Author Topic: Anyone ever replace a garage door opener? (Read 2807 times)

J_K_M_A_N · « **on:** October 24, 2006, 08:49:17 pm »

Is it hard? Any tricks or things to watch out for? I need to put in a new one this weekend. The door and spring are just fine, I just need a new opener. I am going to get a wisper quiet one. Belt drive. Just wondering if anyone has any words of wisdom.

J_K_M_A_N

Hoopz · « **Reply #1 on:** October 24, 2006, 09:39:45 pm »

Try and make sure that the new one connects to the door the same way the old one does. I replaced one that was about 35 years old with a new one and that was the only difficult part.

Buddabing · « **Reply #2 on:** October 25, 2006, 09:18:24 am »

IMO you should pay for installation, get the job done right the first time.

brian23 · « **Reply #3 on:** October 25, 2006, 09:44:05 am »

I concur with Buddabing. Garage door installation is a pain because you have to line it up just right. Find a Joe Schmoe person to do it at wholesale.

J_K_M_A_N · « **Reply #4 on:** October 25, 2006, 11:40:05 am »

I am not installing a garage door. Just REPLACING the opener. I don't want to take heat like CT on this so I am going to give it a shot. I was just wondering if anyone had done this and had any tips. From reading online, replacing isn't too bad at all. We will see I guess.

J_K_M_A_N

Hoopz · « **Reply #5 on:** October 25, 2006, 02:38:45 pm »

I put a new opener up in my first house. Took more than a few hours....

I replaced one a year or two ago. It took about 90 minutes or so and was fairly easy to do. The instructions are fairly clear. Just follow them in order.

boykster · « **Reply #6 on:** October 25, 2006, 03:05:27 pm »

Do your homework ahead of time too:

How it mounts to the door (swing arm, etc)
How far is the setback for the opener (teh belt drive we have had a longer throw than the chain one it replaced)
etc

I LOVE the whisper belt drive one that we have (dont' remember brand) its super quiet. Its been years since I replaced an opener (had this one installed with a new garage door) but its not that complicated of a project.

J_K_M_A_N · « **Reply #7 on:** October 25, 2006, 03:43:55 pm »

Quote from: boykster on October 25, 2006, 03:05:27 pm

How far is the setback for the opener (the belt drive we have had a longer throw than the chain one it replaced)
etc

Good point! I wouldn't have thought of that. I hope it doesn't need to be moved. I don't want to peel off the insulation if I don't have to. Thanks.

J_K_M_A_N

ChadTower · « **Reply #8 on:** October 25, 2006, 03:45:35 pm »

Peeling back insulation sucks. I had to rip down and toss a bunch of it after the water leak I had. Soaked, decades old pink insulation. Unpleasant.

J_K_M_A_N · « **Reply #9 on:** October 25, 2006, 04:50:43 pm »

Well, this is just the sheets that are about 1" thick but it is glued to the sheet rock and it sucks to peel off. It doesn't come easily.

J_K_M_A_N

DrewKaree · « **Reply #10 on:** October 25, 2006, 09:58:16 pm »

2 of 'em. Maybe someday I'll have a house of my own that requires one

Get a screw drive model if you can. Damn near unbreakable, plus almost universally, they're quiet. Not a big deal if your garage is detached though.

Lay out all the crap beforehand to make sure you have everything. The first one I ever did was missing several pieces that required removing and bringing the whole darn thing back to the store.

It's really not that hard. I think even Chad would give this a shot

JackTucky · « **Reply #11 on:** October 25, 2006, 10:19:42 pm »

Screw drives are louder.

My belt drives in my house are nice and quiet. Oh, and they have a motion sensor that turns on the light when you walk into the garage. That's the best feature.

Jacktucky "went from screw to belt when he bought a new house"

DrewKaree · « **Reply #12 on:** October 25, 2006, 11:05:42 pm »

Quote from: JackTucky on October 25, 2006, 10:19:42 pm

Screw drives are louder.

My belt drives in my house are nice and quiet. Oh, and they have a motion sensor that turns on the light when you walk into the garage. That's the best feature.

