Welcome to Openers 101! In this post, we will briefly discuss garage door openers, the different types, and the ones to watch out for so you can save on garage door repair.
Most homeowners today have a garage door and an automatic opener, and many have more than one. In today’s hustle and bustle, we are looking for ways to make life a little easier, and a garage door is a great way to do just that! But, when it comes to choosing the correct garage door opener, choosing wrongly can cost you dearly.
First, let’s discuss the different types of openers out there: chain drive, belt drive, screw drive, and the newest, the jackshaft opener.
The Chain drive is the most common garage door opener out there with 6 out of 10 houses utilizing them. It offers high durability, consistent operation and low maintenance. However, it tends to be one of the louder drive mechanisms out there, which can present a problem if you have a room above the garage.
The Screw drive was once very common among Genie openers, but due to their extremely noisy lever and constant maintenance, they have started to get phased out. Screw drives can be great openers due to the fact that there are no gears inside the motor, only the motor attached to the screw drive. However, these openers tend to be extremely loud and prone to malfunction in temperature fluctuations.
The Belt drive is increasing in popularity due to its extreme quiet operation. A lot of people shy away from this drive mechanism in fear that the belts will break, but most manufacturers offer a lifetime warranty on the belts. Another great thing about this particular opener is it offers extremely low maintenance needs.
The newest out of all of the drive mechanisms is the jackshaft opener. Instead of a traditional garage door opener, where they mount above the door, these mount on the side of the garage door, saving room but also wear and tear on the garage door. They are the quietest out of all of the garage door openers but can be prone to issues since they rely upon only electronics inside the opener.
Over all, we would recommend the belt drive or jackshaft openers out of all of the openers due to fewer call-back issues. If you’d like to discuss your options with the garage opener experts, call Garage Door Guy!
