T2K Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 After 22 1/2 years my LiftMaster 1/2 HP chain drive garage door opener is giving me problems. My door is 16' X 7'. I'm thinking about buying a belt drive Genie 3/4 HP for $178 from the depot. Any comments about belt drives or other experiences with garage door openers appreciated. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWL Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 I'll be following this as my Stanley is 18 1/2 years old. No signs of any problems but I'd rather just replace it before it acts up.Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 Belt drives are good... and quite 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNRET Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 Check out jackshaft style openers. Attaches to the torsion shaft at the door and has no opener chain / screw rail. LiftMaster 3800waste 90 minutes of your life on install video: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arrow#422 Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 Quiet? Anyway, keep them comments coming. We've been in this house for 10 years and I recently had to replace both operator springs (two 9x7 doors) due to extreme cold weather breaking them. Now, I have a chain drive opener that wishes to be replaced, and the screw driven opener is getting loud. Recommendations regarding manufacturer, type of drive, and HP ratings appreciated. Remote coded access necessary as well. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNRET Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 As an aside, I use two sensors and one controller to operate two separate garages by cell. It sends open / close alerts to my cell phones and tablets. If I get an alert that it opened and the kiddo rides off on a bike I close it remotely from work. Fun to screw with the wife too.https://www.chamberlain.com/smartphone-control-products/smartphone-connectivity 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emile Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 1 hour ago, T2K said: Any comments about belt drives or other experiences with garage door openers appreciated. Just a comment ... had problems with my screw drive (on HEAVY SOLID WOOD double garage doors) ... applied a lot of (special screw) grease and they work as new without ANY noise. Cheers, Emile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 My Genie's are screw drive and had them since the 1980's. Using 9 ft doors and the springs in each broke once. Don't be standing near when they break. The hospital will be digging out the piece that flies away. Mine are so old can't find new dinguses (hand held button) to operate them. Had one little guide wheel freeze up from rust. One had the electronics replaced after failure. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivernuggets Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 We installed a new belt opener and insulated garage door in 2011. No issues for almost 7 years. Very quiet compared to the 'ol chains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khornukopia Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 17 hours ago, Rivernuggets said: We installed a new belt opener and insulated garage door in 2011. No issues for almost 7 years. Very quiet compared to the 'ol chains. Great combination. Insulated door is worth the cost, for quiet door travel, garage music quality and room temperature control. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 We have an Overhead Door model One Hundred. I have no idea how old it is as there's virtually no info anywhere on line for it. The opener was here when we moved in 25 years ago and it certainly didn't look new then. We use it several times every day and it's still plugging along. The garage door is a double door as well. If their new ones are any where near as good as the old ones then they're outstanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arrow#422 Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 On 2/1/2018 at 7:25 PM, USNRET said: Check out jackshaft style openers. Attaches to the torsion shaft at the door and has no opener chain / screw rail. LiftMaster 3800waste 90 minutes of your life on install video: A little pricey but it offers some definite benefits. Not yet seeing any real technical statements regarding door opener requirements for single or double door applications. Belt versus screw is an old debate, but what about the necessary horsepower needed, longevity, springs, etc? C'mon now, someone here has some pertinent knowledge of the trade to share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rivernuggets Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 8 hours ago, Khornukopia said: Great combination. Insulated door is worth the cost, for quiet door travel, garage music quality and room temperature control. Yes definitely worth the extra cost. Our garage is my climate controlled shop. Good stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arrow#422 Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 Our forecast shows a high of 24 degrees over the next 10 days. At these temps, it doesn't matter how well insulated your doors are. Without the preferred ventless heater or other means of heating, that space is better uses as a great big refrigerator at best. LIftmaster 8500 / jack shaft opener looks like the newest technology available. Pricey with limited availability, but definitely offers some benefits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 I have kept tropical potted plants alive in the garage in such conditions, and I don't have a fancy insulated door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arrow#422 Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 13 minutes ago, oldtimer said: I have kept tropical potted plants alive in the garage in such conditions, and I don't have a fancy insulated door. So, are you located south of the 40th parallel, or do you pump heat into that area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilbert Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 11 hours ago, oldtimer said: I have kept tropical potted plants alive in the garage in such conditions, and I don't have a fancy insulated door. Belt driven systems are great, and relatively quite. None of that noisy hum or squeaky rattling drive mechanism. We had 3 Master Lifts chain drives in our current home (built 2004), but in 2010 one of them croaked and we replaced it with a marantec belt drive. The doors are insulated and relatively heavy, which probably contributed to the early death of that motor. As for the marantec opener, I thought it was easy to install, but a bit pricey for what it is. So far no issues, but it's only going on 8 yrs. old. As for insulated garage doors, there's nothing fancy about them, and they help immensely with mitigating the temperature swing in the garage.... but if the cold hangs around long enough, your garage will still turn into a freezer, at least in Tulsa, OK area. We had insulated garage doors, there as well, and even with 2 of the garage walls serving as partitions to separate living and garage areas, it still got bloody cold in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 13 hours ago, Arrow#422 said: So, are you located south of the 40th parallel, or do you pump heat into that area? Yes, and the only heat comes from the sunlight spectrum light bulbs. It never stays really cold for too long which helps, and I would like to have an insulated door, especially for the summer months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted February 5, 2018 Author Share Posted February 5, 2018 After looking a little closer my garage door opener is a 1/2 HP Garage Master, installed when the house was built in 1995. I do remember having the door tension spring replaced a few years ago but that's about it. If the tension spring is adjusted properly then the door should be balanced and require little power to open, no matter how heavy (within reason). I ordered a Genie belt drive 3/4 HP with installation for ~ $300. We'll see how that goes. Insulation kits are available but it's impossible to completely seal a garage door, if you're going to raise and lower it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arrow#422 Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 2 hours ago, oldtimer said: Yes, and the only heat comes from the sunlight spectrum light bulbs. It never stays really cold for too long which helps, and I would like to have an insulated door, especially for the summer months. Exactly the opposite reason we seek insulation up here - to stay warm in the winter months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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