Garage Door Openers
Garage door openers can greatly increase the ease with which you use your garage. However, as there are two types of garage doors, there are necessarily two types of garage door openers.
Tilt-Up/Rail Guide
In this type of opener, a track is laid across the ceiling of your garage. The opener’s motor sends a small trolley across the ceiling towards the top of the doorway. The trolley is attached to the door arm that causes the tilt-up door to tilt open. The backwards/forwards motion of the trolley closes/opens the door.
Jackshaft
This type of opener is for sectional garage doors. A chain is attached to the door section at the top of the garage opening. The opener motor is also attached by chain to the torsion springs at the top of the door. Essentially, a torsion spring is a tightly wound spring under enormous tension. This tension allows the door to be opened as a cylinder in the center of the spring is turned by the motor of the opener. Be careful of torsion springs in a door opener, as they should only be serviced and handled by professionals. The tremendous pressure they exert can do great harm to a person.
If you are concerned about the safety and security of your garage as an entrance to your home, learn more about garage safety.