Tell me about garage door openers

fruitbat

fruitbat

Joined
Dec 17, 2003
Messages
1,275
Just got a new house with a garage, but no opener. So now I'm in the market for one, but I really don't know what I'm looking for. What are some of the things to consider when looking for a garage door opener.
Screw vs chain drive?
Speed?
HP?
Which brand names are good and which are junk.


PS. I haven't posted in a while, feels good to get back in the swing of things.
 
Got one about 10 years ago @ Home Depot. It was a Stanley. The screw drive is quieter then the chain drive. If under a bedroom you might opt for the screw type. Never had a problem with my chain drive , which cost less, in all the years I have had it. Lube it on occasion and that's about it. Was able to program off of a button in my car visor so didn't have to carry the relay in the car. I should have got the pad that mounts outside the garage. This way I could open when in the yard. My garage is detached from the house. Speed is not important as I find that I have enough time hitting the button a couple hundred feet from the driveway and it is open by the time I pull in. Larger HP would be needed for double door I guess due to the weight. Old wood doors weigh more then the newer metal ones. Put mine in in an afternoon. I purchased the Stanley because the salesperson said he had fewer returns then the others. That was 10 years ago. It has stood up well. Best of luck.
Ron
 
bought a chamberlain a few years ago-good unit for the money -and the box said-MADE IN THE USA
 
I just installed one last Saturday. It was a Chamberlain 3/4 hp chain drive. I have to say,that for a chain drive, the thing is whisper quiet. I helped my dad install a Genie opener when I was 10...I'm 33 now and it still works. Good luck on your decision. -Matt-
 
Good timing for this thread FB, thanks!!! :)
We're having a new garage door put in, well, we're supposedly gonna have it put in if the outfit Home Dorkpot :barf: uses ever gets off their butt and gets the door over here and installs it! :grumpy: I'll never order anything Home Dorkpot again, sheesh! :eek: Anyway, I'll be putting in an opener soon after the door is up and the info in this thread is most helpful!!! :cool: Thanks guys!! :D
 
Thanks for the replies. Always lot of good info here.
Anyone ever try the openers that Sears sells?
 
I've had the 3/4 hp Sears opener for 4 years now. Seems to be working out fine. My neighbor has the same one and it works great.
 
My opener is a low-end Sears chain-drive product. It's been up there for years without any issues.

However, the door on my garage is single-layer pressed metal with no windows and therefore it weighs almost nothing. You can easily toss it open manually with one hand.

So it's not really putting a whole lot of load on the opener.
 
Make sure it has an auto-reverse feature so if it comes down on a child it will reverse and go back up. This may be a standard feature - I'm not sure - just make sure it has it.
 
I must behind the times or cheap.:D

And maybe both.:D

I still open and close them by hand.

And the one is 18 feet across.
 
rosconey2 said:
bought a chamberlain a few years ago-good unit for the money -and the box said-MADE IN THE USA
Click to expand...
Chamberlain makes the best opener in the biz: Liftmaster.

When I worked for a Garage Door company, I installed them years ago. You can buy cheaper, but you can't buy better. Quiet and reliable. My boss wouldn't install anything but.

We just replaced an old Stanley with one of these. Perfect operation.

Coop
 
fruitbat said:
Thanks for the replies. Always lot of good info here.
Anyone ever try the openers that Sears sells?
Click to expand...

I have installed three Sears openers for friends over the years, my parents had one for 20+ years and my current house has one that must be at least 20 years old. All five still function perfectly. The best thing about the Sears models is that there always seems to be one on sale. They are also quite easy to install. I would certainly recommend Sears.
 
SharpByCoop said:
Chamberlain makes the best opener in the biz: Liftmaster.
Click to expand...

Word! I'll second the nomination for Liftmaster.

Make sure the obstruction sensors are installed per spec. I had to have the guys come out and re-do them (the sensors were too high.) They told me "You could have done them yourself." (They just mount to the track of the roll up door.) I said "You bet I could have. But I paid YOU to do it."
 
Make sure the door is balanced. Puts less strain on the motor. My manual wants the door to stay in a certain open postion w/o falling shut.
 
gbaker said:
Make sure the door is balanced. Puts less strain on the motor. My manual wants the door to stay in a certain open postion w/o falling shut.
Click to expand...

Right now mine is way out of balance. It won't stay up at all.
 
Genie Pro Max, sensors, pad, etc. Reliable, somewhat noisy but the range is not all that great. Power lines are on my side of the street and that seems to screw it up. My neighbor can hit his remote about twice as far away as I can because the power lines are not on his side of the street.



Don't know about installation, I helped support some fsu fan by having him install it. :):thumbup:

The garage door itself is a light weight metal double door with no windows on it.
 
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