A spacious, functioning garage is a huge selling point for most home buyers. Being able to pull your car into a garage, where it remains dry, warm, and snug is a blessing on cold, snowy mornings. However, having a garage is completely moot if you do not have a state-of-the-art garage door opener. Garage door openers can become antiquated thanks to ever-advancing technology. This can make keeping up with them hard, but it is important for safety reasons. Here are a few reasons in favour of replacing your old garage door opener sooner rather than later.
Newer Garage Door Openers are Safer
Since 1993 garage door openers have had the reversal feature included. This feature operates thanks to sensors on both sides of your garage door. These sensors scan the width of your garage opening to ensure there are no impediments. If there is a bicycle, a child, a pet, or anything else captured by the sensors, the garage door goes back up. Even if your opener works, it is best to replace it with a newer model for safety reasons.
Old Garage Door Openers are Loud and Disruptive
The older model openers work thanks to a chain mechanism. Chains that resemble those on a bicycle work on a pulley system to move the door up and down. This system is still effective, but very noisy and disruptive. These are great for detached garages.
Screwdriver and belt drive garage door openers operate smoothly and are the quietest options on the market. But even modern-day chain operated openers are much quieter than their predecessors.
New Garage Door Openers are More Secure
Older models put in place a “fixed code” opening mechanism in their remotes. Those codes are easily breached. New models put in place the “rolling code” method, which changes the code after each opening. Devices that record codes make the older models less safe. The newer models are more secure thanks to the ever-changing code, making recording it useless.
Battery Back-Up is an Option in New Garage Door Openers
Older models of openers rely on electricity since it is an electrical mechanism. But this feature can be problematic if you wake up and find that your power is off. An electric opener means you are stuck. A battery backup gives you some peace of mind, meaning that a power outage does equal you being stuck. It also means your door can stay intact and not incur damage thanks to you trying to pry it open.
When it comes to investing in your family’s safety, replacing your opener is a great step. The fail-safes and extra security measures offer peace of mind and make your life easier. The keypad entry option in newer models also means you do not have to worry about keys. Lighter pockets and added security are a win/win for any family and can also be for yours. Do your research and find a professional and finding a new opener can be a stress-free experience.
