New garage door opener....

[JDgreen227]

I have a 1994 vintage Craftsman 1/2 hp chain drive opener in my north barn, I can replace it with a brand new one complete with rail, two remotes, and a wireless keypad for about $150 with tax. Buying two new remotes and a wireless keypad and a wall control plus a circuit board for my current opener in an attempt to fix the intermittent operation and reprogramming required for the old one will cost at least $120. So, it makes financial sense to just buy the new one.

However, on the other end of the barn, I have a 1988 vintage Stanley 1/2 hp Lightmaker opener that has been in daily use AND NEVER NEEDED ANYTHING except light bulbs...the remotes (3) all work flawlessly.

I do wonder if the new one I am planning to buy (Chamberlain) will be anywhere near as reliable as the Stanley has been...what are your opinions on the quality of today's openers?

 

[Ken]

I have a 1994 vintage Craftsman 1/2 hp chain drive opener in my north barn, I can replace it with a brand new one complete with rail, two remotes, and a wireless keypad for about $150 with tax. Buying two new remotes and a wireless keypad and a wall control plus a circuit board for my current opener in an attempt to fix the intermittent operation and reprogramming required for the old one will cost at least $120. So, it makes financial sense to just buy the new one.

However, on the other end of the barn, I have a 1988 vintage Stanley 1/2 hp Lightmaker opener that has been in daily use AND NEVER NEEDED ANYTHING except light bulbs...the remotes (3) all work flawlessly.

I do wonder if the new one I am planning to buy (Chamberlain) will be anywhere near as reliable as the Stanley has been...what are your opinions on the quality of today's openers?

Jd My brother uses Chamberlain and in past 3 years had several where the circuit boards go bad due to lightening or power surge.
make one wonder if this is cause because same power is supplied to a Genie in second garage door about 10 feet distance. and just keeps working. buys replacement board from garage door repair company.
ken

 

[deerseeker001]

they don't make them like they used to JD everything inside is plastic and plastic only last so long.

I have a 1994 vintage Craftsman 1/2 hp chain drive opener in my north barn, I can replace it with a brand new one complete with rail, two remotes, and a wireless keypad for about $150 with tax. Buying two new remotes and a wireless keypad and a wall control plus a circuit board for my current opener in an attempt to fix the intermittent operation and reprogramming required for the old one will cost at least $120. So, it makes financial sense to just buy the new one.

However, on the other end of the barn, I have a 1988 vintage Stanley 1/2 hp Lightmaker opener that has been in daily use AND NEVER NEEDED ANYTHING except light bulbs...the remotes (3) all work flawlessly.

I do wonder if the new one I am planning to buy (Chamberlain) will be anywhere near as reliable as the Stanley has been...what are your opinions on the quality of today's openers?

 

[ray66v]

Yep, plastic gears in openers, which is the most common failure point in them.

And if you are handy, just like in the OP's situation, for a couple of bucks more, you may as well buy a new one.

Manually opening the door periodically, to make sure it is adjusted properly, (opens, and closes easily), and there are no broken springs, worn rollers or bearings, will greatly extend the life of your opener.

Also, always pay a few bucks more and replace overhead door springs in pairs, when they fail.

For a few bucks more, you can also upgrade to heavier springs when replacing them, or buying a new door, and you may never have one break again.

 

[s219]

Liftmaster is the only brand I trust nowadays. Seen problems with all the other brands. If you have a jackshaft and winder spring, I like their jackshaft openers. No junk hanging over head, and a lot more reliable. You will pay more, but you get what you pay for.

 

[ray66v]

Liftmaster is the only brand I trust nowadays.

I install about 6 openers a year, and I prefer Liftmaster too.

Chamberlain and Craftsman are Liftmaster openers, packaged for consumers. The only real difference is, about for $100 more, you get a sold lift rail, instead of a mulch-piece one.

I get Craftsman and Chamberlain's as low as $129, when they go on sale. That is hard to beat.

Avoid the Battery back-up units. Good idea, but they have lots of problems with those. Especially with battery life.

 

[MacLawn]

My 1980 Stanley Genie is still going strong! Only problem is hard to find the remotes. Amazon has them, but not local. And, it doesn't have that newfangled infra red light thingamajig to stop the door. It stops when it hits ye! I just tested it, and the thing is a bit o'pressure on me shoulder when I let it hit. It did stop though. Y'all know if I could update it with the infra red thing, or adjust the pressure?

 

[JDgreen227]

My 1980 Stanley Genie is still going strong! Only problem is hard to find the remotes. Amazon has them, but not local. And, it doesn't have that newfangled infra red light thingamajig to stop the door. It stops when it hits ye! I just tested it, and the thing is a bit o'pressure on me shoulder when I let it hit. It did stop though. Y'all know if I could update it with the infra red thing, or adjust the pressure?

Mac, my understanding is that the older GDO's without the sensor eyes cannot be refitted to modernize them. My ancient Stanley gives me a hit on the shoulder that is about equal to carrying a 2X4 over your shoulder with one end held in your hand, and the manual says that is about normal...but my door opener reverses when it contacts my shoulder. Not sure if you have a manual for your GDO but there should be an adjustment to control the downward force. My GF's daughter and her boyfriend just purchased their first house and during my inspection I noted that the GDO, although working properly did not have the sensors, and because they have 2 kids (3 and 6) I offered to retrofit the opener with a new one for safety reasons.

