If you’ve had the same garage door setup for quite some time, you may begin wondering if the motorized mechanism responsible for opening and closing the door, the opener, is on its way out.
How long do garage door openers typically last? We took this frequently asked question up with Precision Garage Door of Delaware’s resident garage door experts for a full explanation.
Garage Door Openers Explained
Your garage door opener is the brains of the operation. It tells the door how far to travel, guides the door along its track, and starts, slows, or stops the door’s motion.
Like any other piece of machinery, over time, the opener’s gears and electronics start to wear down. Today’s garage door openers last an average of at least 10 to 15 years.
Consult your owner’s manual to see how old your opener is. If you think your opener may be on the fritz, consult this post on troubleshooting a garage door opener issue.
Factors that Contribute to Opener Life Expectancy
Five years is a great deal of leeway. Two opener replacements in 30+ years is going to save much more money compared to three or more replacements in the same amount of time. What contributes to your garage door opener’s operating range, and what can you do to increase its expectancy?
Opener Drive Type
The three main types of opener drives determine the device through which the door is raised or lowered along the track. Chain drives feature a bicycle-style chain, belt drives, a rubber belt, and screw drives, a lifting device along a threaded steel rod.
While each drive type has its benefits, belt drives are known to outlive the other two drives and provide efficient and quiet operation.
How Much Use a Door Gets
The more you and your family use your garage door daily, the shorter you can expect its overall expectancy to be. The 10- to 15-year estimate is based on three to five open/close cycles for 300+ days out of the year.
Do you use your door just to come and go, or do you operate the door more, including to get play equipment out for your kids? Based on this, you can expect your opener’s expectancy to lean one way or the other.
Whether You Keep Up with Routine Door Maintenance
The final contributing factor to your garage door opener’s lifespan is whether you get your door the routine care it needs. While this includes things like checking seals and readying your door for seasonal changes in weather, it also involves paying attention to changes in your door’s operation, such as slower function, new noises, or broken parts, and getting professional attention promptly for repairs like broken springs.
This is ultimately what will help your opener reach and surpass the 15-year expectancy.
If you’re a Delaware or Maryland homeowner who’s in the market for a new opener, contact Precision Garage Door of Delaware. We sell a handpicked selection of the industry’s leading openers and provide free at-home consultations with a garage door specialist to help determine the best opener type and model for your home.