DDD Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 My garage door opener needs to be replaced. I have the choice of a belt drive which is supposed to be quieter or a chain drive which to me seems like it would last longer. I also don't know if I should go with a Craftsman or Chamberlin. Anyone have any advice here??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 My garage door opener needs to be replaced. I have the choice of a belt drive which is supposed to be quieter or a chain drive which to me seems like it would last longer. I also don't know if I should go with a Craftsman or Chamberlin. Anyone have any advice here??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 (edited) Just did mine a month ago. Craftsman IS Chamberlain... Same exact thing. I went with the 3/4 hp belt with battery back-up... Snap install from my old 1/2 hp Craftsman (early 1990's, had spent nylon gears and bad bearing). BEST THING EVER.. Super quiet. There are some quirks with installation even know it was a snap... That is why you see negative issues sometimes... Just take your time and follow directions. Old sensor brackets I had to modify.. Seems the new ones will bolt up directly, but the LED is orientated on the other side. A bit slower than chain... But makes up in quietness! What kinda opener do you have now? I can fill you in as it goes. The new control panel (wall button) is nice, but kinda flimsy... Getting some neg reviews because if you are not careful pulling off the push bar (to access the mounting hole) you can break the plastic... I actually ordered two extra push bars for the wall unit anticipating this problem and Sears sent me out TWO WHOLE NEW CHAMBERLAIN WALL MODULES... All for under 20 bucks! I can talk so much about this.. I don't know how much you need... Let me know... Like I said Craftsman is made by Chamberlain and LiftMaster is also Chamberlain... LiftMaster is just installed by professional door companies. Oh... That new door monitor works... But is quirky... It has to be mounted better/slight different than the directions say. Anything else? :nana: I just pump you right? :nana: Oh... Belt is actually steel inside... Kinda like a really long and thin timing belt. Timing belts usually last for 100,000+ miles. I would say belt is just as good as chain. Edited March 9, 2011 by ExiledInIllinois Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
\GoBillsInDallas/ Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 The brother of one of my friends installs and maintains commercial garage doors for a living. He installed the new door at my house two years ago. His opinion for home doors is, if you only use the door 2 times a day, any generic door system will work fine. You just need to lubricate the springs twice a year (WD 40). He says that all doors will eventually have a component failure after 7-8 years, and the cost to replace the broken component will be 75% of the the price of installing a brand new system, so you end up installing a new system anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 When I saw the title "Garage Door Openers Help" I immediately assumed that this post was about wives. Mine is a great help in opening the garage door. I motor up the drive, beep the horn and she runs outside to open the garage door. Works beautifully. I guess I've got the low tech version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 When I saw the title "Garage Door Openers Help" I immediately assumed that this post was about wives. Mine is a great help in opening the garage door. I motor up the drive, beep the horn and she runs outside to open the garage door. Works beautifully. I guess I've got the low tech version. Then you wake up from the dream ..... realize that it sucks because it is cold and raining outside ... then you get wet opening the garage door for her .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BUFFALOTONE Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Then you wake up from the dream ..... realize that it sucks because it is cold and raining outside ... then you get wet opening the garage door for her .... Side note/question: I just bought a house and it has the automatic garage opener minus the friggin remote. It is made by Genie, someone told me I could get a universal remote to open the door at Home Depot. Anyone ever try this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
\GoBillsInDallas/ Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Side note/question: I just bought a house and it has the automatic garage opener minus the friggin remote. It is made by Genie, someone told me I could get a universal remote to open the door at Home Depot. Anyone ever try this? Very easy - $25 at Home Depot or Lowes, follow the directions and it will be working in 30 seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Side note/question: I just bought a house and it has the automatic garage opener minus the friggin remote. It is made by Genie, someone told me I could get a universal remote to open the door at Home Depot. Anyone ever try this? I don't know if Homless Depot sells them but they are available online Genie replacement parts. You will need to note the age of the unit as newer (last 5 years or so) have a different method of coding or synching with the remote. Good news there is new remotes will work on old doors but not visa versa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdog1960 Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 recently bought the 3/4 hp chamberlain chain drive to replace a 25yo genie. it's plenty quiet for us and is a marked improvement. looks well built. was about $165 at lowes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erynthered Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I had one replaced a few years ago. It was a Genie. After