 

[Bird]

We bought a new house in 1977 and promptly had a Genie screw drive garage door opener installed the first week we were in that house. We sold that house in 1989, but in the 11+ years we lived there we never had a problem with the Genie. We bought our current home in 2005. It was built in 1991 and had an Allister Type IIA chain drive garage door opener and a pair of Craftsman remotes. I'd never heard of Allister and when it quit in 2012, I found a lot of metal shavings inside the housing. I finally called a pro in the business and he got it working, but said parts are no longer available, so he could not guarantee anything. So I let him install a new Liftmaster, belt drive, Model 3280M. It's the first belt drive we've had, it's quieter, has 2 light bulbs instead of one, so if one burns out, you still have some light, it's the first one we've had with the invisible light beam safety reverse, and the remotes work every time and from a greater distance than any door opener we've had in the past.

So, at least for the first year and a quarter, it's the best one we've ever had.

 

[Tollster]

I upgraded to a Liftmaster belt drive to replace my aging craftsman last year. The craftsman remotes died long ago and never worked again, and the wireless remote was giving me trouble.
The primary reason I replaced it was to install an insulated garage door, replacing the fiberglass unit from the late 60's/early 70's. It was worth 10-15 degrees warmer through this past winter.
The garage is in my basement.

 

[coobie]

I have a 1994 vintage Craftsman 1/2 hp chain drive opener in my north barn, I can replace it with a brand new one complete with rail, two remotes, and a wireless keypad for about $150 with tax. Buying two new remotes and a wireless keypad and a wall control plus a circuit board for my current opener in an attempt to fix the intermittent operation and reprogramming required for the old one will cost at least $120. So, it makes financial sense to just buy the new one.Had 3 chamberlians(chain drive installed in 1996 on the garage and 2 pole barns,they bit the dust about 2 years back.

However, on the other end of the barn, I have a 1988 vintage Stanley 1/2 hp Lightmaker opener that has been in daily use AND NEVER NEEDED ANYTHING except light bulbs...the remotes (3) all work flawlessly.

I do wonder if the new one I am planning to buy (Chamberlain) will be anywhere near as reliable as the Stanley has been...what are your opinions on the quality of today's openers?

Had 3 Chamberlians (chain drive)installed on the garage and 2 pole barns back in 1996.They all took a dump within the last 2 years.My garage door dealer installed Hormann belt drive openers on all three and stated they are guaranteed for life against defects.I guess we will wait and see,so far so good.

 

[sal64]

my dad put in two Chamberlain in last summer and had problems with one already.Genie screw drive are best in my opinion i have two now for 18yrs never had a problem.

 

[Xfaxman]

Liftmaster is the only brand I trust nowadays. Seen problems with all the other brands. If you have a jackshaft and winder spring, I like their jackshaft openers. No junk hanging over head, and a lot more reliable. You will pay more, but you get what you pay for.

For those not familiar with a jackshaft opener, I have a different brand, but it is so much quieter and faster than the over head style.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I have two Liftmaster Jackshaft style openers. I like them, but be careful if the door catches going down, the cables will get messed up good.

 

[ray66v]

I drive openers look really great, but they have a high failure rate.

This is a decent jackshaft opener: 8500 - Elite Series

 

[Bird]

I don't recall ever seeing, or even hearing of, a jackshaft opener before. Just another of those news things I've learned of on TBN, I guess.

 

[s219]

I have two Liftmaster Jackshaft style openers. I like them, but be careful if the door catches going down, the cables will get messed up good.

They have a cable tender device that will stop the motor if any slack is detected -- it should be standard equipment with the Liftmaster units (it was on mine).

Sadly, I know all too well the problems that happen when a door catches! I had a Wayne-Dalton iDrive unit a long time ago at our old house, and mistakenly stacked some boxes so that they just barely poked into the corner of the turn in one side track. Well, the door came down and one of the sections hung up on the boxes as it turned the corner. The iDrive unwound the whole spool of cable before I could stop the motor, leaving the door dangerously dangling overhead, jammed crooked in the tracks with rollers falling out (and two cars underneath no less). This was a 7x16 uninsulated steel door, so it was quite heavy and floppy. Somehow I got the door back up without killing myself, but it really did a number on the door and mechanisms, and it was never the same.

Eventually, the iDrive died -- the plastic parts kept breaking or cracking with age and I stopped replacing them when it got to be a weekly event. So I got a new insulated door and put in one of the Liftmaster units. The Liftmasters are slower than iDrive was, but much smoother with a simpler mechanism and far less plastic parts. Plus the mounting is more convenient (off to the side) and installation is simpler. So far I have been real happy with them. I plan to put two more of them in our new house as soon as we get the garage cleaned out and functional to get cars in there.

 

[ray66v]

The real advantage to the recent line of jackshaft openers, like the 8300 or the 8500 series is, they can accommodate a 10' high door.

Previously, you had to buy a commercial opener for anything over 8'. And they cost a lot more money.

 

[KennyG]

At my last house I installed a Chamberlain belt drive and it worked great. It worked fine for the first 10 years and may still be good. That said I found some slightly used Genie belt drive openers for my current place and they seem to operate smoother and look better built. I like how quiet the belt drive is.

 

[sd455dan]

Jd My brother uses Chamberlain and in past 3 years had several where the circuit boards go bad due to lightening or power surge.
make one wonder if this is cause because same power is supplied to a Genie in second garage door about 10 feet distance. and just keeps working. buys replacement board from garage door repair company.
ken

Same here with the chamberlain. (have a jackshaft style)

The remote has been problematic since new- i think when they went to the new ones that shift the code? each time the door is opened -they have been more troublesome.

Mine just got wet and now i will have to have it replaced, hopefully the next one will work better- the remote sometimes had to be keyed repeatedly even when new...