Should you replace the garage door opener on your Burlington garage?

Experts say that a garage door opener has an average lifespan of between 10 to 15 years. Some will last longer but they generally, the garage door opener on your Burlington garage, will start to wear out after 15 years, if not sooner. Homeowners don’t always notice when the garage door is losing its oomph.

The problem is that a garage door opener may break or suddenly malfunction. In such cases, it’s obvious that the garage door opener needs replacement. But, even if there isn’t a catastrophic problem with the garage door opener, it may have gone well past its prime.

Without an obvious problem, the garage door opener will wear out slowly – so slowly, in fact, that you probably won’t notice the difference. If you were able to compare the performance of your 15-year-old garage door opener with its performance when you first had it installed on your Burlington garage, you would see the difference right away. But you won’t notice the difference between its performance yesterday and today, or on the same day last year. The change is gradual.

You can extend the life of your garage door opener. The key is maintenance. Maintenance includes properly lubricating the garage door and adjusting the garage door and garage door opener. Without maintenance, rust will attack the rollers and hinges. This will make the garage door harder for the garage door opener to open. The same is true with adjustments.

When the garage door and garage door opener are out of adjustment, the garage door opener has to work harder to do its job. Over time, the extra strain will show on the garage door opener. You may not see it. After all, the change is generally still gradual. But it’s happening anyhow. The door will take longer to open and close. It will make more noise in the process.

Obviously, if the garage door opener is worn out, if it’s past its prime, you may want to consider replacing it. But there is another reason to consider replacing a garage door opener.

Is your Burlington garage door opener a dinosaur?

Technology may have left your garage door opener behind. Are you still using a clunky old garage door opener remote control box? If so, you may find that it isn’t instantly responsive. You may have to push the appropriate button several times to activate the garage door opener. And, keep in mind that, if someone wants to get into your garage, or into your house through your garage, they can break into your car and use the garage door opener clipped to the sun visor.

The electronics on your newer garage door openers are light years ahead of the old models. Instead of clipping a clunky old remote to your visor, you can operate an app with your cell phone to control your garage door opener.

With new garage door openers, you can even close you garage door if you’re many miles away from your Burlington home.