Garage Door Openers......blah...

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Forgive me if this is not the correct forum, but it seemed to be the closest match.

Anyway.... I need a new garage door opener. My current Craftsman took a [censored]. This is a 1/2hp which was replaced in 2000 and is the second Craftsman which has been on the house since it was built in '87

I'm not sure if this is a Chamberlain or Liftmaster unit. Not sure how to tell. However, I can tell what went wrong with it.

There is a worm and helical gear inside the opener. Both plastic or nylon of course, and both chewed up and stripped beyond meshing. I can only assume that either the parts just do last, the door is too much load for the opener, or possible the down position is not set correctly and bottoming out before the opener is finished closing (jamming the gears)

Anyway, I looked quickly on the Sears site, and those two parts are about $80. At that price, I'm thinking I may just want to purchase a new unit. Problem is I have no idea about garage door openers, never even thought about them. But I know I don't want the same one I have now, or another Craftsman for that matter.

I'm looking at the following

Chamberlain HD900D
Sommer 1041V000


Here are my thoughts....

The Chamberlain has a battery backup that allows you to use it when the power is out....

I've never heard of Sommer, but they carry a lifetime warranty...Plus they are made in Germany... Those Germans always make good stuff....

They are both 3/4 Hp....

The Chamberlain has some other features that I don't know if I'll ever use like a smart control panel, and home lighting remote control.

Direct Drive or Belt Drive.. Mine is an old fashion loud as [censored] chain drive. The Direct Drive sounds better to me, but I read that that belt drives are good also.

Anyone have any experience or info on this stuff? I want to do this once and have it last forever lol
 
Have you tried a Genie screw drive I have had good luck with them. So far!! 3/4 HP seems the way to go and make sure the springs on your door are adjusted properly. Nothng lasts forever some things just last longer.
 
The Chamberlain units are probably the most common & mine has worked well for 5 yrs now, haven't even needed a battery for any remotes.

I did start with a new door that is well counter balanced.

If you do have an issue parts should be everywhere.

I can't think of any reason the feds need to further regulate the safety of the openers.
 
Look for replacement parts on eBay. Chamberlain makes Craftsman and Lift-Master. I had a Lift-Master 1260 and had both the gears and sprocket assembly go. The gear kit was part number 41A2817. The sprocket assembly (which included the gears) was part number 41C4220A. I've done the full sprocket assembly replacement twice (once on mine and once on my mother-in-laws) and only paid $30 shipped for the parts kit.

This past Labor Day weekend the control board on my Lift-Master bit it and that's when I decided to replace the whole thing. I got the following 3/4 HP Craftsman belt drive opener:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00953918000P?prdNo=3&blockNo=3&blockType=G3

It was on sale for $179.99 when I bought it. Nice opener with some bells and whistles. And it is so quiet compared to a chain drive.
 
I have had good experiences with Genie screw-drives. The one I had at my townhouse never gave me problems, the one I have at my current house is going on 10 years just fine. All I've done in the way of maintenance is lube the drive screw once a year with Genie-packaged Lubriplate.
 
I recently replaced a nearly 28yr old Genie screw drive. It was so loud I hated to be inside the garage when it operated. When it left me stranded outside in a downpour, I knew it was time to replace it.

Bought a chain-drive Chamberlain from HD for ~ $130. Very, very quiet. Had to fashion a couple of brackets myself. Be sure your door springs aren't broken and adjusted properly. My wooden door weighs a ton and needs quite a bit of assist from the spring.

I lubed all the door joints and it's amazing how quiet the whole thing is!
 
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