Garage Door Opener
 

How long should one last? I currently have a Genie Screw Drive that is 15 to 17 years old.

The board burned out so I'm looking for a new one. What do you guys recommend? Chain or Screw, Brand.

It's a 2 car garage door it has to open.

I had a chain last 5 years at the last house, was working fine as I moved. I have a belt drive going on 3+ years at the new house, still working. Just installed a screw drive for my sis in law at their new house, going on a month. :) They all work well and I have yet to burn one out. The screw drive was pretty quiet and I know my belt drive would be too if the damn door wasn't so noisy by itself.

We use I-drives on all of the houses we build. A bit more money but able to lift heavier doors and much quieter.

http://www.wayne-dalton.com/DirectDrive.asp

There are other brands, but this will give you the idea. It also gets rid of the opener in the center of the garage ceiling. Might not be an option if you don't have power close by to run it though. You can also get them with an auto lock function that throws a steel rod through the track every time the door closes. That makes it almost impossible to pry the door up to break in.

I've got a 1/2HP Lift Master that is 14 years old. Chaindrive. It survived a spring failure, but I did have to replace an internal nylon gear later. I've gotten my monies worth but have no plan to replace it.

Buy a chamberlin, they sell under a few different names such as craftsman and liftmaster. The only differance is the liftmaster uses a one piece rail all the others have several lengths you have to add togethor. The 3280 liftmaster is best bang for the buck. You should be able to pick one up wholesale from a distubutor for about $170, its quiet and well last forever. They have nylon gears just like the chain drives and its the only thing that ever wears out! The gear runs about $15 when you need to replace it! The 3850 is the same basic system except its 3/4hp instead of 1/2 but it has a built in batterry so when the power goes out your door still operates like normal and it only runs about $20 more! If you want to get real fancy my favorite is the jack shaft 3800 it runs about $300 but its super cool. No more ugly rails and its quiet too! It also has a remote deadbolt that automatically locks the garage when it shuts. I would avoid the chain or screw systems as they require lube and mantainance. The belt and jack shaft sytems are mantainance free! P.S. Stay away from the wayne dalton i-drive. When they work the're cool but when they break its a throw out as parts and labor to fix are through the roof. When we come across broken daltons we toss them out and through liftmasters in!

Funny, I just installed a Genie belt drive in the last 2 evenings. I've installed a few of them, and all seem about the same amount of trouble to install. Can't believe how quiet this is compared to the ones I've had in the past. It's worked great for the 10 or so times I've run it so far. :)

Mine just stopped working after less than two years. It makes a sound like it's jammed. Any ideas?
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I want to know the manufacturer of that garage door. Kind of funny the door is still standing while the structure failed.

Dave, a little duct tape and some elbow grease should fix that baby right up.

If its 15 years old I would say you definately got a usefull life out of it. Time to start shopping for a new one if it was me. 10 years was ll we got out of the one at my parents house, but the one right beside it that was installed at the same time is still going strong and is in year 15.

"G" put one of those awesome garage door openers at his lake house that mounts next to the door. I am not sure what they are called, but that thing is strong and quiet. Might be an option to explore. It has some additional security features that I really liked.

Anybody notice that there are no stud walls in the garage above? Wow! The strongest frame was the garage door track and wood framing around the door.

Chamberlain 3/4-HP Whisper Drive Plus Evercharge Standby Garage Access System

Is what I think I'm going to go with for $248 at Lowe's. I get 3 openers and a wireless opener.

i bought my Chamberlain from Costco and love it. super quiet and a breeze to install. I've done 3 of them since mine (for friends and family) and they've had no complaints either.

I have a belt driven garage door opener. So quiet you can barely hear it.

I wish all cars had a button on the dash that captured your gate/G door opener so You didn't have those ugly things clipped to your visor. Not too much to ask, surely?

Face Planter, the opener your looking at is the same exact opener as the Liftmaster 3850 except it has a three piece rail instead of a soliod rail. They have to do that so all the DIY'rs cxan fit them in there trunk. I call your local garage door dist. up there you could probably get the 3850 same exact unit just stronger rail for a few bucks less. Just remember wholesale on the unit is $189 out here in Cali so I'm sure you can get it for less then the $248 at Lowes.

Know this is an old thread, but I just got a new opener today. Got a Sommer brand opener that the guy said was the best of the best and silent..Got installed today, and this stupid thing is INSANE!!! 1 moving part, and the head is not even on the track part. Its mounted on the wall. Its just a controll unit with lights. There is one moving part. Lifetime warranty on everything and yes, its in writing. Made in germany. As far as quiet. All you can hear is the door sliding in its track,, which is as silent as it gets as we got a new fully insulated door and eurothane ball bearing wheels. Makes my neighbors dalton sound loud. Serously, the only sound sounds like a piece of paper being slid on the floor. Im impressed.