What If You Have A Pre
I suggest you refer to the horsepower rating on the existing motor. If it doesnt work properly, or takes a lot of time to open the door, get a motor with a slightly higher horsepower.
Thatll open and close the door faster.
So, a 3/4 horsepower garage door opener can only be too powerful if you have a single door garage door thats made from fibreglass, vinyl, or any other lightweight material.
For such a door, its best to use a 1/2 hp garage door opener.
You might get away with a powerful 3/4hp door opener for lighter doors modern versions can often tune down the amount of force they use. In some cases, the extra power may just mean a quieter, smoother operation.
If youre shopping for a new garage door opener, however, its best to match the power with what the motor needs to pull.
You wouldnt exactly put a V8 in a go-kart, would you?
Same goes for door openers!
Standard Garage Door Thickness
Standard garage door panels are roughly 1/8 inches thick. Depending on the utilization of your garage, you may or may not need insulation. If you spend time in your garage, you might consider installing insulation. Properly installed insulation can keep your garage 12 degrees warmer in winter and 25 degrees cooler in the summer which can also positively impact energy costs.
Whitby Residential Garage Door Installation Service
Let your home be the envy of your neighbors with a stunning new garage door installation courtesy of Whitby Garage Doors. We stock the widest selection of classic, carriage house and contemporary Clopay garage doors crafted from the finest materials. These doors will not only enhance the existing character of your home, but also improve your homes security, daily activity and energy efficiency. This is achieved by using only the best craftsmanship techniques and top-quality aluminum, wood, steel and fiberglass construction.
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Quality Commercial Garage Door Replacements For Whitby Businesses
A dependable and efficient commercial garage door is crucial for allowing safe and convenient entry to your property, facilitating smooth deliveries and ensuring security.
At Whitby Garage Doors, we offer a large variety of commercial garage doors and our team can help you select and install a new commercial door to suit your daily operational needs and streamline production. Our selection of commercial doors includes security grilles, counter doors, roll-up sheet doors and overhead service doors. All Clopay commercial garage doors are built from heavy-duty steel to ensure lasting durability and performance.
Garage Door Opener Costs
Few home inconveniences compare to a broken garage door opener, but dont despair, garage door opener installation doesnt cost as much as you think, nor does it take that long to do. Youll have to choose if you want to do it yourself or have a pro install a garage door opener.
If you have a pro install a garage door opener, expect to pay between $220 and $550. The opener itself will typically run between $150 and $500 with another $65 to $85 an hour for labor, which can run between two to six hours.
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Screw Drive Garage Door Openers
Compact in size, screw drive garage openers are ideal for lower ceilings. They are powerful and reliable openers that require consistent but little maintenance. Unlike other types, screw drive garage door openers do not squeak or clank. Theyre perfect for wider, heavier doors, and move a little smoother and slower than other types.
Budget-friendly, screw drive garage door openers use a threaded rod lift mechanism. The screw drive garage door opener uses a threaded rod resembling a screw. This rod is fixed into a track that runs from the opener to the door. A trolley is attached to the threaded rod and extends an arm thats firmly attached to the door. The motor turns the rod which lifts the arm that raises or lowers the door.
Genie Signature Series Machforce Connect
Home Depot
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Smartphone and home assistant compatible
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Extension kit needed for doors over 7 feet tall
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Strong Wi-Fi needed for reliable app control
If you have a large or heavy garage door, a heavy-duty product like the Genie Signature Series Mach Force Connect-4063 could be a perfect control method. This model has an impressive 2-horsepower motor and premium screw drive technology that makes quick work of even the heaviest doors, lifting them twice as fast as other openers.
This Genie Garage Door Opener has the brands Aladdin Connect Wi-Fi smartphone technology, allowing you to control it from your phone, but it also includes two pre-programmed remotes and a multi-function wall console that has a vacation lock and light control buttons. If you intend to use the app controls or Alexa and Google Home compatibility, make sure you have a consistently strong Wi-Fi connection. While this opener has a built-in light and works with doors over 7 feet tall, you must purchase the bulbs and extension kit separately.
Price at time of publish: $278
Dimensions: 40 x 9.5 x 11.5 inches | Weight: 40.3 pounds | Opener Type: Screw drive | Lifting Capacity: 2 horsepower | Drive Type: Maintenance-free direct | Horsepower: 2 | Power 140VDC
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What Is A Double Garage Door
While two single garage doors are self-explanatory, a double garage door is essentially two doors in one. A standard double door is about 16 feet by 7 feet, making it ideal for larger cars, boats, trailers and more. While a double door is the size of two singles, it operates efficiently on one track.
