Unless you're looking to build muscle, lifting your own garage door day in and day out can get tiring pretty quickly. An automatic garage door opener can help you save time and energy when it comes to opening and closing your garage door. With so many types of openers available on the market, finding the right one can be a somewhat confusing experience. Fortunately, the following provides an in-depth primer to the most common types of garage door openers available, along with their advantages and disadvantages.
Chain-Driven Openers: A Durable and Proven Design
Whenever you think about a garage door opener, chances are that your mind automatically pictures the image of a chain-driven opener. These openers are usually the cheapest of any type of garage door opener, thanks in large part to its extraordinarily common and surprisingly robust design. Chain-driven garage door openers are also quite durable, with many units lasting for decades, as long as they're given the proper amount of maintenance.
Although these garage door openers are affordable and durable, they're also quite noisy in comparison to other types of openers. A chain-driven opener can become especially noisy as the chain wears out. The chain itself also requires plenty of attention throughout its life - you'll find yourself adjusting and lubricating the chain on a regular basis.
A chain-driven garage door opener is a great option for budget-minded buyers, but you'll probably want to look at the openers mentioned below if you're looking for a quieter solution.
Screw-Driven Openers: Simpler and Saves Space
Screw-driven garage door openers are designed for compact garage environments, making them the right choice if you have a small garage and need to maximize your available space. Instead of using an ordinary chain, a screw-driven garage door opener relies on a threaded steel rod upon which a specially designed carriage rack moves. As the rack moves along the rod, the rack also pulls the garage door open or shut.
With fewer moving parts to deal with, a screw-driven garage door opener can be more durable than a typical chain-driven opener. Screw-driven garage door openers are also ideal for lifting heavy garage doors due to their greater torque output when compared to other types of openers. On the other hand, screw-driven garage door openers are usually slower than other types of openers, plus they cost more than typical chain-driven openers.
Belt-Driven Openers: Ideal for Low Noise and Smoother Operation
Belt-driven garage door openers are a lot like their chain-driven counterparts. However, the only difference is that instead of relying on a chain to open and close the garage door, a durable rubber belt is used in its place. This gives a belt-driven garage door opener the benefit of smoother and quieter operation. The elastic belt actually absorbs the initial shock experienced upon opening or closing the garage door, thus lessening the amount of vibration created during operation.
There are a couple of downsides to consider. For starters, you'll need to keep a close eye on the belt as it ages, due to its vulnerability to cracks, glazing, fraying, and other damage. In addition, belt-driven garage door openers are usually more expensive to purchase and maintain than a typical chain-driven unit.
Belt-driven garage door openers are ideal for those who value quiet and smooth garage door operation. But if you're the budget-minded type of consumer, you may be better off sticking with a chain-driven garage door opener due to its cheaper cost of purchase and upkeep.
Wall-Mounted Openers: Ideal for Garages with High Ceilings
If you have a garage with a vaulted or cathedral ceiling, then you might not be able to use any of the above garage door openers due to the excessive ceiling height. Wall-mounted garage door openers, also known as jackshaft garage door openers for the way they operate, solve this problem by being mounted on the wall to either side of the garage door. The motor unit connects directly to the torsion spring, driving the rod as it opens and closes the garage door.
With this arrangement, there's no need for a center-mounted rail connecting the garage door to its opener, nor is there any need for a trolley. Wall-mounted garage door openers are also surprisingly quiet, thanks in large part to their unique design and fewer parts needed to drive the unit. On the other hand, these garage door openers can't be used on garage doors designed to use extension springs.
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