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.

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.