How To Set Up Liftmaster Garage Door Opener

A big garage can be a workshop for your projects, a place to store your expensive tools, a home for your car or a getaway for you when you need a break from the family. In truth, a garage does all of these jobs for most homeowners so this is a more important room of the house than most of us realize. If you're shopping for a new garage door to replace one that's seen better days, you have lots of choices. Do you go for a sliding, folding, up-and-over or roll-up door? Do you buy a steel, wood or composite door? Get it right and you won't need to replace the door for a long time.

Door Repair

Should you repair your existing door or replace it? The door is made up of lots of parts so repairing a garage door isn't like maintaining any other door in the home. You might have hinges that are worn or an opening mechanism that jams. Whatever the issue, in most cases you'll need an expert. Garage doors develop both mechanical and electrical faults. You could have a problem with the belt drive and the sensor for example, which are two parts of the garage door opener that require different skills to repair.

Your door's photoelectric sensors, which prevent the door from closing when a person or object is in the doorway, sometimes develop a fault that's easily fixed so if you find that your garage doors won't close when you ask them to, it might be that the sensors are not aligned. There are two sensors placed about six inches from the ground that have to be lined up with one another in order to work. One sensor sends a beam towards the other so if one is misaligned, the door will not close. This is an easy fix as you can adjust the bracket housing one of the sensors until they are aligned again.

Servicing

How often should the garage door be serviced? Most experts recommend that the door is serviced once a year even if no issues arise. Your garage door is opened no matter what the weather is like outside so it will be damaged over time with use and through the weather so it needs to be looked at. Having a service will prolong the life of your garage door as the engineer will lubricate areas of the door, tighten up bolts and screws and adjust the spring tensions to make sure the door works as it was designed to.

New Door Prices

Let's consider the cost of a new door so you can work out if maintaining or repairing the existing door makes financial sense. The cost of the door depends on the size of the garage, the material uses in constructing the door and the opening mechanism used. A wooden door on a typical eight or nine-foot single garage would be the cheapest option. If the door opening is a simple manual operation, you'll save even more of your hard-earned dollars.

New Door Options

Do you opt for a steel door or go for something else? The typical steel door is made of two layers of galvanized steel that's primed or painted with a strong topcoat. Steel doors are great because they can be painted to match your home and can be bought with or without insulation, however dents and corrosion can limit the life of a steel door. Wooden doors in cedar or redwood look great but they're not as durable as steel doors so perhaps a wood composite is the answer. These doors have a wooden frame covered with fiberglass sheets. They look like natural wood but have none of the disadvantages.

Garage Door Openers

Whether you need a door that opens at the push of a button for security reasons, for convenience or for a little of both, a belt-driven door opener adds to the home. They are easy to install and even the budget models are reliable and powerful enough to open the heaviest doors. You'll expect a remote control and a multi-function wall control with any garage door opener but opt for a wireless keyless entry system because that includes a keypad to open the door, which is ideal if there are lots of family members using the garage.