How Much Horsepower Do You Need For A 2
A 2-car garage door is longer than a single-car garage door. This means itll be heavier than the former.
On average, it is 16 feet long. Based on a rough estimate, it weighs between 150 and 250 pounds, depending on its material.
According to the weight ratings I shared above, this sounds like a job for the 1/2 hp garage door opener.
However, the 2-car garage door is bigger and will also have longer fittings. With time, this can put a strain on the motor.
You can also swap the 1/2 hp motor with a 3/4 hp variant. Itll be less prone to wear and tear. Plus, itll open and close the door faster. Thats a plus in my book!
Make sure to check with the manufacturer about your garage door openers material. If the 2-car garage door is made from wood, then a 3/4 hp is your best option.
Plus, if your door is made from other materials but is insulated, itll be heavier than the normal variant.
As a rule of thumb, use a 3/4 horsepower garage door opener for your double garage door, no matter how heavy it is or which material its made from.
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Is Horsepower The Only Important Factor
While a garage door can be quite heavy, its mechanism actually counters the effect of its weight.
Thats why you can open manual garage doors with just two fingers. This is achieved through the spring inside the garage door, which keeps it balanced.
So the balance of your garage door also plays an important role in its efficient and smooth function. Its not just about horsepower.
If you have a 3/4 hp garage door opener for a lightweight garage door thats unbalanced, its motor wont be able to do anything.
The balance of the garage door is as important as the horsepower.
If youre searching this because your motor is absolutely struggling to lift your door, it may not be the motors fault. It may be the mechanism and weight distribution.
Garage Door Service Repair And Maintenance
Whether your garage door wont open or close, refuses to cooperate, or has sustained damage from an impact, the team of skilled repair technicians at Whitby Garage Doors can help you identify the issue and perform lasting repairs. We can repair and maintain any type of garage door make or model and provide free service estimates before we begin.
At Whitby Garage Doors, we complete all of our garage door repairs using the highest-quality parts, tools, and equipment to ensure your garage door system performs safely, smoothly and reliably for many years.
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How Much Horsepower Does A Garage Door Opener Need
The last time I bought a garage door opener, I only looked at the horsepower and ended up buying more than I should.
I meanmore is better, right?
Maybe for cars, but not for your garage door opener.
How much horsepower does a garage door opener need? One-car garages with steel doors only need a 1/2 horsepower garage door opener. Two-car garages or one-car garages with insulated or wooden doors need at least a 3/4 horsepower garage door opener. Garages with carriage doors should opt for 1 HP garage door openers or higher.
Horsepower is really just a starting point for garage door openers. There are features that are more important that you dont get until you more to a higher horsepower model. Well get into some of those later on.
Hopefully by the end of this article, youll know enough so you dont make the same mistake I did and buy a garage door opener based on how much horsepower it has.
More Horsepower = More Features
Manufacturers know that men especially buy more horsepower because we think its automatically better,
In order to really make their products stand out, theyll need to add some new features as well: things like extra remotes, smart-home integrations or safety features.
You know, the stuff that we really should be focusing on instead of HP.
So using horsepower as a guide, lets look at what else is included in those models first. Then well talk about how much horsepower you really need to lift your garage door.
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Different Motors On The Market And Their Horsepower
- 1/3 HP: This is the most affordable option with the least amount of power and it typically doesnt last as long as the others. Openers at this level dont have a long life theyre more useful and have increased longevity with lighter doors, like those made from steel. They can technically lift any door with evenly distributed weight, but if you choose to use an opener with 1/3 horsepower for a heavier door, keep in mind that youll need to replace it more often than if you choose one with more horsepower.
- 1/2 HP: The most popular out of the three choices, this opener works best with single and double garage doors that have an average weight, such as a carriage-style door. Doors between eight and 12 feet in width are no problem. Its the medium option in both price and power, so it works for a large number of households.
- 3/4 HP: Certain garage doors, like those made out of wood, can be extremely heavy. These and oversized doors over 14 feet in width require a 3/4 HP opener in order for the component to function long-term. While its the most expensive option, its also long-lasting and durable with the maximum amount of power.
Whatever option you go with, make sure your garage door is properly balanced at all times. No matter how powerful your opener is, an unbalanced door will pose a problem.
We train our employees to do the job right and our products come with reliable warranties. Contact us now to order the garage door opener thats perfect for you.
Easiest Installation: Beamup The Workhorse Bu100 Sectional Garage Door Opener
Prices taken at time of publishing.
