The Benefits of Smart Garage Door Openers for Homeowners
As technology advances, so can our homes. Automation enhances home convenience and security, especially with devices such as smart garage door openers. At The Doorman, we are dedicated to customer satisfaction in innovative garage solutions that enable you to manage your home’s garage door settings from your mobile device.
Why Consider a Smart Garage Door Opener?
Smart garage door systems come with several benefits, ultimately making the user’s experience much more accessible and improving security. One of the major reasons people opt for smart garage door openers is the freedom to manage their garage doors from anywhere, all through a smartphone.
The Evolution of Home Access: From Keys to Smartphones
Originally, the smartest garage door controls were a button synced with your garage door system that would open and close your garage door from your car within a certain distance. Now, you can control everything from an app on your smartphone, even when you are away. See how often your garage door opens or whether you closed it when you left for work that morning.
The Value Proposition: Are Smart Garage Door Openers Worth It?
While every device can have pros and cons, smart garage door openers have advantages that far outweigh any drawbacks. Smart garage door openers can be more expensive, but you also receive many more benefits than you would with traditional models, such as higher security, effortless use and overall convenience.
The Advantages of Smart Garage Door Openers
The advantages of smart garage doors make the investment worth it. See why a smart garage door opener could be right for you and your home.
Enhancing Home Security With Smart Technology
A major benefit of smart technology is its ability to enhance home security. Specifically, smart garage door openers are equipped with:
- High-tech sensor systems to detect objects in the door’s closing path
- Password-protected operations to ensure garage door control stays in the right hands
- Remote access to open or close your garage door and see a complete log of its actions
Seamless Integration With Home Automation
Smart garage doors can sync with other home automation systems around your house. Keeping your home on a smart network is another way to increase your home security because this interconnection can:
- Link your security cameras to open the garage door for deliveries or visitors while you are away from home.
- Program your garage lights to turn on with motion detection.
- Automatically lock your garage door each time it closes.
Elevating Property Value and Appeal
Because modernized homes are in high demand, smart garage doors can increase your home’s value when it comes time to sell. This upgrade is especially appealing to home buyers with kids or pets, as its primary draw is home security.
Selecting the Optimal Smart Garage Door Opener
Choosing the ideal smart garage door opener can be a significant undertaking. Instead of trying to find the best model on your own, let The Doorman help.
We carry a series of top smart garage door openers from LiftMaster, including:
- DC Chain Drive Quiet Garage Door Opener
- Ultra-Quiet Belt Drive Smart Opener with Dual LED Lighting
- Smart Opener with Dual LED Lighting and Battery Backup
- 3/4 HP AC Chain Drive Wi-Fi® Garage Door Opener
- Secure View™ Smart Opener with Ultra-Quiet Belt Drive
- DC Battery Backup Capable Wall Mount Garage Door Opener
Step Into the Future of Home Access With The Doorman
You should feel safe in your home. The Doorman is dedicated to ensuring customer satisfaction with our secure and modern smart garage door opener solutions. Reach out to us for help or to arrange an installation or upgrade consultation today.
The Most Common Garage Door Opener Issues
Consider how often you open and close your garage door every day. For most southeastern Florida homeowners, the garage door cycles up to 1,500 times every year. Homeowners often take garage doors for granted as the main entryway to their homes, offering a safe and convenient entrance. The garage door opener is the key to this convenience. When your garage door opener stops functioning properly, you might have to put your whole routine on hold.
Whether your garage door won’t close all of the way, makes unusual sounds while operational, or refuses to open or close at all, the cause of the issue could be simple for homeowners to diagnose and fix. By understanding common garage door opener issues and how to resolve them, you can become a more responsible and knowledgable homeowner. You’ll know when to attempt a fix yourself and when it’s far better and safer to reach out to a trained garage door professional.
Common Garage Door Opener Issues
Even the highest-quality garage door openers will likely experience issues and need repairs after years of usage and daily cycling.
With regular use, garage door openers will eventually succumb to worn-out hardware and other malfunctions. Minor issues like dead remote batteries and misaligned photo-eye sensors can easily and quickly be fixed by homeowners. More severe opener problems may indicate you need a garage door opener replacement.
