How do you know what kind of garage door you will need? Do you need one that is heavy duty? There are two factors that will determine how powerful your garage door opener will need to be. How long do you want it to last and what is the weight of the garage door are other factors that need to be considered?
What Horsepower Garage Door Opener Do I Need?
3/4 HP Garage Door Opener: A ½ horsepower opener isn’t suitable for a heavy double door, but there are two other sizes to choose from that would be more suitable. Doors made of heavy solid wood will need a ¾ horsepower oversized garage door opener to work properly. You might be able to use a smaller one for a while but the ¾ horsepower model will last longer and you’ll be able to get a lot more use out of it than the smaller one.
1/2 HP Garage Door Opener: The most commonly used garage door opener is the ½ horsepower model as it provides a good combination of both quality and price and are almost always powered by DC motors for quiet performance. It’s good to use with a single or double garage door and is very efficient but only if it’s maintained properly.
1/3 HP Garage Door Opener: A 1/3 horsepower model also works with steel doors because they are the lightest. If you use a 1/3 horsepower garage door opener on a heavy door, it will lift the door up but won’t work as long and garage door openers aren’t cheap.
What Size Garage Door Opener & Horsepower Do I Need for a 10, 16, 18 Foot or Other Size Door?
A traditional steel door that is one-sided, non-insulated and without windows can weigh about 150 pounds even if it’s 16 feet wide and 7 feet high and a lot less if it’s smaller. Even if your steel door has an extra layer and is insulated, the door can be twice as heavy but a ½ horsepower motor should be sufficient. If you’re able to lift your garage door manually with ease then the springs are doing their job and the motor is only lifting that relative weight. ½ horsepower motors are enough for doors that measure 8 feet to 12 feet wide range, but use a ¾ horsepower motor for doors that measure over 14 feet. Remember that an electric garage door opener is only meant to work as a substitute for human strength. The garage door opener horsepower is not the most important factor-balancing the garage door is. Garage door openers will only be efficient if they are balanced correctly at all times to maintain its dead weight at 8 to 10 pounds. When you open your garage door, with or without a garage door opener, most of the work is done by the counterbalance. The counterbalance is the system of springs, pulleys, cables, etc. that will make the door open and close with ease and over time garage doors will become unbalanced and become harder to open. Making sure your garage door is balanced is an important step in maintenance.
Garage Door Services in Las Vegas, Summerlin, North LV & Henderson Nevada
When it comes to choosing the right garage door opener it’s important to use the right one or you will end up having to buy another one sooner than you’d like. You should contact professionals to help you decide which one will work the best. Contact AAA Action Garage Doors today to learn more about different sizes of garage door openers and pricing. Give us a call today!
