For garage door openers it
doesn’t matter whether you are looking for a replacement opener
or a new garage door opener to install in your new or existing
home. Your local IDA garage
door dealer is the best source
to determine the proper
opener for your door!

   The majority of garage door openers manufactured in the past ten years have normally had either a 1/3 h.p. or a 1/2 h.p. motor. Although within the past few years many manufacturers started using DC motors and
3/4 h.p. motors. While it is true that a 1/3 h.p. opener will open most properly balanced garage doors, as the horsepower increases the strain placed on the opener will normally decrease. The most strain is placed on the opener when the opener first begins to start and at the point it stops. The use of a DC motor was utilized to reduce this strain since the speed of a DC motor can be controlled while the motor is running and can be slowed down while the motor is starting or stopping. However, the DC garage door openers tend to be at the top of the door opener price range and hence their use has been somewhat limited in many markets. Ask your local IDA garage door dealer to help you decide which opener will best suit your needs!

Garage door openers from the box
home improvement stores are not built
the same as openers that most IDA
garage door dealers carry.

The biggest difference between openers from the home improvement stores and garage door dealers is that most dealers use an opener rail that is made from one 8' or longer continuous piece of material. Since the one piece rails will not fit in many consumers vehicles easily, the box stores carry a three-piece rail only so that the rail can be placed inside a vehicle and taken home. These three-piece rails tend to flex at the splices and place more strain on the opener in some cases while the door is moving. The door opener carriage (part that is connected to the door arm) also will tend to catch and skip as it travels past the spliced sections on some openers as they become worn from the flexing and bowing. Also most retail store openers will only open up to a 7'6 tall door and require another fourth extension piece for a 8' tall door. Professional residential openers have different length one-piece rails for doors up to 10' tall doors. Request a one-piece rail door opener from your local IDA garage door dealer today!