Garage door opens, especially automatic ones, make it easier to get you, your car, and yard equipment in and out of the garage with very little hassle. There are many brands and a couple of different styles to choose from when it comes to garage openers, but not all are the same. The construction of the home and the garage space has a great deal to do with either or not a traditional opener will work.
Some homes or garages with unique architecture require atypical overhead doors. In turn, these unusual doors will need special openings to make life easier. Below are some of the circumstances wherein homeowners may find that a jackshaft opener (a type of automatic garage door opener that is mounted on the wall rather than hung from the ceiling) is the best choice for them.
Vaulted / Cathedral Ceiling
If your garage has vaulted or cathedral ceilings, any garage door installer is going to have a difficult time putting in a traditional garage door, let alone an automated opener on a suspended track. it is more difficult to use a traditional overhead door opener. A jackshaft opener is ideal in these types of garages because its side-mounted location is, by default, much easier to reach for installation, repairs, or regular maintenance.
Extra Large Garage Door
Larger doors are quite heavy, which can lead to problems in terms of suspended support that traditional openings provide. The extra weight of an oversized door leads to extreme wear on the opener much more quickly than with a normal sized door. In order to install a more traditional machine that works well, the motor must be larger, which typically also means noisier. Since the motor is larger, it also takes a lot of energy to work every time you need to get in or out of the garage. That means a higher electric bill. A jackshaft opener operates at a different leverage point than traditional garage door doors and thus does not require as powerful of a motor in order to move large overhead doors. The smaller motor means less noise, and many home owners appreciate the quiet motor of a jackshaft opener in comparison to the energy-consuming roar of a traditional suspended automatic overhead door opener.
Small Garages and Storage Space
A small garage means limited space, and if you have any cars parked regularly in a small garage, just getting around your vehicles can be tricky - forget about storing anything in there! A traditional door opener takes a huge amount of space in the upper part of the garage, a space which can otherwise be used for stiking bikes, lawn equipment such as rakes and hoes, or other general garage paraphernalia. A jackshaft opener takes up virtually no space, as it is a much smaller wall unit, and is a perfect choice for any car port or narrow garage.
A jackshaft opener is great for any homeowner that has an atypical garage. It is powerful enough to work on any size door, works regardless of the height or shape of the garage ceiling, takes up little space and is much quighter than other openings. Jackshafts come with an option for a battery backup as well, so you'll never be locked out of your house if the power goes out.
