Read on to learn about the different types of garage door openers on the market. Consider other features that are vital when shopping for one. These include horsepower and smart features.
Types of Garage Door Openers
There are four types of garage door openers to choose from, including chain-driven, belt-driven, screw-driven, and wall-mounted.
- Chain-driven: Well regarded for its strength and affordability, a chain-driven garage door opener uses a chain that pulls a trolley up a track, lifting the door. This type of garage door opener is very durable, but the metal chain can be noisy.
- Belt-driven: Belt-driven garage door openers use a rubber belt to pull a trolley that connects to the garage door. They are quieter and require less maintenance than chain-drive openers, but they are also more expensive.
- Screw-driven: This type of garage door opener uses a threaded steel rod and a wire. The steel rod rotates, wrapping the wire around it, which pulls up the door. They work more quickly than other garage door openers but generally require more maintenance.
- Wall-mounted: Wall-mounted garage door openers mount to the wall beside the garage door as opposed to mounted on the ceiling. This design is ideal for garages with low ceilings or for those who want to free up the ceiling space above the vehicle for storage or other uses.
Size of the Door
Nearly all garage door openers are designed to work with a door that is 7 feet tall, which is the standard height of a garage door. To use a garage door opener for a garage door that is 8 or 9 feet tall requires a compatible extension kit, which is sold separately.
Horsepower and Lifting Capacity
Garage door openers typically have motors that range from ½ hp to 2 hp. The more horsepower a garage door opener has, the more weight the opener can lift.
Generally speaking, a ⅓ hp garage door opener will be able to lift a 1-car garage door. A ½ hp opener, which can lift up to 300 pounds, can handle most 2-car garage doors, while a 1½ hp garage door opener is suitable for heavier wood garage doors of up to 400 pounds.
Battery Backup
While garage door openers add convenience, they can also leave users trapped outside during a power failure. Some garage door openers come with battery backups, which have enough juice to open and close the door in the event of a power outage. Most battery backups can raise and lower a garage door about 50 times on a single charge.
Safety and Security
Garage door openers do have the potential to be dangerous as they create enough force to crush someone in the event they are caught underneath them. All garage door openers come with laser sensors that are installed on either side of the door no more than 6 inches off the ground. These sensors automatically stop the door from closing if the laser eye is tripped, preventing pets and children from being trapped under the closing door.
Garage door openers add security by preventing the door from being opened manually when the door is closed. Some higher-end garage doors have deadbolt locks that engage automatically when the door closes, adding an extra layer of security, while others have alerts that let the user know when the door has been left open, helping to protect items stored in the garage.
Smart Features
Many garage door openers have smart capabilities that allow them to connect to a smart device via Wi-Fi, turning the smart device into an automatic garage door opener. Using the garage door’s compatible app, users can monitor the door’s status, open and close the door remotely, and even perform more advanced functions, such as scheduling specific times for the door to open and close and setting permissions to allow visitors to access the garage door’s controls.
The compatible apps also allow users to set alerts in the event the garage door is accidentally left open. Many smart garage door openers are also compatible with digital assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.