<p>Oh wise people of CC: we’ve just bought a house, and the garage door opener needs replacing. The door is 9’ wide x 7’ high and isn’t heavy like our current door, so I don’t think it’s wood. Recommendations for good brands and screw drive/belt drive/chain drive would be much appreciated. (These are all terms I’ve seen in my search - I have no idea what any of them mean!)</p>
<p>Genie - screw drive - 1/2 HP</p>
<p>^ yep. Genie screw drive. ^</p>
<p>Ditto the above. Unless you are very handy, I strongly recommend hiring a pro to do the work.</p>
<p>Wow - could this actually be a CC thread where everyone agrees? </p>
<p>Thanks all. Bunsen, we are about the unhandiest folks around, so we will definitely be getting a pro!</p>
<p>If you’re going to have it installed by a pro, i.e. a garage door/opener contractor, they likely have their own source for openers and may use a different brand name than the ones more readily available to consumers so contact them before you buy the opener. </p>
<p>But if you’re going to use a ‘handyman’ to install it then the Genie is a decent choice. They’ve been in this business a long time, the openers are generally decent, and parts/remotes readily available for them.</p>
<p>Does it actually need to be replaced? I recently hired a garage door company to replace the opener–instead they charged me $95 and cleaned, realigned, and generally improved the existing one. I’ll certainly call them when I actually do need it replaced ;-)</p>
<p>The guy who installed my doors when the house was built comes every 3 years or so (when I call him) to “service” everything. It is always quieter after he comes, and has worked great for 20 years. He also beat out a dent I made backing into the door before my H ever noticed it. </p>
<p>We installed a keypad for the garage door so the kids wouldn’t have to carry an opener (before they were driving). That’s been a great addition. The sprinkler man can come twice a year to set-up and close-down the system without anyone having to be home.</p>
<p>dmd, yes, it’s been looked at and is dead in the water. It’s very old. </p>
<p>ucdad, we have a great handyman who has done all sorts of work for us and is experienced with garage door openers, so I guess he’s a semi-pro. ;)</p>
<p>over30, the Genie model I’m looking at has a keypad, which is a great idea.</p>
<p>If the original one was fairly old you may find there are some new rules in place that will be required when installing a new one. I think new ones require some sort of sensor where the door won’t close if there is an obstacle. (I may be imagining this but seem to recall something along those lines when we looked into replacing our long defunct automatic opener a while back. I would really like to do so now that I can actually fit my car int the garage).</p>
<p>^^ swimcat - You’re right - the new ones have an ‘electric eye’ at the door opening that’ll stop the door from closing if the beam is broken such as when a car is partially in the garage or a kid is standing there or a cat/dog is there. It’s a safety issue. </p>
<p>Installing the photosensor is easy and it’s a great feature to have. It should already be included with the new opener.</p>
<p>I spent many years representing Genie and some other GDO companies as a lawyer. </p>
<p>Yes, photocell sensors and safety warning stickers are required by law. Your controls should be 5 feet above the floor or step. </p>
<p>I personally like the quick opening Genie models that are very quiet. I consider myself somewhat of an expert since I was involved in the design of the warning labels. </p>
<p>Go with Genie or Overhead Door.</p>
<p>Another safety issue with garage doors is that the springs eventually fail, which can result in property damage or serious personal injury. The remedy is to install safety cables through the center of the springs. This is a cheap, easy DIY job.</p>
<p>[Purpose</a> of and installtion of safety cables on garage door springs](<a href=“http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infgar/infgar1d.html]Purpose”>http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infgar/infgar1d.html)</p>
<p>I’m not sure what brand I have but I’ll let you know… I like it a lot. It does have a sensor at the door which is a nice feature but sometimes it annoys me. If there is a leaf sticking in under the door it sometimes catches the eye of the sensor and I have to go move it so the door will close.</p>
<p>Torsion springs ( as opposed to the old springs that are on the side of the door) can not cause damage or injury when they fail. They are contained on the shaft. A torsion spring can only fail with the door in the fully closed position, so there is also no concern with the door dropping when a spring breaks. All springs will eventually break.</p>
<p>Any of the side springs (for a swing up door) that I’ve purchased in the last 30 years or so have wires through the center of the spring so when they break, and they eventually will, it doesn’t do any damage.</p>
<p>My self-installed 20 year old Sears chain-drive openers are still going strong. Putting an opener in isn’t all that hard. Installing the garage door itself is a much harder job.</p>
<p>The original springs didn’t have safety cables. Then one of them let go - about 3 minutes after I had left the garage. It sounded like a cannon going off. The recoil sheared off the 5/16" mounting bolt. If my head had been in the way, I’d be dead.</p>
<p>The new springs got safety cables.</p>
<p>People really should check the springs on the swing-up doors to see if they have the safety cables. It takes just a few seconds and requires no work other than looking at them to see of there’s a thick wire (often 2 wires) going through the middle of the spring. All of the springs on both sides need to be checked since they may be of different ages. If there’s one with no safety cable it should be replaced. this is pretty easy to do for someone who can handle a screwdriver and wrench or one can get a handyman to do it - it’s inexpensive and quick. They sell the springs at Home Depot and elsewhere.</p>
<p>If you have a 20 year old opener that does not have photocells it does not meet legal requirements and should be replaced. They can be very dangerous. That was about the time photocells became a requirement. </p>
<p>I’m surprised so many people are reporting having extension springs (the ones on the side). We don’t see them at all anymore in this area.</p>
<p>Mine do have the auto-reverse feature where if something obstructs the door while it is closing, it reverses and opens back up.</p>
<p>Is it worth replacing them just to get photocells? I don’t have small kids or pets, so I’m not sure it would be worth it.</p>