Certain garage doors like those made out of wood can be extremely heavy.
Power requirements for garage door opener.
While it s the most expensive option it s also long lasting and durable with the maximum amount of power.
If you have a one car garage use the column on the left.
Types of garage door openers.
It is the cheapest of the three and least power.
Garage doors use either torsion springs or extension springs to raise and lower the door.
These and oversized doors over 14 feet in width require a 3 4 hp opener in order for the component to function long term.
Knowing garage door clearance requirements will help you avoid ordering the wrong garage door set up for your needs.
Again this opener will only be efficient when the door is properly balanced and an opener with more horsepower will last longer.
An opener with at least 1 2 horsepower is common for residential use.
Standard garage door openers have a similar design.
I created a simple chart so you can quickly tell how much horsepower you need.
Torsion springs mount on a bar above the door while extension springs stretch down the side of the upper tracks.
Most garage door openers use from 350 to 600 watts with the average at about 500 watts.
So 500 watts 120 volts 4 17 amps.
Look for an opener that has the horsepower necessary for your garage door size based on size and weight.
If your garage door is over 20 in width then you will need a 1 2 horsepower opener at the very least.
The amount of horsepower you need depends on how heavy and large your garage door is.
If you have a two car garage use the column on the right.
Garage door openers typically range from 1 3 to over 1 horsepower.
This means installing an electrical outlet on the garage ceiling.
Also keep in mind the speed at which your garage door will open and close based on the horsepower of your opener.
While it s best to check the manual for specifics generally a single garage door opener needs only 15 amps while up 2 or 3 will need 20 amps.
When you install a garage door opener you have to have a power source to operate the equipment.
A motor drives a trolley or carriage along a rail.
And the number of openers can cause this number to vary.
Oversized large and heavy doors will need an opener with horsepower ex.
This size opener is the most popular out of the three and is recommended for single or double garage doors with average weight ex.
It starts with with a 1 2 hp garage door opener which is the minimum horsepower you should be looking at.
It is the second cheapest of the three with medium power.
At 500 watts the power needed is just over 4 amps.