How Much Power Does Your Garage Door Opener Need?

When shopping for a new garage door opener, one choice you will need to make is how many horsepower the opener has.  Garage door openers are available with motors that that have as little as 1/3 hp and as much as a full horsepower.  The natural inclination is to assume that the larger and heavier the garage door, the more horsepower the opener needs.

There is some truth to this idea, but not nearly as much as you might think.  In fact, the weight and size of the garage door has relatively little to do with the power of the opener.  That’s because garage doors have lift assist springs that do most of the heavy lifting.  No matter what size the door is, if the springs have been properly adjusted the door will open easily by hand.

If your existing garage door feels heavy or difficult to open, the springs may be out of adjustment or due for replacement.  Have the garage door serviced and adjusted by a qualified garage door technician before installing a new garage door opener.  Otherwise, the new opener will wear out quickly from the strain of opening the improperly adjusted door.  Never try to adjust or replace the springs yourself.  Garage door springs are under a lot of tension and can cause a severe injury or even death.

Getting back to the horsepower of the garage door opener, any sized opener should be able to open any properly adjusted garage door.  However, higher horsepower motors are quieter and operate more smoothly than low horsepower motors.  Also, an opener with a larger motor will last longer than a smaller one.  A high horsepower motor does not have to work as hard as a smaller motor to open the garage door so it will not wear out as quickly.

Your garage door contractor can help you select and install a garage door opener that meets your needs and fits your budget.