9 reasons for replacing a garage door opener There are many things consumers think about when they want to do some home improvement. Perhaps they want to renovate the kitchen or set up a home entertainment center with surround sound.

Replacing a garage door opener is often overlooked in the home improvement decision-making process. There are many important reasons why you should consider replacing yours.

The Benefits Of A New Garage Door Opener

Read on to find out why replacing your garage door opener will benefit you!

It’s Broken

It may seem obvious like an obvious reason for replacement, but many people neglect to replace their garage door openers when they break. Instead, they opt to repair it themselves, manually open their doors, or park outside the door if they can no longer open the door.

If your garage door opener is broken, now is the best possible time in which to replace it. Opening and closing your door manually is a huge hassle. The repair needs to be done anyway, and putting it off means you’re not getting full use of your home.

Increased Energy Efficiency

Did you know that your garage door opener uses electricity even when you are not actively using it? Garage door openers are always on standby to receive the signal from your garage door remote to open, so they are always using electricity.

This type of electricity use is termed a “phantom load” and costs households up to $200 in added electricity usage per year. That’s quite a bit of money for an appliance that you are not actively using.

There’s good news about phantom loads for homeowners who are trying to keep their energy usage down: garage door opener manufacturers are creating energy efficient openers to reduce phantom loads.

So while investing in a new garage door opener has a cost up front, it will save you money in the long run, and you won’t have to worry about your energy usage.

Noise Reduction

Let’s face it, older model garage door openers are loud. This is a great feature for parents who want to catch their teenage children in the act of sneaking out or breaking curfew. For everyone else, loud garage door openers are an annoyance.

Today’s screw drive and belt drive garage door openers provide homeowners with a much quieter door opening experience. If your garage door opener lets the whole neighborhood know you’re home, consider replacing it.

Keypads

Have you ever forgot your garage door remote, or has the battery on it died? In those times, you likely had to get out of your car and use a key to open the door, and then manually open the door all the way in order to park your car.

It’s frustrating, but luckily you don’t have to do that forever.

New models of garage door openers offer keypads that are mounted on the wall outside the garage for easy opening and closing. All you have to do is punch in the code and the door will open. No key, no manual opening.

Backup Battery

Garage door openers are connected to your home’s electricity as its source of power. This basic power setup works well for homeowners in areas with reliable electricity. Homeowners in areas that have frequent power outages due to thunderstorms, ice storms, or brownouts from heatwaves are not lucky.

Situations that cause power outages are typically ones in which you prefer you and your car to be safe in your garage.

Modern garage door openers have the option of added battery backup systems that the opener will rely upon in the event your home is without power.

Replacing A Garage Door Opener Means Increased Security

Older garage door openers make it easy for thieves you access your home. This is because they rely on remotes that have a fixed code, so a thief can bring a remote to your home and change the code until it opens your door.

This is also the reason why many homeowners accidentally open their neighbor’s garages when they mean to open their own. This leaves your neighbors’ homes vulnerable to theft.

Newer models use a different code every time you open or close the door, making it extremely difficult for uninvited visitors to gain access to your home.

Safety

If your garage door opener was installed prior to 1993, then it may have an issue that puts you, your family, and your pets at risk.

Garage door openers manufactured since 1993 are required to have a safety reversal feature that stops the door from closing in the event that something or someone is stuck under the door. This is achieved through the placement of sensors a few inches above the floor that triggers the door to reverse whenever the sensors detect something under the door.

If your garage door does not have this feature, then you should seriously consider replacing your opener to prevent injury to your family. It also protects against liability should a neighbor’s child or pet get stuck under your garage door.

Updates In Technology

Modern garage door openers add increased security and convenience to your life. Many permit you to open or close your door from anywhere through an app and Wi-Fi.

Did you drive off this morning and can’t remember if you shut your garage door when you left? Just open the app and close the door without having to lose time at work. You can even ask the app to alert you if you’ve left the garage door open.

This is also beneficial if you have something delivered but can’t be there. Just open the app and the person dropping off the delivery can leave it in your garage.

Increase Your Home’s Value

Today’s homebuyers have a lot of options available to them. If you want to sell your home, or if you’re thinking you will sell soon, a garage door opener with the latest technology and safety and security features will increase the value of your home.

Contact Us For More Information

There are many changes you can make to your home, but replacing a garage door opener has multiple benefits for you and your home. Not only can it make your life more convenient, but it can also help protect against intruders and reduce your electric bill.

