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Table Of Contents
How Long Do Garage Door Openers Last?
How Do You Know When You Need a New Garage Door Opener?
6 Benefits of Upgrading Your Garage Door Opener
Contact RCS Garage Doors for a New Garage Door Opener Today
Does your garage door opener look like it’s straight out of the ’80s? Do you worry about waking up your neighbors every time you open your garage in the morning to go to work? Do you have to perform a quasi-rain dance to get your door to open or close? If you answered yes to any of these questions, it may be time for a new garage door opener.
You can’t underestimate the importance of your garage door opener. Your opener is responsible for opening and closing the largest moving component of your home, which, for nearly 70% of people, is a primary point of entry.
There are two parts to a garage door, the door that creates a barrier to the outside and the opener that lifts the door and lowers it down multiple times per day. Without a properly functioning opener, your garage door becomes an impenetrable wall.
Garage door openers are simple in design but rely on a series of delicate pieces to lift a hefty door. If one or more parts malfunction, your garage door will have difficulty opening and closing or become incapable of moving at all.
You rely on your garage door daily, and it can be challenging to manage with a broken opener. Maintaining your garage door opener and knowing when to replace it will ensure that your garage door is always working so that you can focus on more important things.
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How Long Do Garage Door Openers Last?
The average garage door opener‘s lifespan is between 10-15 years. An opener can last for more or less time, depending on how you take care of it. Most people use their garage doors thousands of times per year. Scheduling professional maintenance once or twice per year can help your opener keep up with daily use.
Technicians will inspect the individual pieces of the opener. They may suggest a replacement spring, roller or cable if any appear worn out. To keep everything running smoothly, they will clean out the track and lubricate all of the moving parts so that your door can open with ease. If your door is unbalanced, they can adjust the pressure on the springs and ensure that the automatic reversal is working properly. Regular maintenance can extend the life of your garage door opener by several years.
If you have a vintage garage door opener that still functions fine, you may still consider a replacement. Today’s openers come with modern features for added safety and convenience. When it’s time for a replacement, RCS Garage Doors offers the highest quality LiftMaster garage door openers complete with the latest technological advancements.
How Do You Know When You Need a New Garage Door Opener?
When it comes to your garage door opener, it’s best to replace it before a malfunction. If you wait for your garage door to break, you may find yourself late to work one morning because the garage door is stuck shut with your car trapped inside.
Pay attention to these signs that your garage door opener is failing:
1. Unusual Sounds
Perhaps you’ve grown accustomed to the scraping sound that you hear when the garage door opens every morning. Maybe you’ve assumed that it’s getting older, so that sound is normal.
Loud noises are a sign that there is a problem with your garage door opener. If you hear grinding, screeching or rattling when your door is in motion, you may need to upgrade your garage door opener.
2. Difficulty With Opening
A garage door weighs over 200 pounds. The motor of your garage door relies on a system of springs and pullies to open and close. A defective garage door opener will be unable to lift your garage door properly.
A garage door that has difficulty opening might:
- Get stuck up, down or in between.
- Open halfway and reverse.
- Move very slowly.
- Lift the door unevenly.
- Shake while opening.
If you notice any of these signs, you will likely need a garage door opener motor replacement.
3. Unreliable Function
If you have a busy schedule, you depend on your garage door to function properly so you can tackle the day. You don’t have time to wait 20 minutes for your garage door to start working again.
Garage doors can go through patterns where they work on some days and don’t on others. If this pattern is happening to you, then you should consider replacing the existing garage door opener.
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4. Outdated Technology
If your garage door opener is stuck in the past, you can bring it back to the future with a LiftMaster garage door opener. Modern garage door openers come with amazing new features to make your life easier.
Don’t miss out on the benefits of upgrading to more advanced technology to enhance your garage door. Innovative garage door openers are also much safer, protecting your home and your family.
6 Benefits of Upgrading Your Garage Door Opener
Besides making your garage door functional again, there are many other benefits to installing a garage opener replacement.
1. No More Remotes
Today’s garage door openers are smarter than ever before. Many garage door openers are now able to connect to the Internet, allowing you the most options, safety, and security available in history.
