Horsepower My Garage Door Opener

Garage Door Opener

You may be wondering if your garage door opener has enough oomph to open your garage door. The unit of power used to open the door is referred to as horse power. There are four common motor sizes for garage doors, a 1/3 horsepower motor, a ½ horsepower motor, a ¾ horsepower motor, and a 1 horsepower motor.

The biggest considerations when choosing the correct size motor for your garage door opener is the size and weight of the door. Larger and heavier doors require openers with more horsepower. Getting the smallest motor that will lift your garage door will save electricity.

The smallest garage door openers have a 1/3 horsepower motor. These openers will open a single car garage door 10 feet wide and 8 feet tall or a double car garage door (made from lighter materials). The most popular garage door openers have a ½ horsepower motor. These garage door openers will lift wood or insulated two car garage doors up to 16 by 8.

For heavier garage doors or for more durability and longer lasting motor, a garage door opener with a ¾ horsepower motor is probably the best. These openers will lift even larger garage doors. For very heavier garage doors a garage door opener with a 1 horsepower motor will provide maximum power and efficiency. You can put a larger garage door opener than what is necessary on your garage door, however make sure that you have the settings right to prevent damaging the door.

Regardless of the size of the motor you get most garage doors lift the door at a rate of 7 inches per second, but you can purchase garage door openers that open the door slightly faster. If you know how big your garage door is, you can select a garage door opener with the correct size motor.