Tag Archives: garage door openers

What to Look for in a Garage Door Opener
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In the market for a new garage door opener? Choosing a garage door opener can be confusing if you’re not sure what to look for. You might be wondering about the different kinds out there, what benefits they have and what safety features are essential. At Premium Garage Door Service, we know a thing or two about garage door openers and would like to offer a rundown of what to look out for when choosing the right one for you. And, when you’re ready for a new garage door or garage door opener for your Oakdale home, contact the experts at Premium Garage Door Service.

What’s Included

When you purchase a garage door opener, you usually get a three-button keypad, about two remote controls, a light-delay feature, a control panel and about two lights with an output of 200 watts. Some garage door openers also feature a keyless entry pad.

Types of Garage Door Openers

Screw-drive. A lifting mechanism moves along a threaded steel rod. The rods are very powerful, but these systems do not require a lot of maintenance because they have the fewest moving parts.

Belt-drive. Very quiet and smooth. As strong as a steel-belted tire and it can lift even the heaviest garage doors. A great garage door opener for garages that are adjacent to or below living spaces that you want to keep quiet.

Chain-drive. Uses a metal chain to lift and lower the garage door up and down along its tracks. The most common and the most cost-effective and budget-friendly garage door opener. Can be noisier than the belt-drive system or the screw-drive system.

Safety Features

Your new garage door opener should have a locked and unlocked mode. It should have a manual release of some sort. You should also make sure you have one with an automatic reverse function. This safety feature has been a requirement for decades, so you should have no problem finding a garage door opener with this function. It detects when an object is underneath the garage door if it is trying to close.

You should also look into a garage door opener that has a rolling code feature. This means that it will be harder for a thief to break into your home through your garage.

Warranties

You should see at least a three-year warranty on the garage door opener, and it will usually cover the motor, the belt and the chain.

And, this is just some of what to consider with your new garage door opener. For more information about a garage door opener in Oakdale, call Premium Garage Door Service at 651-344-0489 or contact us and Request Service.

Three Types of Garage Door Openers
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If you are in the market for a new garage door opener, you might be wondering about the different kinds that are for sale these days and what benefits they have. As a garage door company serving Hugo, we are often asked about garage door openers and how to pick the best one. Here is a brief rundown of the different types and their advantages. And you can always call our garage door company if you have any questions or want to have one of these installed.

Belt-drive system

This type of garage door opener is increasing in popularity because it is very quiet and smooth. It is as strong as a steel-belted tire, and it can lift even the heaviest garage doors. This is a great garage door opener for garages that are adjacent to or below living spaces like bedrooms or any other room you want to keep quiet. They operate with a rubber belt, and they are just a bit more expensive than any other type on the market.

Screw-drive system

A screw-drive system uses a lifting mechanism. The mechanism moves along a threaded steel rod. The rods are very powerful, but these systems do not require a lot of maintenance because they have the fewest moving parts. These are also the easiest ones to install.

Chain-drive system

This system uses a metal chain to lift and lower the garage door up and down along its tracks. These are the most common and the most cost-effective and budget-friendly garage door opener. However, they can be noisier than the belt-drive system or the screw-drive system. These are also the oldest type of garage door opener system.

Since 1993, all garage door openers have been required by law to have a safety mechanism installed that will stop and reverse the closing garage door if the system detects an object moving underneath it. This is a great safety feature because it could save you a lot of money on potential damage to your vehicle, not to mention it’s a great safety feature that could also save you potential injury or worse.

You should also look into garage door openers that have a rolling code feature. This means that it will be harder for a thief to break into your home through your garage. The remote to your garage door uses a code to open and close it. A rolling code means it does not always use the same code.

Are you interested in learning more about our garage door company serving Hugo? Call Premium Garage Door Service at 651-344-0489 or you can Request Service.

Universal Garage Door Opener Remotes
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A universal garage door opener remote is a lot like a universal television remote. There are many different brands and models, and these universal remotes try to support as many garage door opener units as possible, just like a universal TV remote tries to support as many TVs as possible. They’re even programmed in a similar way; usually, a list of codes will be included with the garage door opener remote, and you’ll program the universal remote to work with your garage door opener using its corresponding code.

One very important thing to remember when you purchase a universal garage door opener: don’t throw away the manual! This usually contains the garage door opener codes. And be sure to keep Premium Garage Door Service in mind for all of your Twin Cities garage door opener needs. Get in touch today by visiting our website.

5 Tips for Garage Door Safety
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Garage doors offer convenience to those who need to stow their vehicles away, but don’t want to deal with the hassle of opening and closing a door each time they need to enter or exit the garage. With anything heavy that moves, though, there are certain safety issues that need to be addressed. Here are 5 tips for staying safe around your garage door.

1. Keep the openers away from small children. Kids love to play, and by leaving a garage door opener laying around unattended, you’re basically offering them a brand new toy to play with. There are obvious risks here as far as injuries are concerned, and the children could unknowingly cause damage to your garage door or opener while playing.

2. Regularly check out your garage door. Give your garage door and all of its parts a good look at least once per month. You may find failing areas or parts before the issues become larger and more expensive.

3. Keep your garage door fully open or fully closed. Keeping your garage door partially open is an invitation for trouble. When the door opening mechanism is started again, it could go either up or down, and may collide with something.

4. Unplug the automatic opener while on vacation. This isn’t a matter of physical safety, but it could help protect your home and the belongings inside. This prevents someone who somehow hacks your code or someone who comes up with a spare garage door opener from using it to enter your garage and home.

5. Keep your remote opener out of your parked car. It’s very easy for someone to reach into your car and use your garage door opener to open your garage and possibly gain access to your home.

Interested in talking more about your North Metro garage door needs? Get in touch with Premium Garage Door Service today at (763) 607-3402.

Creative Developer Builds Smartphone Garage Door Opener
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JsChiSurf, a member of mobile phone development community XDA, wanted a way to open his current garage door with his Android smartphone. So he built a system himself.

The system consists of a custom Android application called “OpenSezMe,” which JsChiSurf wrote himself, as well as a Linux PC, and a serial port relay controller to open and close the circuit that controls the garage door’s open/close capability. The OpenSezMe application controls the garage door over a data connection, and thanks to the GPS support built into Android’s operating system, can only open or close the door if the device is within a certain distance of the home.

Interested in seeing how this custom garage door opener works? We’ve embedded a demonstration video below.