Five Gains Realized By Installing A New Garage Door And Opener

For example, if your garage door opener was manufactured before the 1990s, it likely doesn't have either a door reversing mechanism or photoelectric eye sensors. Both of these were made mandatory in the early 1990s in the United States and greatly increase safety for household members.

The door reversing mechanism senses obstructions during closing, including humans and animals, and causes the door to automatically reverse. Doing so can prevent tragic crushing accidents that can severely injure or kill.

Photoelectric eye sensors are also essential to safety by detecting movement in the path of the lowering door. As with the door reversing mechanism, triggered photoelectric eye sensors will also trigger the opener to stop and reverse the course of the door.

Another advantage found by getting rid of your old garage door is that newer doors are often better insulated. Older doors are often drafty, and outside air can easily leak through the space left by missing or worn-out weather-stripping.

In addition, the doors themselves often contain foam and are constructed with cold and heat containment in mind, as opposed to old doors that may lack any built-in insulation. This increase in energy efficiency can help make up for the replacement costs incurred.

If your existing garage door has been in place for a while, you will benefit by replacing it with a newer, stronger model. Older doors weaken over time due to the effects of wind, rain and sunlight, and wooden doors are especially vulnerable. Rot and insects can do major damage to wooden doors, and if your present door is made from wood, it may already be affected.

Newer doors are made from materials that are not only more resilient to the environment, they are lighter in weight. This results in less stress upon the garage door opener, rails and springs.

Old garage doors become noisy over time as their hardware becomes twisted and misaligned, resulting in loud squeaks and groans. In addition, old openers and their drive systems are also louder; for example, an old chain drive may clatter and vibrate.

On the other hand, a new garage door and opener will provide you with much quieter, smoother operation. New hinges, rails and rollers will enable your door to effortlessly glide up and down during opening and closing. In addition, a new drive system that relies on quieter belt or screw technology will eliminate much of the loud clatter experienced with chain drives.