How Does an Automatic Garage Door Opener Work?

Electric garage door openers were considered luxuries for decades after they first entered the market. Believe it or not, electric garage door openers have been around since the mid-1920s. While improvements have been made over the years to automatic garage door openers, the openers today function in a similar way as the original models.

Unless your automatic garage door opener has failed, you probably have not taken time to think about how the system functions. Contrary to popular belief among homeowners, the motor on a garage door opener does not do the heavy lifting of the door. Rather, the torsion spring is what really does the hard work. 

The motor is usually one-half horsepower, and it simply mounts to the ceiling and gets plugged into a 120 volt outlet (a typical outlet found in a home or garage). The motor, when turned on, allows for a system of pulleys and springs to work in tandem to raise and lower the door. 

When the garage door is in the closed position, the motor acts as a locking mechanism and does not allow for the door to open without a signal being sent to the opener. This signal is sent via a handheld garage door opener, a keypad mounted on the wall, or by a button located in the garage. 

Some garage doors are equipped with an overriding key that allows for the door to be opened manually in the event of a power outage, or opener failure. 



Because the motor, chain, springs, and pulleys need to work together in order for the door to function properly, it is important for homeowners to take preventative measures to ensure the proper functioning of the automatic garage door. The highly trained staff at Town & Country Door can assess your garage door and all of its components and make necessary changes to maximize the lifecycle of your garage door opener. Contact us today, and let us know how we can serve you!