Garage Door Opener keypad recommendations

My spring broke and the opener (1/2 HP) lifted it just fine. They are not designed for this load everyday, for sure.

This was a garbage board / solid wood type door but only single size = 7 x

8'. The opener was a Genie screw mechanism type. Any 1/2 HP motor should be able to lift 400 lb. of door over a 8-10 second period and the weight is only when the door is fully closed. When it is half way up half the load is horizontal and not loading the motor.

I got my car in that night and out the next day until the spring boy came to fix it again.

Best, Christopher

Point made. You don't remember....LOL

Home safes are a bitch for that, also. I usually write the combo on the back, in some binary notation and backwards.

3

"Josepi" wrote:

Is it easier to be silly than to admit an mistake?

It's not about needing repair. The point is I can't get into my house through my garage if the spring breaks. Springs are a common failure, which means we need anther point of entry in the event of a spring failure.

I don't think you have an appreciation for the weight of my garage door. Even if the motor was geared to lift the door without spring assist, the two small bolts that attach the lift bracket to the door would rip clean through the wood.

Best, Christopher

Been there, tried that. The door did not budge.

Best, Christopher

I did not make a mistake. One of my trades is (was) overhead door installation.

I thought you couldn't *theoretically* "get in" because the power was out and the batteries have failed on this yet-to-be-determined keypad. Also, you'll need one of them new-fanged door operators that have a built-in battery backup.

Now in addition to a power failure, a battery failure, and a stormy night when you come home.... You're going to throw in a broken spring at that exact moment.? Talk about entropy. Hell, if all that goes wrong then that's some kind of mojo warning you not to go in.

It may depend on the type ( I had a screwdrive one), the HP and the clutch setting.

If you have your clutch (electrical, mechanical or both) set very sensitive for stopping when any resistance is "felt" (supposed to be a child or toy anti-squisher) the motor should give up right away as a safety concern. Mine may have been set tougher than yours??? Perhaps some only work in the closing direction???

The guy next door left a alum. lawn chair in his cheap uninsulated door, twice now....what a mess. The twisted and ripped panels have been replaced twice now....LOL. Obviously needs an adjustment of the safety setting.

Best, Christopher

Your alarm should always have two points of entry if one is through he garage. Especially if the garage man-door (which, IMHO, is necessary in a garage) is wired.

Thanks for all the replies. It looks like I'll end-up going with a wireless unit after all, since it doesn't appear there are many other choices. I guess for the batteries, I could always wire-in an AC adapter.

I don't believe in hide-a-keys, false rocks, etc. They're too obvious of a hiding place, and where I live someone could spend a long time turning over rocks, or checking the usual hiding places, without being noticed.

Actually not a bad idea! :)

Yes, it's the locked outdoors without a key scenario, so going in another door would not be an option in that case. It's also good so that if I need to let someone get into my house when I'm away, I can always talk them through getting in with a keypad, so they wouldn't need to have been given a key ahead of time.

Like a pallet jack?

Fair enough. I called the company that installed the garage doors in our neighborhood. They are among the major garage door compainies in northern california. I told him about my experience with a broken spring, and asked him if the motor should be able to open the door with a broken spring. He said no way. He went on to explain that some contractors use 1/3 HP for the heavy doublewides because the spring does all the heavy lifting, but they don't recommend the smaller motors for the heavy doors. However, he said that even the 3/4 HP motors can't open a heavy doublewide with a broken spring.

I'm not sure you understand the scenario I'm describing. I'm talking about a single point of failure. I know many people (myself included) who do not carry any house keys. The only way for them to gain entry to their house (without a break in), is through the garage door. If the garage spring breaks while they are outside the house, and they have a heavy garage door, then gaining entry to the house may present a challenge.

Best, Christopher

Perhaps, but I suspect is was more about the modest weight of your door. I called a garage door company in our area and he said the motors will not lift a heavy doublewide with a broken spring. FWIW.

Best, Christopher

Alright. How about one of these on another entry door besides the garage:

There ya go. :)

Best, Christopher

Motorized, driver has a seat and everything. Like the ones the guys at home depot drive around the store. For getting the pallets off the top shelves.

Are you saying that you leave the door from the garage to the house unlocked?

RHC: Good question ! This is a very poor idea and an ongoing source of false alarms. If the door doesn't close properly and isn't locked, high winds outside can cause enough of a vacuum inside the garage to pull or push the door open just enough to trigger the zone (especially with magnetic contacts versus roller balls behind the door) . This is a common cause of false alarms that I routinely warn my clients about.

It's also known as a fork lift.

Ummmm what kind of "roller ball" would you use on an overhead door?

I can see a 2" gap magnetic switch but a roller ball? Well, maybe if it was about 6 inches in diameter to give you the two inches of play. I think the door would have a hard time trying to push in a ball that size and the kids would constanly be leaning their bicycles against it. :-)

Yeah - but that would make it too easy. Here they insist on splitting it up - the big ones they call fork trucks, the smaller ones are hi-lo's.

So when I made my little quip, I used the term I was used to - then it sort of took on a life of its own...