam was broken while the door was closing, it would reverse.
Are you confident that both of your safety systems are working correctly?
Intruder Prevention
Your garage door allows you to get into your home. It can also allow other people in – people who shouldn’t have access. If you used DIP switches to program your garage door opener with either a +, 0 or – position, there’s a very real possibility that someone can duplicate your code and get into your home.
Back in 1993, new technology was rolled out that eliminated those switches. Called rolling codes, it generates a new code every time you use your garage door opener. This prevents anyone from figuring out the code to your garage and then gaining access to your home through it.
In 1993, the Chamberlain Group, which includes some of the world’s most respected garage door brands, like LiftMaster, Chamberlain and Craftsman, introduced the Security+ system, with millions of possible codes. In 1996, they upgraded this to the Security+ 2.0 system, with a billion different code options.
Smart Homes
Smart technology and the Internet of Things have made inroads into most of our homes today. We can now use our smartphones and tablets to do many things, including turning on our lights, setting the thermostat, and even opening the garage door. Chamberlain Group’s MyQ technology debuted in 2013 and offers these capabilities and much more. In late 2017, new garage door openers hit the market with built‑in Wi‑Fi, meaning that they had connectivity out of the box, without a need for additional modules.
Noise Reduction
Yet another important reason to consider upgrading your garage door opener is to reduce the noise involved with operation. This is particularly important if there’s a bedroom over the garage. Old‑style garage door openers used metal chains, or a chain and cable combination. They were very, very loud. Modern garage door openers use rubber belts that are much, much quieter, but also manage to be very strong, thanks to embedded metal fibers within the rubber.
Modern garage door openers are also equipped with additional quiet‑running technology. For instance, rather than metal rollers, they use nylon rollers (white or black), and they also feature a vibration isolation system to further prevent unwanted noise during operation.
Run without Power
Power outages have become more common than ever for many of us. And, with older garage door openers, an outage means having to use the door manually. That’s not the case with some newer garage door openers. For instance, the 8500, 8500W, 8550W and 8360W from LiftMaster all come with a backup battery that allows you to operate your garage door for a period even with the power out. You can get about 20 uses out of a battery!
Making the Change
Ready to give up that old, outdated garage door opener? Contact us today. Call us at 416-239-7777 (Etobicoke) or 519-829-3777 (Guelph). We know garage door openers and garage doors like the backs of our hands, and we’d be happy to not only explain your options, but help guide you to the right purchase for your needs. We can give you a quote by email, or you can feel free to drop by the showroom. If you’re more interested in a garage door, you can use our Design Centre, or peruse our image gallery to see your choices.
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