My garage was prewired for openers, after 8 years I thought I might make some use of the wires hanging here and there. What models are quiet and reliable? Do I want a chain drive or the worm screw type?

I live in Ohio and the cold weather is problematic on the screw type. Lasted 8 years, then had to replace. Cheaper to replace than fix. Used chain style.

we use belt. its very quiet and has been reliable

Wayne Dalton has an opener that mounts on the header above the door. Does not take up room on your ceiling. It turns the tube that the tube that the springs are mounted on.There is no chain or screw drive. I got mine at Lowe's

sears 3/4 hp model, chain drive, 2 remotes, indoor pad & outside key pad...... my mothers had her opener for 22 years (replaced plastic gear once) and still going, mine has been installed for 6 years, no service door so the 16 x 8 foot door is my way of entering from outside, it gets ALOT of use & no problems yet.... cost about $130-160.00 depending if you find the "sale" or not

My sears 1/2 hp has been working for 9 years without a hitch.

I've been happy with my Sears chain drive opener.

Genie "quiet drive" from Home Depot. 3 years old, quiet as the day we installed it. Much quieter than the 1/2 HP Craftsman our last house had. I think it was 300 installed.

I have the Wayne Dalton opener that mounts on the header above the garage door. It sits on the tube shaft and spins that. The motor is quieter than the door itself. I like it, have one on each of my doors.

I think the Wayne Dalton only works on their doors! I have two belt drive Overhead Door Co. units that are very quiet and have been operating well for eight years now.

Originally posted by dennis68:
Genie "quiet drive" from Home Depot. 3 years old, quiet as the day we installed it. Much quieter than the 1/2 HP Craftsman our last house had. I think it was 300 installed. My Sears 1/2 HP is very quiet also but heck I don't need to worry about the noise, the loudest opener couldn't be heard over the Chevelle's pipes anyway. smile.gif

Originally posted by dennis68:
Genie "quiet drive" from Home Depot. Three votes here for the Genie Quiet Drive 1/2 hp models. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Either get a belt drive or torsion bar drive if you want quiet. The torsion bar drive models are the ones that mount on the header above the door, very very quiet, but in my opinion haven't been around long enough to have proven long lasting quality, also the torsion drive units require wiring that probably isn't in your ceiling now so you would be doing some wiring. In my opinion you would be best served with a belt drive unit.
Jeff
Jeff

4 different Sears chain drives here.The one thats in the garage I have now looks to be at least 25 years old and works like a charm.Never any trouble with any of them!DONT buy a Stanley,buddy had one....P.O.S.

We've installed Allister (Allstar) since my Grandfather started the business in 1960. We still can get parts for those tody and still repair on them. About$350 installed. If you go the improvement store route I'd stick with Genie, reasonably priced($120-150 you install) easy to get parts. Craftsman tends to discontinue theirs about every 3-4 years. But they aren't too bad if you don't use it like a walk-in door.

I got a Clopay at home depot, it's worked great for about 4 years now.
Raynor is the king of garage doors, but very pricey.

Thanks for the replies, guess I have some choices.

Thought I'd jump start this thread because I'm looking for a new opener.

I installed a Wayne Dalton IDrive unit that mounts on the header last December. It worked pretty well for about 6 months, but then one day it wouldn't lift the door and kept blowing the fuse in the unit. I adjusted the torsion springs myself to get more lift in the door and that helped it for awhile, but after a couple of weeks, the unit wouldn't open or close the door without manual help. I think the motor just isn't powerful enough for the door. I called a local garage door repair service and was told that these units can be problematic - the door has to be balanced just perfectly or it won't work well. They would charge $98 to have their technician inspect the door. They charge and extra $20 just because it's an IDrive. My door is balanced as perfectly as it can be, no binding, well oiled, new springs a year ago and balanced by a "professional" (that's another story - a couple of months after he installed the new springs, my opener was fried! - he balanced the door alright), etc., and I've experimented with the spring tension to see if that would help, but it didn't. I've spoken to Wayne Dalton's customer service twice, but they haven't offered any useful help.
I bought the IDrive at Menards and they said they will take it back, so now I'm trying to decide which one to buy. I'm considering a Chamberlain 3/4 hp chain drive model.

Anyone have any more thoughts on garage door openers?

We've installed Allister (Allstar) since my Grandfather started the business in 1960. We still can get parts for those tody and still repair on them. About$350 installed. If you go the improvement store route I'd stick with Genie, reasonably priced($120-150 you install) easy to get parts. Craftsman tends to discontinue theirs about every 3-4 years. But they aren't too bad if you don't use it like a walk-in door.

i've been using my 16' x 8' garage door & Craftsman door opener like a walk in door for years now....... no problem........ my mothers was over 20 years old and used quite a bit, I'm happy with the Craftsman.

Sears units are all made by Chamberlain.
Try to stay away from gimicky pieces. Belt or Chain drive in a 1/2 horse big name (Genie (overhead door), Chamberlain, Raynor) and you will be fine.
Chamberlain has an operator with a DC drive and a battery back up for power outages 6-8 cycles $350-$400. I do doors for a living. The old designs have been around forever and are proven.

Dan

I've had a Stanley for bout 6 years now. Just last week the "electric eye beam" crapped out. Right now I can't close the door by the remote. Got one being delivered now for $50. If I wasn't selling the house, I think I'd just get a new Craftsman. Hope our new place has a decent one.

Thanks for the replies. I'll check out the Sears units. The opener I replaced with the IDrive was a Sears model and worked well until the torsion springs were changed for the first time. Then after about 6 months the plastic gears stripped inside the unit. Coincidence? I paid the same guy $150 to replace the two plastic gears, probably more than it would have cost me to replace the whole unit at the time, but it was the dead of winter and I just wanted it working again. The second time the springs were replaced, about 6 years later, the unit crapped out about 4 months after that. Coincidence? Called the guy back (different company from the first time around) and he claimed that he had adjusted the door fine and it wasn't his fault. Then he threatened to call the cops if I didn't pay him the $68 for the service call. After he left, I checked the balance of the door and when it was below 48" high it would fall on it's own and crash to the floor. Balanced indeed. :angry:
So with two bad experiences I now adjust the door myself.

Sorry for venting, and again, thanks for the replies.