Garage Door Accessories
How to Choose Garage Door Openers
A garage door opener is one of the best accessories for your new garage door. When buying a garage door opener, consider the following: cost, safety, security and noise.
Cost:
The price depends on the type of drive and motor you choose.
- Chain drives ($130 to $180) – Good option if you have a garage door that is opened frequently.
- Screw drives ($150 to $250) – Lifts the door with a threaded steel rod. Can be outfitted with a plastic-lined track to reduce noise and increase opening speed
- Belt drives ($170 to $350) – The quietest option – An excellent choice if you have a bonus room over the garage
Tips on buying garage door openers.
Safety
Automatic reverse feature – Most garage door openers are equipped with this feature that stops and reverses the door if it touches something.
Security
- Rolling Codes - Transmits a different opening signal each time you use it.
- Wireless Keypads - Operate only with a personal code you program into them.
Noise
If you have a bonus room over your garage or an office or bedroom adjacent to the garage, a quieter garage door opener is a must. Avoid an opener with a chain drive because the metal chain runs along a metal trolley and makes a lot of noise. Belt drives are the quietest. They use flexible rubber belts and eliminate the noisy metal-to-metal contact of chain or screw drives.
Wall Mount openers are another way to lower the noise. They are mounted on the wall above the door and there are no belts, chains, screw drive and track so the noise and vibration are lessened dramatically.
What type of motor do you need?
- Reliability and Less Noise?
Opt for a direct current (DC) motor instead of standard alternating current (AC) for reliability and less noise. The DC motor uses less electricity and its speed can easily be controlled. It is less noisy because it allows for a soft start and stop cycle. This is a good option if the door gets excessive wear and tear. - Power and Speed?
If you have a large heavy door then select a ½- or ¾-horsepower opener instead of the basic 1/3 –horsepower.
Further Garage Door Accessories and Upgrades
There are a number of components that you can buy for your garage door. Most of these items don’t come with doors or door openers, but can be worth the extra cost as many of them make your life easier in regards to your garage.
Garage Door Opener
A large portion of garage doors today are equipped with an electric motor. Nearly all are activated by remote control that you can use from your car. This isn’t the sort of accessory that you can install yourself; you should always have a professional put a door opener in for you.
Light Control
Many garage door openers come with a light that activates when the door is opened and remains on for a short time. Light Controllers allow you to choose the length of time that the light stays on or even activate it by remote before the door is even opened.
Wireless Garage Door Monitor
If your house is large or noisy enough that you can’t tell every time the garage door opens, a Wireless Garage Door Monitor will alert you if the door has been opened and will tell you if its been closed.
Keyless Entry Pad
If you choose not to carry a remote opener with you or would like to plan for the event that you forget it, a Keyless Entry Pad allows you to select a code and use it to activate the garage door opener.
Ready for a Free Estimate
Garage-Doors offers a quick and easy quote form for consumers to use when they wish to request an estimate for their garage door.
Further Consumer Info
For further information on garage door accessories including pictures, visit the Official Bob Vila website.