By understanding common garage door opener issues, you can avoid major repair costs, door damage, and other inconveniences like being stranded outside of your garage or trapped inside of it.
Garage Door Reverses Before Hitting the Floor or Won’t Close
When the garage door opens normally, but won’t close, there’s a variety of possible issues homeowners should investigate:
- Close-limit switch setting: When the opener was installed, the technician set the limit switch, telling the opener when the door has reached the floor. The limit switch setting is based on the size and weight of the door. If this was improperly programmed or was accidentally changed, the opener will think the door closed too early once it touches the floor, thinking the ground is an object and not the end of the closing cycle.
- Photo-eye sensor adjustment: At the base of the garage door are electronic photo-eyes casting a beam between themselves. When the beam is disrupted, the garage door opener prevents the door from closing to avoid damaging or injuring an item or person. The pathway between the two photo-eye sensors must stay clear to allow the door to close smoothly. If the sensors have become misaligned or dirty, the door won’t close.
Garage Door Won’t Open Completely
After clicking the remote button, the garage door may open, but not entirely, and prevent your car from entering or exiting the garage. If the garage opens but stops short of its full open position, then the garage door opener’s up-limit switch may be programmed incorrectly.
The programming mechanism is typically a touch-lever mounted near the end of the track, close to the opener motor. If this lever is set too far from the motor, the door will stop the door’s ascension before it is fully opened. To fix the up-limit switch setting, move it closer to the motor.
The Door Opens but the Motor Still Runs
While less common, if the garage door opener raises and lowers the door, but you hear the motor whirring once the cycle ends, then the up-limit switch is positioned too close to the motor and needs to be moved away.
It’s important that the limit switch is set properly. This setting lets the opener know the proper distance to the floor and triggers the motor to stop running. This issue typically occurs immediately after the garage door opener has been installed. Troubleshoot the limit switch positioning by moving it farther from the motor in small increments and then testing the garage door opener’s operation.
Remote or Wall-Mounted Pad Won’t Trigger Operation
It’s often frustrating for homeowners when you’re on the way home and the garage door won’t open after pressing the remote button several times. There are several things to check to trigger opener operation. Make sure you’re not trying to open the garage door from too far away — the opener functions at certain distances only. Also, if you can’t remember the last time you swapped your remote’s batteries for fresh ones, try replacing them and try opening the door again.
If the garage door won’t budge after pressing the remote button or wall switch, the power source to your opener has likely been disrupted. First, check that your opener is still plugged into the outlet and hasn’t accidentally been unplugged. If the plug is still inserted, make sure the garage breaker switch isn’t tripped.
After verifying that the power source hasn’t been interrupted, and the door still won’t open and close, the garage door motor may have burned out. When the garage door opener motor no longer works, the only realistic solution is to replace the unit.
Garage Door Opener Not Working? Schedule Garage Door Repairs With The Doorman Today
At The Doorman, we understand how important reliable and smooth garage door operation is for your daily activity. If you’re a homeowner in Broward or Palm Beach County and you need helpful, knowledgable, and prompt garage door opener repairs or maintenance services, reach out to the trained local professionals at The Doorman.
We’re a family-owned company with over 20 years of experience working on residential garage door systems throughout southeast Florida. Our team can handle any type of garage door opener issue, large or small. With every garage door repair project, we guarantee comprehensive repairs, personalized services and affordable solutions.
Schedule garage door opener repairs today or learn more about common garage door opener issues by calling us at 561.600.9606 or complete our online contact form to request a free project quote.
How to Open Your Garage Door if You Lose Power
Many homeowners take the operation of their electrically powered garage doors for granted — until the time comes when the door will not open. A garage door may fail to open due to a power outage or an issue with the remote-control unit. Fortunately, it is possible to open a garage door without electricity, but it will require a few steps and some old-fashioned “elbow grease.”
