Garage Door opener install.

[Dave Lehnert]

I have a Genie screw drive opener that is 25 or 30 years old. The carriage that rides in the track seems to have striped out. The stop switch was defective and kinda jammed things up.
Anyway........Given the age I am thinking of replacing the opener. How hard is it to replace one? Looks like a easy job for one person but wanted to ask some with experience.
Garage is detached so noise is not a problem. one big door for two car garage. Non-insulated, aluminum so nothing heavy. Is belt drive just as dependable as a screw drive? How long do the belts last?

[daniel lane]

Dave,

I've replaced two openers in my life. Both were harder than I expected, but both were easy for me to do by myself. I've never swapped out a unit with a belt, I guess I haven't lived somewhere long enough to deal with it. (Replacements were 20+ year old chain drives I replaced when we bought a house...a lifetime ago, it seems. It's fairly easy, in my opinion, especially if the mounting hardware is already there.

By the way, like the avatar. My 5YO is a huge fan, and constantly requests songs off the British Steel, Nostradamus, and Angel of Retribution albums. He wants an AoR poster for his bedroom. FIVE YEARS OLD! My 4YO daughter, on the other hand, usually asks for either Quiet Riot or Van Halen. Apparently I'm doing something right. ;)


daniel

[John Goodin]

I have installed a couple of screw drives. The most time consuming part is the attaching to the ceiling and front wall. Since you would be replacing it should go faster. I have found that the pro install price is almost equal to the price of the machine.

[Josh Morgan]

You can still get a carriage and a stop limit switch for your current operator.
I don't like the chain units from Chamberlain (craftsman, lift master, aviator). I'm partial to Genie and Overhead Door.
The Genie Intellicode series from Lowes are a good unit.
As for installing it yourself, most people who do it for the first time tend to take most of a day. I'm all about doing stuff myself but if installed improperly you can damage the top section of your garage door.

[Howard Garner]

Be very careful with the helping spring on the door. They can get away from you and cause injury.

[George Bokros]

Be very careful with the helping spring on the door. They can get away from you and cause injury.

I have installed several garage door openers and you do not have to do anything with the lift spring as long as the door will open manually with normal effort.

[David Weaver]

I've installed two replacement chain drive openers (well, one was supposed to be cable on the new opener, but I kept the chain) and found them pretty easy to replace. I guess everyone has their preferences. I like the cheap chamberlain openers because they're...well, cheap and relatively robust. I have an old double wide wooden door that's heavy and the springs on it are 60 years old - I'm unwilling to risk putting more of the load back on the springs for fear of needing an expensive repair (meaning the opener is doing a lot of work). The door wore the nylon gears on the last craftsman opener to dust, and to be honest, the "wrong" repair of putting the burden on a new cheap opener is cheaper than the "right" repair. I have no idea how old the old opener was, probably 20 years old. The replacement is now about 8 years old, I'm sure it will wear out prematurely, but at $150 per unit, I don't much care.

In any situation where part of the gadget was already installed, not worn, and common to a newly available opener, I'd buy the same thing I had before (if it was satisfactory) to eliminate installing stuff that doesn't need to be reinstalled.

[Duane Meadows]

David, the sprocket/gear assembly is available for about $45( maybe a bit more... been awhile since I bought one!) and the time to change is a bit less than doing the whole opener. Probably having that spring(s) replaced will set you back about the same as 1 new opener. I'd fix the springs. If one snaps(especially if there are two) you likely will be unable to open the door with the GDO or even manually.

Also a bit of white lithium grease every other year will go a long way to making those nylon gears last longer. You are correct though, that an unbalanced door will shorten their life.


Personally I like the Chamberlain openers way better than the Genie's. Installation of either shouldn't take more than a couple of hours with reasonable DIY skills and common tools.

[David Weaver]

David, the sprocket/gear assembly is available for about $45( maybe a bit more... been awhile since I bought one!) and the time to change is a bit less than doing the whole opener. Probably having that spring(s) replaced will set you back about the same as 1 new opener. I'd fix the springs. If one snaps(especially if there are two) you likely will be unable to open the door with the GDO or even manually.

Also a bit of white lithium grease every other year will go a long way to making those nylon gears last longer. You are correct though, that an unbalanced door will shorten their life.


Personally I like the Chamberlain openers way better than the Genie's. Installation of either shouldn't take more than a couple of hours with reasonable DIY skills and common tools.

Those springs are still providing some lift assistance, it's not too hard for me to open my door, but difficult for my wife. I'll bet you're right that if they snap (there are two), I won't be able to open the door easily - it must weigh a couple of hundred pounds. the lift effort on it right now is probably 75 pounds or so, just guessing.

[Duane Meadows]

If both break, the door is merely very heavy. If one breaks, the door is on a severe bind... way harder to lift than just the actual weight.

[Jerome Stanek]

Those springs are still providing some lift assistance, it's not too hard for me to open my door, but difficult for my wife. I'll bet you're right that if they snap (there are two), I won't be able to open the door easily - it must weigh a couple of hundred pounds. the lift effort on it right now is probably 75 pounds or so, just guessing.

The springs need to be adjusted the door should stay half open not go up or down. That is easier on the opener also.

[Dave Lehnert]

Dave,

I've replaced two openers in my life. Both were harder than I expected, but both were easy for me to do by myself. I've never swapped out a unit with a belt, I guess I haven't lived somewhere long enough to deal with it. (Replacements were 20+ year old chain drives I replaced when we bought a house...a lifetime ago, it seems. It's fairly easy, in my opinion, especially if the mounting hardware is already there.

By the way, like the avatar. My 5YO is a huge fan, and constantly requests songs off the British Steel, Nostradamus, and Angel of Retribution albums. He wants an AoR poster for his bedroom. FIVE YEARS OLD! My 4YO daughter, on the other hand, usually asks for either Quiet Riot or Van Halen. Apparently I'm doing something right. ;)


daniel

Thanks for the info.

Do you have the new album "Redeemer of Souls"

[daniel lane]

Do you have the new album "Redeemer of Souls"

Got it recently, actually. I liked Nostradamus, but RoS reminds me more of AoR and Painkiller, both of which are very popular with the boy, who loves most "fast" music. (Left Painkiller off the list above; that was the first album he listened to, since he thought the album cover was "awesome".) :)


daniel

[Larry Frank]

A couple of months ago, I replaced a Genie screw drive. I looked at replacing parts but decided that it would just delay the whole thing. I put in a Chamberlain chain drive. It had very good instructions and you just have to take your time. I did need my wife to help a little when getting it up in place.

I had some issues with the electronics in it and had to go through the procedure a couple of times to get it working right.

I was not the quickest in getting the new one installed but since I am retired, the time was not an issue and saved $200.

I have the torsion springs on my three garage doors. All of them have a worm drive for adjusting the spring tension and that takes a lot of the danger out of doing that adustment. It is also a good time to check the roller wheels on your door and the tracks to make certain they are in good shape.

[Jim Matthews]

I replaced an ancient screwdrive opener with a modern Chamberlain
belt drive. The track was adjustable to the same length.

I chose the version with a Battery backup.

The instructions were simple, and with the track mounted at to the front fixture
the assembly pivots up in place to the same suspension point.

[Tom M King]

If the springs are the wound springs, they're easy to replace, and even Lowes has the replacements in stock, as well as new wheels and other various parts. If it's a torsion spring, call someone who works on doors for a living. Installing an opener is so easy, that I haven't even bothered to remember how to do it.