a little bit of research I found out it had a life time warrenty on it. So I contacted Genie told them what I had. They then sent a contractor out to my house with a brand new one with a life time warrenty. Installed free!! All for free. "Winning" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drifter Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I have a Liftmaster DC Motor belt drive w/ battery backup. It's been 5 years since installation and have had no problems with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BUFFALOTONE Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I don't know if Homless Depot sells them but they are available online Genie replacement parts. You will need to note the age of the unit as newer (last 5 years or so) have a different method of coding or synching with the remote. Good news there is new remotes will work on old doors but not visa versa. Thanks, I will give it a whirl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDD Posted March 9, 2011 Author Share Posted March 9, 2011 (edited) Just did mine a month ago. Craftsman IS Chamberlain... Same exact thing. I went with the 3/4 hp belt with battery back-up... Snap install from my old 1/2 hp Craftsman (early 1990's, had spent nylon gears and bad bearing). BEST THING EVER.. Super quiet. There are some quirks with installation even know it was a snap... That is why you see negative issues sometimes... Just take your time and follow directions. Old sensor brackets I had to modify.. Seems the new ones will bolt up directly, but the LED is orientated on the other side. A bit slower than chain... But makes up in quietness! What kinda opener do you have now? I can fill you in as it goes. The new control panel (wall button) is nice, but kinda flimsy... Getting some neg reviews because if you are not careful pulling off the push bar (to access the mounting hole) you can break the plastic... I actually ordered two extra push bars for the wall unit anticipating this problem and Sears sent me out TWO WHOLE NEW CHAMBERLAIN WALL MODULES... All for under 20 bucks! I can talk so much about this.. I don't know how much you need... Let me know... Like I said Craftsman is made by Chamberlain and LiftMaster is also Chamberlain... LiftMaster is just installed by professional door companies. Oh... That new door monitor works... But is quirky... It has to be mounted better/slight different than the directions say. Anything else? :nana: I just pump you right? :nana: Oh... Belt is actually steel inside... Kinda like a really long and thin timing belt. Timing belts usually last for 100,000+ miles. I would say belt is just as good as chain. Outstanding! I'm going to leave the installation to the professionals though. Sears charges $120 to install which is money well spent in my opinion. I don't mind the noise of the chain if there's less of a chance of it needing to be replaced. Seems to me a belt will be more likely to need to be replaced in time especially with changes in temperature cause cracks in the rubber. The Craftsman unit also has a motion sensor that turns on/off light automatically in addition to a keyless entry pad that sounds cool. Do you have and like these features? Here's another kicker. Craftsman gives a five year warranty on the parts (motor is lifetime) while the Liftmaster installed by a private door company (that charges $90 more) also gives 5 years on parts (motor also lifetime) but the belt is warrantied for life. Do you know if these belts go bad in time. And lastly, the reason I need to replace my current unit is because the plastic gear is stripped and no longer made. Do you think the belts are here to stay or just a trend that will be hard to replace in the future if they are no longer made? Tough questions but I do appreciate any guidance you may provide. Edited March 9, 2011 by Mr. Wonderful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 The brother of one of my friends installs and maintains commercial garage doors for a living. He installed the new door at my house two years ago. His opinion for home doors is, if you only use the door 2 times a day, any generic door system will work fine. You just need to lubricate the springs twice a year (WD 40). He says that all doors will eventually have a component failure after 7-8 years, and the cost to replace the broken component will be 75% of the the price of installing a brand new system, so you end up installing a new system anyway. Wow... I live in a small 1500 square foot house with an attached garage... We use the garage door like a front door... Open and close it on average about 20 times a day... Sometimes more, sometimes less. The house was built in 1995 and I installed a 1/2 HP chain drive Craftsman when the house was first built... It just went out this December after almost 16 years to the day. I never had a problem with it till know. I think the real problem today is the sensors/electronics and logic board... My old 1/2 HP was still fairly modern and had the electronics... Also had the nylon gears which I could have replaced for 39 bucks at Sears (new system was 250). I figured what the hell am I gonna put a new gear set on a 16 year old unit. The guys at Sears said his Craftsman is still going after almost 40 years! Yet, when he bought the house the old owner couldn't sell the house with the old opener... Had to take it down. The new owner put it right back up again. With the old units... What is to go wrong?... It is just a chain and motor on a track... No sensors and other BS... Same with our door at work... That thing is going on 40 years too!