You come home late from work. It’s been a long day and you just want to relax. It starts to rain and you pull into your driveway. The garage door won’t open. You hit the remote again and the door jerks, but won’t open. You have to trudge through the rain to get inside. What you need is a new garage door opener.
Garage door openers don’t last forever, and they are not likely to last the full lifespan of the door itself. Although you want to get as much out of your garage door opener as possible, it may be time for a new one before you know it. Here’s how you know it’s time to get a new garage door opener.
Your Door Won’t Open From the Outside
If your garage door won’t open from the outside using the remote or keypad, your garage door opener may need to be replaced. The whole purpose of a remotely controlled garage door is for the opener to pull the door up when you need to get in.
There are plenty of reasons why this might not work. For example, the remote can be deprogrammed if it loses power. However, if reprogramming doesn’t work, it could be something wrong with the opener itself. The goal is to have your garage door reliably open when you need it to and replace it when it can’t meet your expectations.
The Door Gets Stuck and Repairs Don’t Help
It is not uncommon for a garage door to stick at times. The springs, hinges, and rails need to be cleaned and lubed to prevent this from happening. However, there could be a problem with the garage door opening if you have fixed all of these issues and it gets stuck often. It could be a problem with the roller system or a problem with the pulleys. Whatever the issue is, you need to have a professional look at it to make sure it can be fixed.
Your Garage Door Opener Makes A Lot of Noise
If your garage door opener starts to make a lot of noise when it runs, that is a sign that it is quickly winding down. Garage door openers, especially newer ones, are designed to be relatively quiet when they run. Making loud noises or strange noises is a sign that something inside is not working correctly. This can happen over time as gears wear out or wheels need to be adjusted. A garage door repair tech may be able to fix it. However, this is usually a problem with the motor wearing out and it may be more cost-effective to replace it with a newer model rather than trying to fix an older one.
Your Garage Door Opener is Very Outdated
If you have a garage door opener that is more than 10 years old, you should consider replacing it. It may work just fine for your needs, but there is also a security concern with older models. The longer a garage door opener is on the market, the more of a chance there is that someone will find a way to exploit it. This is particularly true of older models where new technologies can easily find a way to override security systems and force the door to open without the right controls.
Consider replacing your garage door opener with a newer model that has better security features. That way, you don’t have to worry about someone finding a way to open your garage while you are away.
Ask a Technician If It Is Time For A New Garage Door Opener
If you have issues with your garage door opener and you are not sure if it is better to fix it or get a new one, ask a technician to take a look at it. You may be able to have it fixed, but a technician will tell you when it is a better idea to replace it. Have one of our technicians at Parker Garage Doors take a look at your garage door opener for a better understanding of if it is time for a new one.