This garage door opener has a sleek, all-white design, making it the perfect addition to a modern home. This garage door opener also provides customers with instruction manuals, video tutorials, and tech support to ease the installation process.
Courtesy Amazon
Is strong enough to work on single- and double-garage doors
Comes in multiple styles
Has a sleek white design
Some customers had issues connecting the device to HomeLink
Comes with fewer accessories than some other garage door openers in this review
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Which Garage Door Option Will You Choose Now That You Have All This Information To Help You Decide
No matter which garage door option you select, the final decision is in your hands because it will be YOUR garage door that is installed at your home.
However, we do recommend that you seek the advice of a garage door specialist who will guide you through your purchasing decision to meet your specific needs.
Its time to choose the garage door of your dreams
If youre hesitating about the appearance, look at Garaga large selection of high-quality residential garage doors. They are categorized into 3 trendy styles: Traditional, Carriage House, and Contemporary. After that, you have the freedom to choose whatever colour, panel design, and windows you want.
You should give our Design Centre a shot!
It allows you to create your own garage door by mixing and matching all the different features until you find the perfect one for you. We can’t generalize everyone’s taste, so that tool gives you a one-of-a-kind experience when looking for a new garage door and aren’t sure if it will match the design of your home. It’s not only an online visualizer, but it’s also a budget planner. You can quickly request a free quote and receive it via email!
Do you require garage door installation, repair, or maintenance?
Garaga garage door Experts can also assist you with installing or repairing your garage door. They have friendly teams of qualified and skilled technicians in all garage door services. Get in touch with them and a member of their teams will be at your door as soon as possible!
Why Trust The Spruce
This article was written and researched by Camryn Rabideau, who is a freelance writer and product tester for The Spruce. She considered a wide range of garage door openers, including models from top-name brands and smaller manufacturers, and evaluated each pick for power, convenience, and versatility. All of the garage door openers included have at least 0.5-horsepower motors and can be used on standard 7-foot garage doors. Emma Phelps, an updates writer for The Spruce, also assisted with this article by reaching out to Michelle Nichols, a Merchant at The Home Depot, who provided purchasing insight and helpful resources for garage door opener installation.
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Best Garage Door Opener For Single Door 2022
During the past few decades the development in advancing the technology has emerged massively. It has changed the working mechanism of things as simple as opening the garage door.
If we talk about technological development in the context of time efficiency, then it wont be wrong to say that it has sped up day-to-day activities and made life a lot more convenient for people.
No doubt, the modern era is enhancing even the tiny operations of the things around us. Discussing the technological advancements, we will be focusing on that specific household thing which we operate daily.
You guessed it right! The garage door openers. We have compiled some of the best garage door openers for single doors in the article. We suggest you have a look at them to find out what they offer?
Imagine its mid-winters, and heavy snowfall is in progress. You return home in your warm and cozy car, but you have to get out, take the snow slap, and open the garage door manually to enter the house. Well, whats worse than that, especially when your body temperature is way more than that of the outside. This sudden temperature change might land you in illness too.
Now consider how a simple addition of an automated garage door opener could have prevented a lot of these discomforting things. Well, thats how you know the true value of technology.
Garage Door Experts In Whitby
Whitby Garage Doors is the most trusted source for garage door and opener services for home and business owners throughout Whitby, Ontario, and throughout the Brooklin, Oshawa, Ajax, and Durham communities. We can expertly and reliably handle all of your garage door and garage door opener needs and offer a large selection of garage doors and openers from top-rated, leading manufacturers. Were proud to install quality garage doors from Clopay® and LiftMaster garage door openers.
The knowledgeable and highly trained service representatives at Whitby Garage Doors can help you with any of your garage door needs, including providing free service estimates with competitive pricing, fast same-day services, and the expertise to repair or maintain any garage door make or model.
Our fully stocked service vans are equipped to handle any type of garage door repair need. They also carry a wide selection of new garage door samples and products for home and business owners interested in enhancing their curb appeal with beautiful, maintenance-free garage doors. We also carry several garage door openers featuring the latest technological upgrades. When you need dependable, friendly and experienced garage door services, reach out to your local experts at Whitby Garage Doors.
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Best Voice Assistance: Genie 7155
Prices taken at time of publishing.
Quietly using a DC motor paired with a steel-reinforced belt drive, this is a great option for garages attached to bedrooms or nurseries. This smartphone-controlled model is compatible with both Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Plus, its easy to install, with no extra hardware needed.
Courtesy Amazon
Comes with two pre-programmed remotes
Motor has lifting power equivalent to 1.25 horsepower
Has a higher price point than other garage door openers
Some customers found that the connection to Amazon Alexa was weak