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 (edited) Outstanding! I'm going to leave the installation to the professionals though. Sears charges $120 to install which is money well spent in my opinion. I don't mind the noise of the chain if there's less of a chance of it needing to be replaced. Seems to me a belt will be more likely to need to be replaced in time especially with changes in temperature cause cracks in the rubber. The Craftsman unit also has a motion sensor that turns on/off light automatically in addition to a keyless entry pad that sounds cool. Do you have and like these features? Here's another kicker. Craftsman gives a five year warranty on the parts (motor is lifetime) while the Liftmaster installed by a private door company (that charges $90 more) also gives 5 years on parts (motor also lifetime) but the belt is warrantied for life. Do you know if these belts go bad in time. And lastly, the reason I need to replace my current unit is because the plastic gear is stripped and no longer made. Do you think the belts are here to stay or just a trend that will be hard to replace in the future if they are no longer made? Tough questions but I do appreciate any guidance you may provide. I like the motion feature... My new unit has that... Open the access door from the house and the light goes on... Walk in to the open garage from the outside and it goes on too... Goes off in 4.5 minutes with no motion... Can set different increments less than 4.5... You can defeat the motion if you are working in the area. The palstic gear sets I think are made... I seen them for 39 bucks... How old is your unit?... My other one was from the mid 1990's. Yet.. I would get a whole new one. You can install the unit in a snap... Sometimes better than the professional... Let me put that... MOST of the time... They don't seem to want to take the time and care... After all, time is money. The way I installed mine... I know I did a better job! IT IS REALLY NOT THAT HARD... Especially replacing an old unit... Everything meshes up and you use the old header bracket... If it is wider, they give you a spacer adapter on the pin... It is just a few pins up front and an few blots near the rear brackets... A 6 foot step ladde is all you need... Rest the motor on the paint shelf... I did my whole install myself... Both times. A first time install is a little more time consuming with all the measurments and stuff. A replacement unit again, just pins and bolts up! I saved spare parts off the old unit too... Like pull cord, door arm, and a few other common parts. On warranty.. I noticed that the Craftsman offer slightly less than the Chamberlains and LiftMaster when it comes to the belt drive... Only 10 years on the DC motor. A battery back-up unit has a DC motor and transformer when running under normal AC power... The DC motor is also what makes the unit quieter... YET... I like Sears and can get parts close and easily... Also, they make it easy for the DiYer.. With everything laid our with schematics and part numbers. My install was a bit overkill... With the original one I installed conduit and ran all the sensor wires in that. This time I installed a new surge protector with sensor protection also: Garage Door Surge Protector Also... The belt drive is the only one with battery back-up... It works well... The only reason I did that was for the wife... I don't think even after all these years she knows what the red handle/trolley disconnect is for! :wallbash: Me? If I lived alone... I wouldn't even have an opener!... Heck the last two months during the cold snap... I was in manual mode till I decided which GDO model I wanted ! Like I said... Timing chains in a car used to be CHAINS... Now they are mostly belts. The belt drive is almost the same steel re-enforced type of belt. I think the chain is sloppier and needs more maint. Notice how the chain sags (as it should before start up). The belt stays tight to the trolley with a spring nut assembly. I guess I will see. I don't mind getting at least 10 years considering how much we use it a day. Like I said... My garage is attached and I come and go at all hours... I don't like waking up the neighbors or my house... Which with the old chain I surely was! Good luck... I hope this all helps! These things really don't need any special skill to install... Now with the door torsion springs... I don't take any chances and call the door guy in. When I saw the title "Garage Door Openers Help" I immediately assumed that this post was about wives. Mine is a great help in opening the garage door. I motor up the drive, beep the horn and she runs outside to open the garage door. Works beautifully. I guess I've got the low tech version. Mine was even lower tech... I just punch my 12 year old boy next to me! Yet... He gave me a strange look... Like, I am not going to run out in the rain! Jeeeze! Kids today! :wallbash: I had one replaced a few years ago. It was a Genie. After a little bit of research I found out it had a life time warrenty on it. So I contacted Genie told them what I had. They then sent a contractor out to my house with a brand new one with a life time warrenty. Installed free!! All for free. "Winning" I do that with my sump pump... I have two in stand by! They even have a new on the door step Fedexed in a day! I have a Liftmaster DC Motor belt drive w/ battery backup. It's been 5 years since installation and have had no problems with it. That is the same unit as the Craftsman and Chamberlain... Except the LiftMaster name is only for professional installers... I think they give you a better warranty... But at the start you pay a little more for that. I am not sure... But I think the LiftMaster rails may be all one piece??... Since it is done by an installer... They can transport the whole thing usually in a truck... Not like the DiY'er that get s the product in a nice small box/crate. ?? Edited March 10, 2011 by ExiledInIllinois Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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