How to Open a Garage Door When There Is a Power Outage
The process to manually open a garage door involves accessing the bypass switch — which disconnects the door from the powered carriage — and raising the door with your hands. Follow these steps to open the garage door from the inside:
1. Make Sure the Garage Door Is in the Closed Position
Before trying to disconnect your automatic garage door opener from the door, make sure your door is in the closed position. This preliminary safety measure can keep you safe against injury and damage to your property. A garage door in the open position can come down to the ground in full force. Consult a professional garage door technician immediately if your door is stuck in the open position.
2. Pull the Emergency Release Cord
There should be a cord attached to a red handle, or a lever hanging from the opener rail connected to the trolley. Pull on the rope to disengage the trolley/bypass switch and put the garage door into manual mode. The lever is normally spring-loaded, so you should be able to feel it lock into place when pulling the rope.
Each brand and model of electric garage door opener may have a slightly different trolley mechanism. Some trolleys will lock open by simply pulling down on the emergency release cord, while others will require you to pull the cord down at a slight angle, pulling the release down and towards the inside of the garage to keep it open.
3. Try to Lift the Garage Door Manually
Pulling the emergency release cord will allow you to operate your garage door manually. Grasp the door’s handle firmly with both hands and attempt to lift it. If the door is too heavy, there may be a problem with the counterbalance springs on your door.
Your springs may need to be adjusted or replaced so they can continue to operate your door safely and effectively. Seek help from a qualified garage door service company if your door is too heavy to lift, is difficult to lift or will not stay open by itself. An expert technician knows how to handle springs that are under extreme pressure.
4. Reengage the Automatic Garage Door Opener
When the power comes back on — or you can get your remote-control unit working again — you will need to place the door back into automatic mode. Pull the emergency release cord toward the door to connect the carriage to your automatic garage door opener. To reengage the door opener’s trolley attachment, pull on the cord until the bracket slips back into place, which will lock the door into the powered carriage.
Run the opener for a complete cycle up and down to connect the trolley back to the opener. As the carriage and trolley pass one another, they should make a loud click to indicate they’ve connected. After you hear this sound, you can operate your garage door automatically. Test the door by using the remote.
Safety Tips for Opening Your Garage Door Manually
When you open a garage door by hand, you need to practice these safety precautions to prevent serious injury or death from a falling garage door:
- Unplug the automatic garage door opener: Even though the power is out, it’s important to disconnect the garage door opener to keep you and your property safe. If the power turns back on unexpectedly, the opener may try to open the door while it’s disengaged, which can make it more challenging to operate the door.
- Consult a professional when necessary: Manually operating automatic garage doors is easy to do on your own, but you may run into issues as you try to get the opener to work during a power outage. Contact an expert technician if you notice any broken springs or parts that could cause injury to you or further damage to the garage door itself.
- Avoid pulling the emergency release cord when the door is open: It’s only safe to use the emergency release cord when the door is completely closed. If the door is open, it could drop to the floor when you try to use the emergency release mechanism. Your best option is to wait until the power comes back on before closing the door or contact a garage door technician to help close your door.
- Keep your loved ones and valuables away from your open door: Whenever your garage door is disconnected from the automatic opener, it’s vulnerable to wind or gravity pulling it to the ground. Since the door can close at any minute, it’s best to keep young children and precious valuables away from the garage door opening. Once the power is back on, you should close the garage door as soon as possible to keep your family and property safe.
- Lock your garage door manually: Normally, the automatic lock on your garage door protects your home and everything inside. Use the metal manual lock next to your garage door to guard your house against break-ins or theft during a power outage.
- Inspect your garage door for damage: After you reconnect your garage door, make sure everything is working properly. If the door moves or shakes unevenly as it opens or closes, there may be an issue. Consult a professional if you notice anything abnormal about your door.
Contact The Doorman of Southeast Florida if You Need Help Opening a Garage Door
The Doorman can assist you with stuck doors and other garage door repair emergencies in Palm Beach County and Broward County. We also offer a $39.95 tune-up special that can keep your door in peak operating condition.
Our new electric garage door openers even open and close your door without electricity. Some LiftMaster openers now have a battery backup system built in that will work during a power outage. This is especially important in hurricane-prone areas of South Florida.
Contact us to learn more today.
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