Frequently Asked Questions
Door Operators
What horsepower garage door opener do I need to lift my
door?
Before installing a garage door opener, you should ensure that
the door operates easily manually. The rule of thumb is that if a
ten year old child can lift the door with little or no effort,
the door is well balanced. If the door is hard to lift, you
should have a professional authorized dealer check the springs
and other hardware on the door before installing an opener.
Generally speaking, if you have a one car garage door and it
requires very little effort to lift manually, you can use a
quarter (1/4) horsepower garage door opener. If you have a two
car garage door, you can use either the one third (1/3) or one
half (1/2) horsepower garage door opener.
Remember that the easier it is to open the door manually, the
easier it will be for the garage door opener to open the door and
that means the longer your garage door opener will last.
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Which model is better, the chain drive, the belt drive or
the screw drive?
Each garage door opener has its advantages. The chain drive
and belt drive are good in all applications, and the screw drive
is best used on one piece doors that tilt rather than go up on a
track. The screw drive runs a little slower than the other two
garage door openers.
The belt drive is the quietest garage door opener and would be
recommended for garages that have a room above them.
The chain drive is the garage door opener that we have been
making the longest. All of our garage door openers are very
reliable and require virtually no maintenance.
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What height garage door will the operator open?
The way the garage door opener comes out of the box it will
open up to a 7 foot door. Our chain and belt drive garage door
openers can open up to 10 feet high with the proper extension
kit. We have a kit for an 8 foot door and we have a rail assembly
for 10 foot high doors. Both of these are optional equipment. Our
screw drive garage door opener can only be extended to open an 8
foot high door.
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How many remote controls come with your openers?
All models come with a minimum of one remote control and you can purchase as many additional
remote controls as you need.
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How long does it take to install a garage door opener?
Depending on your mechanical skills, it should take
approximately three to five hours.
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What is the overall length of your garage door opener?
The chain drive garage door openers for a 7 foot door with one
light are 124 inches long when fully assembled. For an 8 foot
door, add 12 inches, and for a 10 foot door, add 36 inches.
The belt drive garage door openers for a 7 foot door are 122
inches when fully assembled. Add 12 inches for an 8 foot or 36
inches for a 10 foot door.
The screw drive garage door openers for a 7 foot door are 120
1/2 inches. Add 12 inches for an 8 foot door. The screw drive
garage door opener cannot be extended more than 8 feet.
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How much room do I need above my door to install my garage
door opener?
Our chain and belt drive garage door openers require 2 inches
above the highest point of travel of your door. To measure this
you should open your door to its highest point of travel then
draw a straight line to the header above your door. From this
point measure up 2 inches. If you have this amount of space, our
garage door opener will work on your door.
Our screw drive garage door opener requires 3 inches above the
highest point of travel of your door. You should measure this the
same way as the chain or belt drive garage door openers.
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How do I test the reversing mechanism?
Most garage door openers being used today are equipped with an internal reversing mechanism that causes your door to reverse when the door contacts an obstruction.
For your safety, we recommend that you test this reversing feature every month as follows:
With the door open, place a two-by-four block of wood flat on the garage floor in the path of the descending door, at approximately the center of the door. Some recent research has indicated that using a full roll of paper towels provides a more appropriate test.
Push the control button to close the door.
If the door does not reverse when it hits the obstruction, have the opener repaired or replaced.
Ramirez Doors' trained technicians will know if the unit can be repaired. If it is replaced with a new opener, the new unit will include an additional reversing device: either a photo-electric eye or a sensing edge. These devices provide an additional measure of safety with your new opener and meet all required safety codes.