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An
automatic garage door opener
is a motorized device that opens and closes your garage door at the touch
of a button. An electric motor, mounted on the ceiling of your garage,
actually does the heavy lifting. As you pull into the driveway, you press
a button on a transmitter that you keep in your car. The transmitter sends
a special code to a receiver in the garage. The receiver then activates
the electric motor, which opens the door. Another push on the transmitter
closes the door behind you. Click on the picture above to see how simple
and attractive universal home modifications can be.
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Automatic garage
door openers are becoming a standard feature
in many American households. That's because tugging on a heavy garage
door isn't something that homeowners, at any age, want to do when they
leave home or return after a hard day. In addition, a garage door opener
lets you avoid jumping in and out of the car in bad weather. It also increases
your personal safety and security because it allows you to drive inside
the garage, and close the door, before getting out of your car.
Automatic garage
door openers can lift the garage door in one of three ways:
- In chain-drive
systems, a steel chain raises and lowers the door. These units are reliable,
but they are very noisy, a consideration if your garage is attached
to your home.
- Screw-drive systems
use a steel rod, which looks like a giant screw, to lift the door. These
units are good for opening and closing one-piece, tilt-up doors.
- Belt-drive units
use a strong, rubber belt to lift the door. These units are the quietest
and most expensive openers on the market.
All garage door
openers must be equipped with two safety features that prevent people
or pets from being crushed by a closing door.
- A Contact Safety
Reverse automatically opens the door if it hits an object or person.
- A Non-Contact
Safety Reverse shines an infrared beam across the doorway at all times.
Any person or pet who passes under the closing door will break the beam,
causing the door to reverse automatically.
Look for a garage
door opener that:
- Automatically
activates inside and outside lights when you hit a button on your transmitter.
- Has a manual release
handle that lets you open the door in case of a power failure.
To make your garage
door, and your home, as secure as possible:
- Buy a garage door
opener that has rolling-code technology. Thieves use devices called
"code grabbers" to steal the code that you send to your garage
door opener from your car transmitter. Standard transmitters send the
same code to the garage door opener each time you open the door, making
it easier for a thief to grab the code and use it to get into your home.
Transmitters with rolling-code technology send a different code to the
garage door opener every time you open the door.
- Upgrade your current
garage door opener if it isn't equipped with rolling-code technology.
An upgrading kit costs about $50.
- Always keep the
door between your garage and your house locked.
Expect to pay
between $120 and $160 for a chain-drive system, between $170 and $190
for a screw-drive system, and about $220 for a belt-drive unit.
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