Our home’s garage becomes an essential part of our life that’s integrated into our daily routine. We get ready for work, open the garage door, drive our car out, shut the garage door, and head to work. After work, we pick the kids up from school, open the garage door, park our vehicle, and shut the door. On the weekends, the kids get their bikes, sleds, and other equipment out of the garage to play outdoors.
It’s something that rarely crosses our minds, but residential garage doors are put to work constantly. Suppose one day, you’re ready to head out, but the door fails to open and shut completely. A malfunctioning garage door opener can throw our day off and have us on the phone calling for an emergency garage door service.
The garage opener plays a more significant role than simply making sure the garage door opens and shuts successfully. This article takes a closer look at the importance of a quality residential garage door opener and some warning signs that yours may need replacing.
The garage is part of your home’s security
For homes with an attached garage, the garage becomes the main access point into the house for the whole family. Unfortunately, this is also true for burglars. A garage door that fails to shut and lock becomes a stressful issue that leaves your belongings and vehicles exposed and your home vulnerable to theft. By far, one of the most important aspects of a reliable residential garage door opener is the security it provides you and your family.
New technology adds convenience
Did you know that the latest advancements in garage door openers include features like smartphone access, vacation settings, soft-activation motors, WiFi integration, and auto-close technology? Even if the residential garage opener is working fine, many homeowners are replacing their old opener with a new one to take advantage of these convenient innovations.
It’s not uncommon for someone in the household to forget closing the door or the remote control running out of battery at the most inconvenient time. With new technology, you can open and shut the garage door virtually from anywhere using your smartphone or other mobile devices. In addition to convenience, a soft-activation feature operates with less noise and the soft-start/stop motor results in less wear and tear over time and requires less maintenance.
Safety features give you peace of mind
If your remote control is stolen or slips out of your pocket, the first thing you want to do is ensure that potential burglars cannot use that remote to gain access to your garage. A garage opener that comes with a locking safety feature allows you to disable the code that’s been programmed into your remote and keep your house safe. For added safety, new rolling code technology has made it possible for garage openers to continuously change codes so that the code within your key fob is unique every time you use it.
Other safety features of a quality garage door opener include vacation settings, which deactivates all sensors for the duration that you are away from home, force guard control which slows the door down to a minimum force, motion sensors, and more.
Signs that your residential garage door opener needs replacing
Other than wanting to take advantage of new technology, your garage door opener may need replacing if you notice:
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- Excessive noises like squeaking or clanking
- The motor trying to work, but the garage door won’t open
- The garage door is much slower to open and close than usual
- Inconsistency in opening and shutting fully
In any case, if you notice anything unusual with the way your garage door is operating, it’s best to schedule a garage door service sooner than later to avoid a potentially dangerous issue.
