Manual Vs Automatic Garage Door Opener – Which One is Safer?

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Which One’s Safer: Manual Or Automatic Garage Door? 4 Vital Factors

In this cutting-edge technology age, where home appliances are lucidly subject to your voice command, having an automated garage door might sound like a standard option. After all, it can spare you a lot of pain.

However, the topic of our article is about having a comparative discussion between manual and automatic garage doors.

What do you think is safer for your house— a manual or automatic garage door?

Manual Vs Automatic Garage Door Opener Which One is Safer 1

We’ve made the job easier for you by bringing up four vital factors, so you can decide for yourself which one to go with.

Let’s slide onto those factors in the following.

1. Safety

Primarily, and most importantly let’s talk about safety. Here, we’ll share the safety functions and utilities of both automatic and manual garage doors.

  • Safety of Manual or Traditional Garage Door

As you already know, you can’t do much about upgrading the safety measure on your manual garage door except for getting a better lock system.

You may consider installing a heavy metal door, but that too has become child’s play for the thieves these days. To beat that risk, you may have to set up CC cameras to look out for a lookout of invaders.

  • Safety of Electronic or Automatic Garage Door

Installing an automatic door in your garage will save you time, strength, and precious objects. Not only does an automatic door consist of an advanced coding system to evade theft or unwanted invasion, but most of these garage doors have a sensory reverse function.

This enables the door to stop sliding down at sensing an object below it while reversing upward without crashing it in the very next second.

An electric garage door is a life-saver for people with back pain, shoulder pain, and knee pain as it requires little to no effort in rolling or drawing down or up. So, no injuries. Thanks to the innovation of garage door opener installation systems.

  • Verdict

The winner considering the safety factor is undoubtedly the electronic or automatic door due to its intuitive and fluid functions compared to the manual one.

2. Comfort & Convenience

  • Comfort in Using a Manual Garage Door

Not much to say about a manual garage door when it comes to using it comfortably. As we’ve shared before, manual doors are cumbersome to handle as it requires physical effort during using it, unlike smart garage door openers.

However, you can rest assured of one thing a manual door will last longer due to its zero dependence on computerized programs or electricity. If the material of your garage door is reliable, you’re well off for years more than automatic doors.

  • Convenience in Using an Automatic Garage Door

Any experienced house owner will say that an automatic garage door is a nice piece of good luck for them. It’s swift and smart while requiring minimum manual force or fuel.

Besides, you can be safe from bad weather like storms, heavy rains, blizzards, etc., as you don’t need to get out of the car to close the door again if you’re going out or returning home.

  • Verdict

The automatic garage door, again with a little skepticism. Yes, it’s faster, easier, and smarter, but it depends fully on electricity to run. And if one of its components breaks down, the whole system does. So, the final judgment is yours. 

3. Cost

  • Cost of a Manual Garage Door

If you want to go with a manual garage door, it may cost you around $500 to $2,200 depending on the material and design you’re going to apply. Adding insulation to your garage door will strengthen it more which may add up to the cost a bit.

  • Cost of an Automatic Garage Door

Considering the sophisticated function, mechanism, and convenience, an automatic garage door naturally costs much higher than a manual one. The cost of most electronic garage doors may start from as less as $1,300 and go up to $4,500.

  • Verdict

Clearly, the manual garage door wins in this phase against the automatic one. However, you have to understand that although a winner, the manual door can’t add the value of money like the automatic can do.

An electronic or automatic garage door is worth the price if you can afford it.

4. Maintenance & Care

  • Maintenance of a Manual Garage Door

A manual garage door requires maintenance that includes, a half-yearly inspection, door test, oiling sliding joints, surface cleaning, fixing the stuck wheel, etc. Most of these maintenance works are easy and cost-effective. 

  • Maintenance of an Automatic Garage Door

 Do you know what to do when an automatic garage door doesn’t close? Solving such problems is a part of the maintenance of an automatic garage door.

Lubricating the moving parts, checking the reverse sensory function, replacing the rollers, checking the cables, tightening the hardware, etc., are a few of those maintenance tasks.

Each of these care tasks is complex and takes more time than a manual garage door. And of course, these maintenance tasks are costlier too.

  • Verdict

 The manual one wins the rivalry again. The maintenance of a manual garage door is less expensive, easy to do, and less time-consuming than an automatic one.

Bottom Line

The final decision should lie with your consideration regarding whether manual or automatic garage doors are safer. It’s clear from our comparative discussion above that both manual and electronic garage doors have their own benefits and drawbacks.

Even so, the reliability weighs more on the automatic door’s side due to its smart and swift application. If manual garage doors are low maintenance, the automatic ones are higher yet efficient in safety and comfort.

Hence, the decision is yours. Which type of garage door do you want to go with— manual or automatic?

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