Garage Door Horsepower Needed

If the garage is the main entrance to your home or you have a one piece door or a heavy oversized garage door you ll probably need one with the lifting power of a 3 4 to 1 1 4 horsepower opener.

Garage door horsepower needed. If you re unsure of which opener to get it s a good idea to talk to the staff in the hardware store you re buying from or to a garage door repair service. If you have a sectional double car garage door a 1 2 horsepower motor should be sufficient but a higher power model will operate with less effort and less wear and tear on the motor. You use it every single day and usually several times and that means you need it to run properly for convenient living. Two car garages or one car garages with insulated or wooden doors need at least a 3 4 horsepower garage door opener.

Doors that are 10 feet wide by 8 feet tall are single car garage doors. Your garage door is one of the largest and heaviest pieces of moving equipment in your home. For example if you would like to lift a double garage door one might suggest using a 1 2 horsepower because the door is heavier and larger. 1 2 horsepower garage door openers work well with standard aluminum doors in a residential garage.

For very heavy or tall garage doors look at a 3 4 hp or even a 1 hp model. Heavier or one piece doors may require higher horsepower openers. Read our garage door buying guide to learn about different types of garage doors. Horsepower is really just a starting point for garage door openers.

Average weight double doors and heavier single doors work well with 1 2 horsepower openers. Having the right horsepower for your garage door opener is a crucial part of a properly functioning door. Many people believe more horsepower is better and in a majority of cases that is true but not always. Garage door horsepower bottom line.

Garages with carriage doors should opt for 1 hp garage door openers or higher. A 1 3 horsepower opener can handle most doors 10 feet wide by 8 feet tall made of lightweight material such as uninsulated steel. Doors more significant than this are considered double car garage doors. One car garages with steel doors only need a 1 2 horsepower garage door opener.

The horsepower needed for your garage door opener is dependent on whether or not you want a long lasting opener verses replacing it every few cycles or the size of the door. What horsepower garage door opener do i need for my garage door. Garage door size and frequency of use. Look for an opener that has the horsepower necessary for your garage door size based on size and weight.

A heavier single door or a double steel door may need a 1 2 horsepower opener and a wooden double door may need the full 1 horsepower to open. The price difference is usually only 50 to 100 depending on the brand. Garage door openers are designed to replace the human force to open and close a garage door and if your garage door is properly balanced then it should only be lifting 8 10 pounds.