When it comes to the long list of improvements you could possibly make to your home, upgrading your garage door opener might be near the bottom. But let’s face facts — these devices can break, and sooner or later you’ll need to replace your garage door opener with one that’s a bit newer, more powerful or simply more reliable.
There are actually a lot of reasons for ditching your current garage door opener, as the following makes perfectly clear.
Your Current Opener is a Bit Sluggish
It takes a lot to raise and lower a heavy door several times a day. This gives even the most capable of garage door openers a good workout. Now imagine your garage door opener hard at work for an entire decade or more. At some point, the constant wear and tear will catch up with your opener, resulting in sluggish performance.
If you’ve noticed your garage door suddenly takes longer than usual to open and close, then your current garage door opener may be close to calling it quits. Other signs include chronic overheating and increased wear of garage door opener components, including belts and chains.
Keep in mind that while your garage door can last for 30 years or more with the right level of care and maintenance, the same can’t be said of the opener. Most garage door openers top out at around 10 to 12 years when it comes to projected life expectancy. If it’s been over a decade since you’ve last replaced your garage door opener, now is the time to swap it for something newer.
You Want More Features
The latest garage door openers come with features that enhance overall convenience. For instance, some manufacturers let you operate the garage door opener as a part of your advanced “smart home” with the help of a smartphone or tablet app. You can even set your garage door opener to close the garage door automatically after a set period of time. Some openers also feature a battery backup so you won’t face the physically taxing task of opening your garage door manually during a power outage.
Safety features are yet another good reason to step up to a newer garage door opener, especially if you still own one that’s made before 1993. That year marked a new requirement for garage door openers to have a safety device that prevents objects from being trapped under a closing door. The safety reversing feature is standard on all modern openers.
You Need Better Security
Older garage door openers often lack the sophisticated security features that are de rigueur on modern openers. New openers come equipped with a rolling code feature that makes it much harder for burglars to break in. The rolling code feature creates a random code each time your garage door opens, preventing burglars from using their own transmitters to gain access to your garage and the valuables within.
You Simply Want Peace and Quiet
There’s no shame in wanting a garage door opener that doesn’t cause a ruckus, especially if your current door is older and noisy. Loose, aging hardware can make garage door openers noisier than usual, making a complete replacement all the more appealing.
Certain types of garage door openers are also quieter than others by virtue of their design. Belt-driven openers, for example, are a popular alternative to their noisier chain-driven counterparts. Garage door openers that operate on DC power are not only lighter, more compact and more efficient than AC-powered openers, but they’re also quieter while creating less vibration.