“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” is a good mantra to live by. But “If it ain’t safe, replace it” is a better mantra. Garage Door Openers are pretty sturdy mechanisms that tend to last a long time with minimal maintenance. While this is great news for our wallets, there are a couple reasons you should consider replacing your garage door opener with a new one. Following are a few reasons why.
Safety Eyes
The garage door is a essentially a 300 + pound moving wall. Unfortunately the “moving wall” didn’t have any safety devices and countermeasures as a required installation until 1993. As a result many people were maimed or crushed by the door. Law now require a safety reverse mechanism that will stop and reverse the door if the door opener sensors detect an object in the path of the closing door. If your system is older, you might not have these safety features installed. Replacing the opener so you have these safety measures is highly recommended.
Security Garage Door Closes Part Way, Then Opens Again
The first garage doors had to be opened manually. Then after WWII and the advancement of technology came radio controlled garage door openers. The problem was there were only 6 codes available, meaning you had a 1 in 6 chance of opening someone else’s door with your remote. Technology has advanced since that time, allowing for unique How Much Liftmaster Garage Door Opener door codes. However some openers are still vulnerable to thieves who can sit outside your home, wait for you to hit the remote button, then capture that code in their own device. Once you drive away, the thieves now have access to your garage. If your opener is of an older model, you should consider upgrading for security reasons.
Noise
There are 3 types of garage door openers; belt driven, chain driven, and screw driven. Chain drives operate using a metal chain. These you would associate with the loud clanking of a garage door opening and closing, and is typically seen in older homes. Belt driven are the newest models and are the quietest. They operate using a rubber belt allowing for near silent opening of the door. These are ideal if you hate the loud noise your existing, older garage opener makes; particularly if your garage is attached to your home.
Battery Back-up
Your door runs off of power, and if that power goes out your door stops functioning. Most new models come with battery back-ups. So when the power goes out your door still functions, allowing you to get in and out of your garage when you need to.
These are the main reasons you should consider having a new opener installed. There are others that are more a matter of convenience.