Jacktucky "went from screw to belt when he bought a new house"

What kind did you have? I didn't think either of the screw drives I've seen were loud at all compared to the one they had in there.

boykster · « **Reply #13 on:** October 26, 2006, 01:18:08 am »

The belt drive I have is uber quiet. The brand new door makes more noise as it goes up and down than the opener does.

ChadTower · « **Reply #14 on:** October 26, 2006, 09:21:22 am »

Quote from: DrewKaree on October 25, 2006, 09:58:16 pm

It's really not that hard. I think even Chad would give this a shot

I'm getting a lot better at stuff like this, actually.

menace · « **Reply #15 on:** October 26, 2006, 10:53:36 am »

Just installed a belt drive on saturday--so so quiet it makes me smile when i open the door

As far as installation goes--all i could have used that i didn't have was a second set of hands that can hold an opener attached to rail, long enough for you to get a ladder under it--other than that--follow the instructions--my installation was off by maybe 1/2" from left to right but there is at least that much slop in the connhection to the door (as designed) so it didn't make a big deal. If you are handy, this one is a straight forward install.

ErikRuud · « **Reply #16 on:** October 26, 2006, 12:05:34 pm »

I have done three garage door openers so far and one garage door.

I did two of them on my own, so my #1 tip is have second person to help.

The #2 tip is to make sure you attach the opener to a strong protion of the door. The skin of a steel door is NOT strong enough. I was just at friends house and the opener was attached to the inner stell skin of his door, and it had ripped right out.

J_K_M_A_N · « **Reply #17 on:** October 26, 2006, 12:08:14 pm »

Well, I bought the opener last night and I am going to put it in on Saturday. It looks very easy. This is the one I bought.

Quote from: menace on October 26, 2006, 10:53:36 am

As far as installation goes--all i could have used that i didn't have was a second set of hands that can hold an opener attached to rail, long enough for you to get a ladder under it--

In the pictures in the manual, it shows you leave the head on the ground and attach the rail, then lift the head into place. I am hoping that is correct. I won't have an extra set of hands either. It should still be easy enough though.

Quote from: ErikRuud on October 26, 2006, 12:05:34 pm

I have done three garage door openers so far and one garage door.

I did two of them on my own, so my #1 tip is have second person to help.

The #2 tip is to make sure you attach the opener to a strong portion of the door. The skin of a steel door is NOT strong enough. I was just at friends house and the opener was attached to the inner stell skin of his door, and it had ripped right out.

Well, I am replacing one and I just had the door replaced about 2 years ago by a pro so I am sure it is reinforced well enough. (I hope) There is a bracket on the door that looks sturdy so...

J_K_M_A_N

Hoopz · « **Reply #18 on:** October 26, 2006, 12:17:59 pm »

Quote from: J_K_M_A_N on October 26, 2006, 12:08:14 pm

Well, I bought the opener last night and I am going to put it in on Saturday. It looks very easy. This is the one I bought.

Quote from: menace on October 26, 2006, 10:53:36 am
As far as installation goes--all i could have used that i didn't have was a second set of hands that can hold an opener attached to rail, long enough for you to get a ladder under it--

In the pictures in the manual, it shows you leave the head on the ground and attach the rail, then lift the head into place. I am hoping that is correct. I won't have an extra set of hands either. It should still be easy enough though.

That's exactly it. And you are ahead of the game if you are reading the manual before you start.

menace · « **Reply #19 on:** October 26, 2006, 01:00:20 pm »

yup thats what my instructions said too--but a picture, and juggling a 20lb opener over your head and sliding a step ladder all at the same time are 2 different things

DrewKaree · « **Reply #20 on:** October 26, 2006, 02:49:27 pm »

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 · « **Reply #21 on:** October 26, 2006, 05:34:59 pm »

I think mine are craftsman. I think they are top of the line. One even has a battery backup.

-J

fredster · « **Reply #22 on:** October 26, 2006, 05:45:39 pm »

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 · « **Reply #23 on:** October 26, 2006, 09:27:21 pm »

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 · « **Reply #24 on:** November 02, 2006, 06:50:00 am »

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.

J_K_M_A_N · « **Reply #25 on:** November 02, 2006, 10:01:46 am »

I was replacing one so it already had all the angle iron hanging so it wasn't bad at all. Although, mine came with two small pieces of angle iron that I could have used if needed. That would be enough if you have two open joists above.

J_K_M_A_N


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