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Anyone ever replace a garage door opener?
DrewKaree:
Just some guy's opinion I found on the net, but at least a breakdown of what's what. He also had a belt drive fail on him more than several times, after which Sears finally gave him a refund and he purchased a screw-drive opener, so take that into account with his closing statement.
--- Quote ---There are basically three types of garage door openers. Belt drive, chain drive and screw drive.
Belt drives used to be hands down the most quiet to operate. Belt drives major advantage was their quiet operation.The downside, which is significant, is the belts wear out and can twist leading to failure and motor damage.That will mean service calls and delays and having to open your garage door manually until a service person arrives.
Chain drives usually make the most noise. They seem to have become much less popular in recent years and some companies have no chain models. The chains wear out like the belts so they are more maintenance prone than screw drives. The noise is just too much for most people with chains drives so they seem to be disappearing from the market.
Screw drives have solid steel screw for strength and security. They work the best of all the drives in very cold climates when temperatures fall below zero. There usually is direct drive for longer life and greater reliability with screw drives. Plus there are no gears, chains or belts to wear out. They can be almost or more quiet than belt drives if the liner is polymer eliminating metal to metal contact.
In my mind, screw drives from good reliable companies are without a doubt the best choice for most consumers. Many people have owned them 20 years and longer without a single service call using them 3-7 times a day.
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JackTucky:
I think mine are craftsman. I think they are top of the line. One even has a battery backup. :cheers:
-J
fredster:
I've replaced one and put two up.
1) Make sure you have everything braced well to studs on the ceiling. Do whatever it takes to do that.
2) Follow the directions in the setup to the letter. Everything measured and marked. Use tape and a sharpie. Have all your tools ready.
3) Make sure the track is straight to the door. Exactly perpendicular to the door by using a square. This is critical. If you are replacing the track, you can get it off a couple of inches and it will pull the door off the frame if you aren't carefull.
4) Test the saftey features of the door and set the power levels as low as you can.
J_K_M_A_N:
I couldn't wait until Saturday. I put it in when I got home today. It took about 2-1/2 hours. I could do it again in much less now that I know more about it. If you ever need to put one in, it is a piece of cake. It is much quieter than the old one for sure. I also like the keyless entry. Nice feature.
Thanks for the help guys.
J_K_M_A_N
Hockeyboy:
Congrats to you on replacing that in such a short amount of time. I believe you got the exact same model I did for my brand-new house.
For those attempting to do this in the future, if you buy at a store be sure to ASK about any extra hardware that will be needed for the installation. I got mine at Home Depot on a sale and the guy told me exactly what I needed extra to mount this sucker. Boy was I glad I listened to him because Chamberlain did NOT include all the hardware you need to install their opener. According to the Home Depot guy, NO manufacturer includes all the extra metal braces and nuts/bolts you will need to hang it from your ceiling and install it over your garage door. You'll also need a small piece of 2x4 to nail between studs.
Having said that, it was actually quite straightforward and the instructions were quite easy to follow and I want to do this again on the smaller door (my house has a 3-car garage) with the same model.