If you have any of these issues, consider replacing your garage door opener to improve your quality of life.

Check out our blog for more information about garage doors and your home.

the benefits of going from a manual to an automatic garage door

Our front door isn’t our front door any longer. Most Americans use their garages over 70% of the time to enter and exit their homes.

Just about all new homes and most homes built within the last 20 years or so come with an automatic garage door. Older homes may not.

If you’re still manually lifting your garage door, you are missing out on the added convenience and security of electric garage doors.

Here are a few of the benefits that come with installing or replacing an automatic garage door.

An Automatic Garage Door Provides Easy Access

An automatic garage door means easy access to your garage. Pushing the button on the wall opens the door just that simple. These units come with a garage door remote that clips onto your car visor.

You don’t get out of your car to open the door. You drive right on in. No more running to the garage door in the rain. No more straining to lift the door yourself.

Keyless Entry

Most electric garage doors also come with a keypad outside the garage. Set a pin and you don’t need the garage door remote at all.

Older children love the independence it gives them to be able to come home from school and not worry about fiddling with house keys.

Then there are times when you need to send someone to your house while you are away. It could be a friend, babysitter, or repair person.

You can provide them the keypad pin. You can always reset the pin after they have left to keep your garage secure.

Or, you can set a guest code for temporary users. Guest codes only work for a period. After your set time is over, the code no longer works.

Keyless entry is great for vacations. Whoever you have charged with picking up the mail and watering the plants doesn’t need a key.

Technology

The technology behind an automatic garage door lends itself to many conveniences such as automatic closing and control from your smartphone.

Automatic Closing

The automatic closing feature means you don’t need to remember to close the door or press the garage door remote a second time. The garage door closes itself.

This is a great thing if you have kids who come and go from the garage. Also helpful if you tend to forget to close the garage door. No more getting to work and worrying that the garage is open.

Smart Phone Apps

You can control many electric garage doors using an app on your smartphone. Using the app, you can close your door from anywhere. The app can also notify you when the door is open.

Added Security

The remote controls and keypad provide a bit of added security. Only folks with either the garage door remote or the pin code can access the house.

Those who are security minded will be sure to keep their cars locked and the remote hidden under the visor.

Garage Door Remote Controls

Thieves can try to access your remote control using a remote control code scanner.

To thwart this, some garage door openers have rolling codes in the remotes. The code changes every time you press the button. So, only you can access the garage.

Some remotes come with a feature called vacation mode. Vacation mode disables the remote controls. You can only open the garage door from the inside. Would-be thieves can’t use a scanner to access your garage.

From the Car to the House

If you park your garage, there is the added security of not leaving your car to walk into the house.

Say you’re coming home late at night and have bags to unload. You can make multiple trips in and out of the house, leaving your car door and private garage door open.

This can be a lifesaver if you have kids or pets that ride with you. You can leave your little one napping in her car seat while you unload the groceries.

Safety Sensors

Automatic garage doors have sensors that detect objects, people, or animals on the threshold. The door won’t come down on any of these. The door will stop once it senses something in its path.

It goes without saying that those of us with children and pets appreciate this feature. It’s also beneficial for those with medical conditions that could slow movement or cause falls.

Automatic Lighting

An automatic garage door comes with built-in lights. When you activate the door, the system turns on an overhead light.

Some electric garage doors have outside lights that light the driveway in front of the garage. This added light comes in handy at night or during inclement weather.

Cost Effectiveness

Even with all the features and technology, even an older automatic garage door is efficient. It does not use a lot of electricity. It uses very little power until you activate the opener. That event only lasts for about 15 seconds.

Along with being cost-effective to run, electric garage doors don’t require expensive maintenance. If you maintain it per the manufacturer’s instructions, you should spend little time and money on garage door repair.

Even if you do require a service technician to come out and troubleshoot a problem, maintaining your door opener should minimize the repair costs.

Any Style of Garage Door is Compatible

Any style garage door is compatible with an automatic opener, including canopy, sectional, and roller garage doors.

If you don’t want to replace your existing manual garage door, you can retrofit it. You don’t have to make any sacrifices to your home’s style or character.

Is It Time for an Automatic Garage Door?

It’s difficult for most of us to imagine life without your garage door opener. We appreciate the obvious convenience as well as the added security that an automatic garage door provides.

If you are looking to update your California home with an automatic garage opener, please contact us. Likewise, if your current opener needs maintenance or replacement, we’d love to help you.

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9 Reasons for Replacing a Garage Door Opener