Concerned about the lighting of your garage?  Well, if you invest in a garage door opener, it is likely that your new opener will include a light that can be either automatically or manually operated.

Benefits of a garage door light include

• Security: What’s worse than driving it a dingy, dark, garage?  It’s enough to make the bravest of adults scared.  Think about the benefit of being able to see into the garage before you drive in.
• Sight: How often do you need to fetch something from the garage? How often do you find yourself packing the car inside the garage?  An automatic opener light is a great alternative to a lamp or any other temporary fixture.

The light stays on just long enough for you to step out of your vehicle and get into the house. What’s more, the amount of time that the light is ON is completely adjustable.  Configure the light to fit your lifestyle.

The light comes on automatically when the garage door opens and will then shut off a couple minutes after the garage door has been closed.  This ensures that you don’t have to worry about unnecessarily wasting electricity.

All the openers included in our automatic garage doors come equipped with a light as described above.

Maintenance is always a concern if you’re looking to buy an automatic garage door opener.  You might be pleased to know that little if any effort is required in maintaining optimal operation on your automatic opener.

The latest openers offered by the likes of LiftMaster and Hormann are literally maintenance-free. Today’s automatic openers are equipped with so-called “self-adjusting technology” which will adjust the drive tension essentially eliminating the need for wasted time and costly service calls.

Garage door openers are constructed with precisely engineered and lightweight aluminium.  In combination with the self-adjusting technology, you can be assured that you garage door opener will require no maintenance but an exceptionally long life-span.

Concerned about the effects your garage door opener has on global warming? Little need to worry…

Notable amounts of electricity are only consumed while the garage door is in motion - a period which consists of around 10 to 15 seconds. The majority of motors take in a 24 DC current and output as little energy as 100 Watts. Just how much energy are we talking? 100 Watts is less than or equal to your modern home computer.

The rest of the time, the garage door operator remains in a standby state where no significant power is utilized. It should be noted that most modern openers are equipped with efficient energy-saving transformers ensuring that your carbon footprint is minimal.

If you’re looking to invest in an Automatic Garage Door, security is probably one of your main concerns.  Thankfully, most manufacturers have all the bases covered.  There are a few checks that you need to perform before you consider a purchase

Remote Control

Ensure that the automatic operator uses rolling-code technology in its remote control handsets.  In a rolling-coded unit, a new random code is generated upon each use - it is utilized while the handset and operator communicate.

This superior security feature prevents your neighbor or any other “Joe” from opening your garage door (or vice versa).  The chance that any two units will use the same sequence are small - I suggest that you stick with the lottery.

Fixed Wall-Controller

A wall-mounted unit is fixed onto an inside wall of the garage providing easy access to open/close the garage door.  While some manufacturers will include this as a feature with their line of operators, others will not.  What is so beneficial about having a wall-mounted controller?

Manufacturers have started packaging their openers with a special “lock” feature.  The feature is inteded for those situations when the home-owner will be on holiday or the house will be vacated for a long period of time.  The lock essentially disables any remote control device  from being able to open the garage door.  Only those individuals who have access to the interior of the garage can open the lock (which should only be the homeowner).  The lock is disabled with a mere press of a button.

Security Light

It’s not only children who are afraid of the dark. It is why manufacturers have started incorporating a light into the operator.

Again, most operators are fitted with a security light, yet I would advise that this as a requirement when shopping for an operator.  The light comes on during an open/close operation and remains on for a couple minutes thereafter before switching off again.

If your operator includes a wall-mounted switch, a button is usually included on the panel to switch on/off the light.  Some handheld, remote controllers have a digital light switch included on the keypad.

You’re in luck! Most leading manufacturers design and construct new garage doors with automation in mind.  As a result, the 5 leading door types consisting of roller, sectional, retractable, canopy and side-hinged are all able to be automated.

Prices do vary considerably depending on the type of door - side-hinged and roller garage doors are notable examples.

Well you have these great plans to automate a garage door, but you’re worried about the electricity cutting out.  No need to worry, there are two effective solutions to your problem.

1.  The first option is to purchase an opener that provides an “emergency release latch”.  The latch allows you to manually open the garage door by hand.  Thankfully, all of the automatic openers that are sold in the UK are required to provide an emergency release mechanism.  In turn, it should be cheap and included in the price of the opener.

Lifting up a garage door is a trivial action for the majority of us; nonetheless, utilizing the emergency release latch can turn out to be a daunting task for the elderly or the young.  There is an alternative…

2. A battery-operated power backup is a proven and effective solution; although, it does come at a price.  Essentially, the battery backup is powered by the mains when not in use and kicks in automatically when required.  Due to the fact that it is battery operated, it has a limited number of uses before recharging is required - an important note for those prolonged power outages.

Due to the decrease in price of the technology, electric garage doors have really seen a rise in popularity. More than 50% of our customers purchase an automatic garage door operator in addition to their new garage door. One of the more popular questions that we are asked by potential customers is, “What is the advantage of chain-drive over belt-drive?”More often than not, we tend to stick with a belt-driven automatic operator since it is the most versatile - ideal for a wide variety of requirements/environments. Nonetheless, we’ll help you decide which is the best for you.

Before we commence, there is not a “best” solution. Both operators have their accompanying advantages/disadvantages.

Belt-Driven Operators:

Advantages:

• Belt-driven operators are very quite. This is often necessary for living rooms which are adjacent to the garage or above the garage.
• Hardly any maintenance is required on a belt-driven operator. They tend to take care of themselves or so it seems.

Disadvantages:

• Many argue that belt-driven operators aren’t as durable as their counterparts, but we would argue otherwise. The belts located in these units tend to feature a rubber belt which is as tough as a steel-belted tyre.

Chain-Driven Operators:

Advantages:

• Chain drive operators are more durable offering the potential to lift a larger overall weight. This is only important for large/heavy doors - often wooden doors.

Disadvantages:

• Unfortunately, chain driven operators tend to be considerably noisy because the chain clatters against the guide-rail. A squeaky, oil-lacking chain also tends to cause a bit of noise.
• Additional maintenance is required over a belt-drive operator. For example, it is imperative that the chain is oiled every now and then to ensure proper operation. On the other hand, oily chains tend to accumulate unnecessary dust and grit which can hinder the operator’s smooth operation.

Probably, your most important concern is the price. Fortunately, the difference is negligible. A few years ago chain-drive was considerably cheaper, but that has all changed.

In closing, there is not a clear-cut winner…