Some studies show that the average lifespan of the typical garage door is about 14,000 operations. The average American garage door usually opens somewhere around 1500 times a year.
There is actually quite a lot that goes on behind the process behind opening your door with a garage door opener (for example: MIGHTY MULE FM200 ) device. Contrary to what many people believe, the torsion spring is the part that does the heavy lifting and not the motor. The torsion spring is directly attached to the tracks which would later carry the door and drag it up the ceiling of your garage.
The operator is mounted to the ceiling by the usage of support brackets which allow the motor to be safely attached without the worry of falling. There would be either a chain or a belt that goes out of your motor and gets straight to the torsion spring, which is the part that is attached to your garage door and holds it during the whole process.
The whole thing is mounted on the ceiling by utilizing mounting hardware and a lot of bolts drilled in the ceiling. There is also an emergency release rope that would enable you to open the door in case of unpredicted situations. Basically, the motor would start pulling the belt or the chain inwards, giving enough lifting power to the torsion spring which would carry the door itself. Nevertheless, the strength of the torsion spring is what matters because if it fails for some reason the whole thing will collapse in a matter of seconds.
Garage Door Opener Types
It is important to understand that there is no particular best type of garage door opener. All of the different models and specifications are designated to serve a concrete purpose. This is due to the fact that garage door openers take into consideration a lot of factors while they are being manufactured. For instants, some of the different types are used to provide a solution for heavier garage doors while others are specifically designated to open lighter doors. This has to be taken into account in advance before you proceed with the purchase in order to avoid further complications. With this being clarified, let’s skip ahead to the different types of garage door openers.
Belt Drive garage openers use rubber belts that are designated to open the door. This process eliminates the metal on metal contact that occurs in other opening systems and this results in a significant lowering of the noise that is produced. Belt Drives are generally the quietest of all of the solutions. They also provide a great vibration reduction. However, on the other hand, they are generally more expensive and this would result in the requirement for larger up-front investments. They also have significantly fewer moving parts.
Chain Drive opening systems utilize a chain that is firmly attached to a metal trolley which is used to open the door. These units are typically the most common ones. A tip here would be to search for units that have a hiding mechanism because this would lead to a reduction of the noise they make. The Chain Drive systems make a lot more noise than Belt Drives, but they are considered more dependable in terms of operation. They are also the more economical version of the garage door opening systems.
The last of the general types is the Screw Drive system. It requires really low maintenance and provides a fairly quiet operation. They feature fewer moving parts and make use of a threaded steel rod that is designated to raise and lower the door. You should make sure that they are properly lubricated and kept that way to ensure quiet operation. You can also use plastic-lined tracks to reduce the noise.
This particular differentiation is based upon specifications that are in regard to the mounting and overall performance capabilities of the garage door openers. However, a lot of different types are available when it comes to other specifications, such as safety and security.
There are a lot of units that provide significantly more security than others. The most advanced garage door openers utilize modern technology such as motion sensors which would detect the movement near the door and this could trigger different applications. The most common one of them is to turn on the lights or to stop the door from closing. The last one could be particularly helpful if your garage door opener has malfunctioned and started closing the door while you are still parking. If it isn’t equipped with an automatic reverse function or motion sensors it could very well collapse on your car, or worse – on you or on another family member.
Another significant benefit that differentiates the units is the code-rolling technology that would generate specific combinations of numbers every time you use your remote control. This provides an incredibly large amount of security and would surely give the burglars a hard time to get through if they are using another electrical device.