Should I Replace My 20-Year Old Garage Door Opener?

In a fascinating discussion on the Check A Pro Radio Show, show host Jim, also known as Check A Pro Joe, converses with Adam Greer from EZ Lift Garage Doors. They delve into the evolution of garage doors - from durable but simple structures to sophisticated modern designs equipped with advanced technology.

Joking about his childhood antics with garage doors, Joe shifts the conversation to a serious question - the relevance of a 20-year-old garage door opener in today's era. Adam highlights the regulatory and safety challenges of these old models. He mentions a critical factor - safety sensors, which started being a requirement approximately in 1994. If a garage door opener lacks these, it is out of code and needs updating.

Adam explains the dichotomy that old models, although built to last, lack the enhanced technology and safety features of their modern counterparts. He provides an example of sounds, noting that older openers may work like a horse but also sound like one! He stresses the need for replacing old garage door openers not just due to imminent break down risks, but also to upgrade to the modern conveniences and increased value that new ones offer.

Drawing attention to the technological advancements like cameras, wi-fi, and innovative products like MyQ, the duo convey how modern garage door openers provide additional security and convenience. They enable homeowners to monitor their garages even from remote locations, with notifications and video feeds for any activity detected.

Emphasizing the role of such advanced openers in assuring safety and peace of mind, Adam emphasizes the importance of changing old openers at the right time. He assures users that professional help is readily available for interpreting and troubleshooting any problems using the detailed reports generated by modern openers.

Concluding the enlightening discussion, Joe thanks Adam and directs the audience to the show notes for additional information about EZ Lift Garage Doors. This conversation provides a valuable perspective on the need to upgrade to modern garage door openers - a small but significant step towards better security and convenience at home.

 

For more information about EZ Lift Garage Doors & More in Katy, Texas log on to www.ezohd.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com.

 

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Episode Transcript

(00:02):
Jim Klauck aka Check A Pro Joe here
on the Check A Pro Radio Show one of my favorite
subjects garage doors and one of my favorite people
in the world Adam Greer from EZ Lift Garage Doors
and more to talk about oh there you go how you doing my friend I'm good you
I am living the dream thank you very much you know when I was young I'm not

(00:26):
gonna say that I was a garage door opener abuser But if you were to see what
I did, you'd be like, that's not good.
And these garage doors were heavy, but they got about 80 pounds heavier because
little Jimmy, that's what I was called when I was a kid, would hang off the
garage door while my friend would press the button up and down.
And it was an amusement park.

(00:49):
Find those videos on YouTube all the time. And I don't even know if a garage
door opener is built the same.
But my question today is, is a 20-year garage door opener still something we
should be using or should we be replacing something that old? So...
Let's see 20 years that put us that puts us

(01:10):
right at the 94 mark that's when they started the safety
sensor issues um so if you're older than
20 years it's out of code so there's one simple thing look you don't have safety
sensors then we need to replace your opener and get you a dull modern thing
the problem is like it or not you used to build stuff the last 30 years back
then and so that's the argument be like well it still works and you're right,

(01:34):
it's out of code uh doesn't have any of the modern technology of wi-fi and all that kind of stuff.
So that's a it's one of those things that you
have to almost i don't want to say convince someone
but there is there is truth the technology
is worn out and it's old it could
be the last time it works the next time you push the button you're you're on

(01:57):
that kind of borrowed time and so yeah you can drive until it breaks then we'll
be out of here or we can just preempt all that get you into a modern quieter
the one thing about 20 year old openers they may still be working like a horse sound like a horse,
it's like a freight train so they're not quiet they weren't built to be quiet
back then they were built to move move the door and that's why they used to

(02:19):
take the kids and lift them up and down today that's pretty hard to do if it
lifts a kid off the floor it's actually because the forces are set incorrectly to,
uh, to not turn off, but you'll see it.
Like we talked about on YouTube, you can find those kids that all everyone's,
you know, reading cameras now catching their children, put it on the garage.

(02:39):
Uh, but yeah, the ultimate answer is yes, you should not because it's not working.
Not because, but it's just time.
Sometimes you just gotta know when to shoot the horse, but now that's a mystery,
you know, and, uh, but that's not always easy to do, especially,
especially old-timers. They're like, we're not still working.
We're just going to keep going.

(03:01):
Also they want to quit yeah but technology's
changed so much Adam with garage doors and garage door
openers uh products like myq which uh
you know uses wi-fi and has all kinds of technology i mean these garage
door openers they have cameras on them now and you can open and close them from
anywhere in the world and you can let the delivery guy in and and it it's like

(03:24):
anything else like our refrigerator's got technology in it and we can talk to
our house now and have it turn the TV on and turn the lights off.
So I would say for the little investment that it costs to put a new garage door
opener in, you're not just getting something that's safer and not going to break

(03:44):
tomorrow like your 20-year-old one,
but it also is going to bring you more value because it does so much. Yes.
Yeah. It's not just that you can open it for in the world, you can monitor it.
You're off on vacation, nobody should be at your house, the door opens, you get notified.
Your door just opens. So you can have, you can turn on the camera if you have the camera.

(04:05):
You have a neighbor that's on hold, hey, someone's in my garage,
go check it out. You can make that phone call.
The thing about cameras today on these openers, they're 360 video,
see everything, and it's two-way communication just like all the ring cameras on the front porch.
That's what the cameras are now in the openers, too. So if you're concerned

(04:28):
about security and safety, absolutely change out the opener when you get to the second.
They'll keep you confident and keep you at peace with your own house.
But if you're just worried about opening a door, yeah, I can't argue with you
that it's still working. But, okay.
Yeah, and, you know, maybe if you have some old...

(04:50):
Out building somewhere on acreage and, you know, you know, you're,
you know, 60 year old retiree and you don't really care, don't have kids or
grandkids and it's, it's fine.
But, uh, when it comes down to safety and technology, you know,
most of us who live in the suburbs, and by the way, I don't anymore,
but I'm, Hey, I'm kind of like that old guy out in the country. Right.

(05:14):
And, And but my next garage door opener is going to be one that has technology
where I will know what's going on,
even though in my environment, it's not as critical, Adam, as you know,
because neighbors can't even drive my, you know, by my garage because I'm out
in the middle of nowhere.

(05:35):
But I still like to know, did I leave it open or why did it open?
Yeah. Let me see what's going on. how did
that raccoon press the button right well and
and even that technology that uh they'll be
codes if it's a malfunction whether it's to these modern uh owners is it'll

(05:57):
tell you what it is that happened what caused it to reverse what caused it open
so there's a lot of troubleshooting that now can be done because of all this
and you can have automatically if it's lift master,
We're a registered LiftMaster opener company.
We'll just get notifications from the customer. All we have to do is send what just happened.

(06:18):
They got the report on the app. You send it. It comes to us and we know exactly
what the codes are and what's what we need to get there.
From a piece of buying standpoint, go for that. Get it in a little update. It pays for it.
It's the way to go. Adam, as always, thank you for joining me here on Checker
Pro Radio and And for all of you who are listening and watching on video,

(06:42):
all of Adam's information is located in the show notes.
One click away, you can get everything you need for your garage door.
Thank you so much, my friend. Thank you.