Advantages
1. Security – an automatic garage door commonly have plenty of security features including rolling lock codes. A sophisticated lock is required to prevent thieves or intruders from entering your house easily. The codes to open the door are continuously changing from thousands of possible combinations. If your door has a keypad panel to enter the code, you can change the code manually yet frequently to minimize the risk of burglary as well.
2. Style Options – automatic garage door has a wide variety of options when it comes to style. As a matter of fact, you can even choose the materials and the opening/closing mechanism. Some popular materials include steel, wood composite, aluminum, and even glass. The old-fashioned carriage-style opening is still available, although the fold-open one is actually more common these days. Regardless of your house design, there is always an automatic garage door style that complements the appearance.
3. Safety – one of the most important reasons that you have to install an automatic garage door is the safety features it has such as reversing mechanism and photo eye sensors. The door can automatically reverse back to a fully open position in case something blocks its closing movement. If your pet often runs all over the places, such mechanism helps to prevent fatal accident which may kill the pet.
4. Convenient – most automatic garage doors come with remote controls, meaning you can open/close it without even having to stand near the door panel. You don’t have to get out of your car after a tiring day at work and manually press the wall button only to open the garage door.
Disadvantages
1. Electric problems – almost all mechanisms equipped in an automatic garage door is electric-powered. During power outage, the garage door becomes almost practically useless unless you have a power generator connected to it. With no electricity, most features will not work so you need to find another way to open/close it.
2. Remote problems – a remote control should make everything easier when it is not broken or lost. Of course you can still use the wall button, but operating the door will not be as convenient as when you are using the remote. The biggest problem is that some remotes can only be replaced by the manufacturers that make the doors.
3. Maintenance – to make sure that every mechanical and electrical part is working properly, a regular maintenance is required. In some cases, you even have to call a professional to check for damages in an automatic door. A traditional door may not need frequent inspection simply because it does not have any sophisticated security and safety features.
4. Cost – it is an easy guess that an automatic garage door is more expensive compared to its traditional counterpart. When the door is damaged or some parts are broken, the cost for repair is predictably more costly as well.