Control your garage door anytime, anywhere with LiftMaster’s MyQ technology. With a Wi-Fi-connected garage door opener, you can open and close your garage door from your smartphone.
You can also use this technology to set up mobile alerts, so you can be notified when the garage door is being used. If you’re uncertain whether you closed the garage door after washing your car, simply log into your phone and check. If the door is open, you can close it without getting up from the couch.
With the ability to control your opener from across the globe and receive notifications about your garage door’s usage, you can travel — and live — with more confidence.
2. Reinforced Security
An automated garage door opener has added safety features that go far beyond a traditional lock and key. Here are some of the latest advancements in security:
- Lighting: Automatic lights will keep your garage illuminated to prevent break-ins.
- Vacation mode: You can set your garage door to vacation mode to prevent intruders from entering your garage while you travel.
- Anti-theft technology: Experienced burglars can hack into the frequency of garage controls, but rolling code technology prevents anyone from stealing the communication code between your garage door remote and the opener motor by automatically changing the access code each time the garage door is opened or closed. With more than a billion possible code combinations, this system makes it virtually impossible for anyone to break into your garage with a stolen code.
- Guest codes: You can create temporary codes for guests to access your home while you’re away. These codes will deactivate later to improve the security of your home.
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3. Additional Safety
In the past 25 years, garage door safety has made tremendous strides. Prior to 1993, it was not required for garage door openers to have automatic reversal systems, which resulted in many garage door-related accidents and injuries.
In 1993, it became a requirement for openers to be equipped with two automatic reversal systems: one mechanical and another based on sensors.
The first is triggered when the leading edge of the garage door encounters an object or person. Upon making contact the reversal system engages and automatically reverses the door.
The second reversal system relies on a pair of photoelectric sensors, one located on either side of the door threshold. The two sensors are connected via an invisible beam of light, which if broken, forces the door to reverse.
The most recent garage door openers come with an auto-reverse feature that detects objects in the way using photo eye sensors. If there is anything below the garage door, it will stop closing automatically and retract upwards. They are also equipped with emergency batteries so that your door can open when the power is out. Even though you have manual controls, you can avoid pulling your garage door open by hand in the pouring rain. If you have to evacuate in a hurry from a storm, you can easily exit your garage.
A fully functioning garage door opener makes it look easy to lift your garage door, but they actually weigh as much as an adult person. If they fall on a pet or family member by mistake, it can cause serious injuries.
4. Noise Reduction
Most older openers use chain drives or steel cables to raise and lower the door. Although strong and reliable, chain and cable drives create a lot of noise when opening and closing the garage door. Today’s opener manufacturers opt to utilize rubber belts instead of chains or cables, allowing for quieter operation. Similar to automobile tires, these rubber belts are reinforced with metal fibers, providing the belts with equal or greater reliability than its chain and cable counterparts.
In addition, opener manufacturers have begun using DC-type motors rather than AC-type motors, due to their reliability. Along with being more reliable than AC motors, DC motors are also quieter. AC motor openers begin the opening and closing process with a significant jerk as the motor hits its top speed immediately. This not only is hard on your garage door, but it can also be loud. DC motors begin the opening and closing process slowly, gradually increasing to regular speed, and then slowing down again before coming to a complete stop to prevent the door from slamming.
5. Less Maintenance & More Convenience
A wise garage owner will have their garage door inspected at least once per year, but you will likely run into fewer challenges with a new garage door opener.
A brand-new opener will require little to no repairs compared to an older model that is starting to wear out. Replacing your existing garage door opener can make your life easier. You can worry less about whether your garage door will open that day and enjoy all the new features of a new opener instead.
Contact RCS Garage Doors for a New Garage Door Opener Today
Our experts at RCS Garage Doors make it easy to replace a garage door opener. Don’t hesitate to contact us with any of your opener questions. We are proud to offer the latest in opener technology from industry-leading manufacturer LiftMaster, and we are sure to have the perfect opener for you!
RCS Garage Doors offers garage door opener repairs, installation and regular maintenance in Charlotte, NC and additional areas so that you can enjoy a fully functioning garage. Contact us today to schedule an installation for your new garage door opener.