So the long screw drive thing that runs along the garage ceiling to the wall over the garage door broke off its bracket (the bracket broke). Repair guys coming in the morning. DH looked for a bracket at HD but no luck. If the repair guy says he doesnt have the bracket or we should replace the whole screw drive mechanism which is as much as a whole new garage door opener, any recommendations on a good garage door opener brand (I think the current one is a Genie, and the springs are new but the opener is old)? I imagine they’ll try to seek us whatever they have not he truck, but any advance advice on brand, price, etc would be appreciated. We have one big door for a 2 car garage.
Thanks in advance.
Is it pre-1993?
Anyone have a wi-fi connected smart garage opener? We do live in one of the cities that will test the Amazon garage delivery that was announced today.
@Madison85 - not sure, but I dont believe its that old. Its not one that people can drive down the street with a remote and see what will open. I think its a bit more secure than that. And it has a radar at the floor level and opens back if there is anything in the line of sight. In fact one of the issues has been it opens back up even when there is nothing in the way.
I have LiftMaster WiFi garage openers at both our homes and I love them. I use the app all the time to let people in without giving out keys or codes. Also use it to check that all the doors are closed when I’m away.
Anyone have a chamberlain garage door opener?
I worked in the industry for 10 years. Genie or Overhead Door. They are the same company and I believe they also own Wayne-Dalton now. The safety sensors 2 inches off the ground are required by federal law and the push button by the pedestrian door needs to be high enough so that small children can not easily reach it. I can tell you a lot about garage doors and openers. I’ve given safety testimony before the Consumer Products Safety Commission and I also knew how to install the things at one point, not to mention all the injury and death cases I defended. Just whatever you do- don’t work on the thing yourself!
Chamberlain is fine, too. Just go high end.
My garage door opener is pre-1993 so it’s not safe (no sensor if something or someone is in the way). I want to replace it, especially since the external key pad no longer works and can’t be replaced since it is pre-1993.
I have a very heavy two car garage door. If I had to replace it today, I would buy one with a battery backup so the opener can be used even if the power is out. Currently, in the case of a power outage it is physically impossible for me to lift that heavy door.
We got a new garage door and opener about 18 months ago. LiftMaster. Initially it was very quirky and we called the people who put it in. Turns out our 10 year old cars were too old for the newer technology and we had to get something called Home Link as a type of patch/bridge to make our the garage door buttons/remotes in our cars talk to the opener. Nbd after we figured it out.
Didn’t realize there were “smart” openers, @GRITS80. I wonder if ours is one. Will have to check.
Make sure to look up Myq chamberlain phantom garage door opening for smart/wifi problems if it is one of your options. In our new home the whole thing (motor and runners the lot LOL) was removed under warranty because there is no actual fix for the bug. Chamberlain = lift-master. It was one of the higher end options. All that meant was that in a high end way, the garage door would open of it’s own accord. It is well documented. Has been for ages, and still is a problem. It is not an app or really a wifi issue, it is the actual hardware.
The genie replacement has all the same remote options/wifi/back up and notification options without the potential for murder and pillage.
I think over the years we’ve had one of every type - chain, screw, and belt. The belt drive is our current main opener which replaced a chain drive, and we really love how much quieter it is than the other types. I think our brand is Chamberlain, but not the fancy wifi type - just a regular old remote.
Wow, one more reason to love CC (while feeling a little sheepish). We DO have a smart opener – it’s even on the receipt/work order that I just looked up. Haven’t missed this feature that I didn’t know we had but will activate it and remember it for possible future use.
I wanted the Wi-Fi option, but bony if it opens itself. If it does can you just remotely close it with your app?
Ack autocorrect— but if it opens on its own, does it notify you that its open? Do other wi-fi enabled garage openers besides chamberlain have this problem? The repair guy is on the way
@Sybylla - how long ago was your chamberlain installed?
The repair guy says that Liftmaster and chamberlain are the same company. Is this true?
From a quality/longevity perspective don’t think you can go wrong with any of the top brands mentioned here. Industry consolidation has resulted in many of the brands overlapping anyway. Ultimately, I would choose based on quietness (belt drive is best for this) and whether you want any connectivity features. Obviously, you also want to make sure that the unit you choose is rated to lift your door if you happen to have one that is heavier than typical. Good luck!
yes, they are the same company - the website will tell you that