Here Are Some Good Reasons To Replace Your Old Garage Door Opener

Garage door openers are relatively simple mechanisms that can last for years, but there will come a time when your garage door opener will need to be replaced. Here are some signs that will tell you when that time has come.

It Lacks a Safety Reversal Feature

Garage door openers made since 1993 have included a safety reversal feature that will raise a lowering garage door if anything gets in the way of it. Some garage door openers will stop and go into reverse if the door meets any resistance, while newer openers go into reverse if an infrared beam along the floor is broken. Both of these features are designed to stop a garage door from crushing someone or something that might get in its way. A garage door opener that lacks this feature should be replaced, especially if you have small children or pets. Then again, any garage door opener that doesn’t have a safety reversal feature was built before 1993 and is more than old enough to warrant a replacement anyway.

It’s Too Loud

Older garage doors were opened and closed with a chain drive. This worked well enough, but it was also very loud. On the other hand, newer garage door openers use a screw drive or a belt drive, both of which are much quieter than older chain drives. Even newer chain drives are usually quieter than what came before.

If you find that you cannot open your garage door without disturbing everyone in your house, you might want to consider a replacement. A noisy garage door opener might technically be working just fine, but a quieter mechanism will always be a more welcome option.

It’s Insecure

Older garage door openers were notorious for their lack of security. Yes, you did need a control or a keypad to operate a garage door opener, but they relied on one code that could be broken by a savvy criminal with the right device. Once the code to a garage door opener was cracked, it could be opened easily. Newer garage door openers rely on a rolling code that resets itself so that only a device calibrated to the opener will work. You should invest in a newer garage door opener for this reason alone, especially if you have the option of using a numeric keypad for some extra security.

Contact Bailey Doors today for all of your Garage Doors and Garage Door Opener needs!