New garage door opener?

tikkalover

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So, the opener I have now is an older Craftsmen (don't remember when I put it in) chain drive opener that still works but it seems like over the last 3 months the remotes in the cars are getting weak (8 out of 10 times, I almost need to be in the driveway for them to open the door) and yes I have replaced the battery on both of them. With that being said I am in the hunt for a new opener. What brand do you think is the best and would you get a chain or belt drive on the new one? Thanks.
 


Kickemup

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I like liftmaster operators the best. I prefer a chain drive but there are louder than a belt drive. I stay away from anything craftsman or box stores. If you have issues its easier to deal with a local business or liftmaster directly. Craftman operators are a off brand of liftmaster but they will not help you with trouble shooting if some goes wrong.
 

TFX 186

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Tikka,
I've had Sears door openers for years. Chain Drive. One of them finally crapped out and I replaced it with another Sears opener but went with the belt drive. No problems with it and it's at least 5 years old. When I have to replace the other ones, it will be belt drive. Smooth and quiet operation. If the door springs are set right, those openers should last years, and mine have. No more Sears store in Minot so not sure what brand I would go with now. Hope this helps.

Fish On!
 

Flannel

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Just put in a Chamberlain belt drive system on my two stall the other month and am happy. This unit even connects to home WiFi so I can open/close with my phone and set a schedule so it closes automatically at a certain time.
 

Up Y'oars

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New models also incorporate technology where you can open the door remotely x" so a delivery driver can slide the box inside and keep the porch pirates unemployed. Once slid inside you can close the door back up. They also store enough energy to open up even if the power goes out for a period of time.
 
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RANGER 1

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tikkalover, im not saying this is the same situation, but i have chamberlin openers on my doors, and last summer i changed my garage lights, all of them, door openers and inside/outside garage lights over to LED's. right after that our openers went to crap, like what you are talking about. after some research, i found out that LED lights put out some kind of frequency that screwed with our openers, giving us the same results as what you are having. i found out that the garage door opener companies make a "special light",NOT CHEAP, for the openers that should correct that problem. they are made for the door openers specifically, so if you have other LED lights in the garage that might be the problem. I'm just throwing this out cause I know what you are going through. I hope this helps. RANGER 1
 

Retired Educator

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They are more expensive, but if you have a torsion bar spring (most garage doors are built this way today instead of the spring on each side of the door). I'm a big fan of garage door openers that mount directly on the wall and turn the torsion bar (not sure of the actual name). This type of opener turns the torsion bar as opposed to pulling on the door. The ones I have seen and installed myself are so quiet and smooth. Whether you can use this type depends on the clearance height between the bar and the ceiling of your garage but the next time I need to buy an opener, this will be what buy.
 

BrokenBackJack

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I wanted the openers that Retired Teacher said about above. But being my doors are 10' tall and wider and heavier the guy said they haven't been standing up for the bigger doors. He said they have been working pretty well with the smaller doors but not the larger heavier doors so he recommended the belt drive and that is what we installed and they work well.

They have the WiFi app to open, close, check door to see if open or closed and so on.
Can set it to automatically close after X amount of minutes if you like. Just in case you forget it open and leave it will then close by itself. Did this in Bismarck but haven't set these up yet to close like that yet.

Forgot to add our openers are Lift Master. I also think we have a 5 year warranty on the opener when we registered them online.
 
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thriller1

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I am stuck in this dilemma as well. Both of my children graduated and moved out so I am also looking for options....

Please do not suggest the wife. That was my first go to that negated the bj steak night thing......
 
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dodgeguy

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That's what I have too. I really like the WiFi option plus you can set it to send u a notice every time it opens.if you think you forgot to to close it you can check on the app if it is.
 

johnr

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That Wi-Fi option sounds awesome. I installed a Wi-Fi thermostat this winter. Kicks ass being able to raise the temp 20 minutes prior to leaving work.
 

tikkalover

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Just installed the Chamberlin 3/4hp with the belt drive. Have it hooked up to Wi-Fi and so far it works great. The 1/2hp was $198 at Menards so I went with the 3/4hp because they were the same price at Home Depot.
 

SDMF

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Can a person still buy a screw-drive opener? I replaced our old chain drive with a screw-drive unit and I like it. Much quieter and no "herky-jerky".
 


tikkalover

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When I was looking, I don't remember seeing a screw-drive opener.
 

Paddledogger

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I just replaced one of my screw drive opener with Chamberlin chain drive. It started to act up this past winter not wanting to open or close when it was cold out. Had to keep spraying lube on it. Pain in the ass! This Chamberlin is a lot quieter and is smooth. I wish I could operate it by phone for deliveries. ��
 

Allen

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Those that are talking about the Torsion Bar stye openers are probably talking about the I-Drive series. They are OK even though they can be a pain to install and balance. One of the big negatives on them is that you should take the motor/gear assembly apart every couple years and grease the screw. Other than that, I really liked the I-Drive style.
 

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