Reasons It Might Be time to Replace Your Garage Door Opening Mechanism

A garage door is a workhorse of the modern home. Every journey taken means the door goes through the cycle of being opened and closed, and this means a typical door opener is operated at least 1,500 times a year - and considering the weight of many garage doors in today's security-conscious times, that puts a lot of strain on the mechanism. Even the highest quality, most-reliable openers will eventually fail, so how do you know it's time to consider a replacement before your hand is forced? Door Not Fully Closing If the mechanism doesn't fully close the door, this is a sure sign that something is wrong. It could be a simple failure of sensors - maybe a clean would fix the problem - but it's also likely to be the case that the springs or cabling are showing signs of wear. It's advisable to get your opener checked, and replaced if necessary, before it fails completely with all the inconvenience that would involve. New, Unusual Noises Excessive noise can be a sign of advancing wear and tear. Adding lubrication could help in the short term, but a full inspection is advisable to make sure the underlying mechanism is not damaged or worn. Slow Operation Finally, if the opening and closing actions are slow and laboured, it may be a sign that the springs are starting to fail. In this situation, it's vital to have your door checked by a qualified, experienced engineer: the tension in the springs can be highly dangerous, and seriously injury can result from amateur repair attempts. However, mechanical failure isn't the only reason you may consider replacing your door opener. Technology has evolved greatly over recent years, and installing a more up-to-date model could overcome the following problems. Outdated Safety Features The first factor to consider is how modern your opening mechanism's design is. Even if the opener is still working flawlessly, very old designs may not offer the safety features found in more recent models. Specifically, they may not include the advanced sensors which will block the mechanism in case of obstruction. This alone can be a powerful reason for updating, especially in a home with children. An Intrinsically Noisy Mechanism Another feature of older designs is that they tend to be noisy: maybe you have a neighbour whose leaving for work every morning is immediately obvious, signalled by the loud clanking and tortured grinding sounds of the garage door being opened? Or, even worse, maybe you're that person to others on your street? More modern mechanisms can be virtually silent, which could be a huge relief to your family and neighbours. Lack of Security If your door was installed more than around a decade ago, then its automatic unlocking mechanism is probably not all that secure. The radio signal that starts the door opening may well be easily faked, which could provide a relatively simple way into your home for unwanted visitors. Today's doors offer advanced security features, meaning your garage will no longer be the weakest link as far as home security is concerned. Whether your garage door is in good working order or beginning to falter, modern opener designs have plenty to offer compared to older models, so why not arrange an inspection by professional installer to see how you could benefit from a replacement or upgrade?
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