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A Buyers Guide to Automatic Garage Door Openers in Toronto GTA Mississauga Oakville Etobicoke and Burlington

As buying a garage door operator is a long term investment there are a number of important points that should be considered. The following notes explain the facts, terminology & features :-

What Drive System ? - screw, chain or belt drive
Recent advances in chain drive technology have driven the noisy but once popular screw-driven operator from popularity in Ontario Belt driven operators offer silence but modern chain driven operators are also extremely quiet with the added ruggedness & strength advantage a chain offers over a plastic drive belt.
Power Consumption
The amount of power consumed while the door is in motion is of little consequence as the motor only runs for a about 15 seconds to operate the door, the important figure here is how much energy the unit consumes during the remaining 99.9% of the time while the unit is in standby ! Operators with low energy toroid type transformers offer considerable savings in running costs due to the improved efficiency of toroidal transformers. This can amount to a considerable saving over the lifetime of the operator !
Motor power
Choose an operator capable of lifting in excess of the force required to move the door so that the machine is not constantly working at the limits of its capabilities. It is most important that the door is properly balanced. To check this open the door half way by hand and let go, if it sinks the door is "under sprung" and requires attention. As a general rule a motor rated at around 90 pounds  pulling force is adequate for doors up to 8' wide, while a unit capable of 120 pounds or more is recommended on larger doors.
Soft Start & Soft Stop
This concept was originally developed to reduce stress on the drive mechanism by gently accelerating the motor to full speed in a controlled manner to improve reliability. Soft start & soft stop motors are therefore particularly beneficial on heavy doors but do also offer the added luxury of very quiet & gentle closure, a feature of great importance regardless of door size, on integral garages where the family sleep above.
Safety
This is obviously of great importance, a garage door is a large heavy object and you want the motor to stop immediately if the door is obstructed. Recent changes in safety regulations require that door operators which don't incorporate a self-learning safety protection system be fitted with an additional "break-beam" safety device or a pressure sensitive safety sensor switch across the lower edge of the door, these extra devices can involve considerable cost so choose an operator with an effective self-learning safety stop system that can automatically learn and memorize the precise operating characteristics of your door and stop the motor immediately if an obstruction is detected, this will ensure the highest possible level of safety for your family & pets whilst saving money & installation time.
Wall mounted push-button
If you have an integral garage with direct access to the house, a wall mounted push-button is likely to get as much use as the remote control. Its worth checking that a good quality push-button is included, an internal wall control switch is often regarded as an optional accessory at extra cost.
External emergency release
If your garage has no alternative pedestrian access door an emergency release device will be required to allow manual operation of the door in case of power failure. Most automatic garage door operators require an additional lock to be purchased separately & fitted into the door to enable it to be opened manually from outside, these locks are unsightly, very fiddly to use and can result in reduced security. A well designed electric operator will have a cable operated manual release system which can be connected to the door's original locking handle to provide "simple to use" manual operation in the event of a power failure.
Security
Access is by coded radio control signal but operators with an anti-scan "rolling code" remote control systems offer the ultimate in security by eliminating "code grabbing" (copying and duplicating the security code) Garage door operators hold the door securely shut at the top when closed but if security is an important issue a device such as our patented "Securi-Dor" automatic locking system can be fitted to automatically engage the door's original manual side latches after the door has closed to provide multi-point locking.
Maintenance
Look for a totally maintenance free operator, units with self adjusting drive tensioner's can eliminate the need for costly service calls.
Guarantee
Remote controlled operator guarantee's range from 1 - 5 years. As a general rule the longer the guarantee the more confidence the manufacturer has in their product.
Outlay
You want your garage door opener to give years of trouble-free service but this largely depends on the build quality and design of the product. Having your automatic garage door installed by professionals in Toronto Mississauga Etobicoke and Burlington can give you this added