Garage Door Opener Recommendations?

[Ular]

Does anyone have any recommendations on garage door openers https://thehomedweller.com/garage-door-opener/ ? I currently have 2 Chamberlain “Ultra Quiet” or some BS marketing term like that. They are belt drive and are “smart” meaning I can hook them up to the Chamberlain IQ app and hub to remotely monitor and actuate them. I’m looking to replace both of them, even though they are barely 5 years old. My gripes:

1) They periodically open/close on their own. I’ve come home to an open garage door that I know I closed. I’ve been home alone and heard the garage door open, run downstairs to find it either open or in the process of closing back down.
2) The IQ wifi “smart” hub is garbage. Loses contact with the router. Stopped working entirely with one of the openers. Produced 20 to 30 false alarm alerts per day of the door opening.

I want a simple, reliable opener that’s quiet and dependable. Both my doors are modern, metal doors, that are well balanced and pretty light. I don’t need a massively powerful motor. The wifi connectivity is a nice feature but not a must. Seems I have Genie, Chamberlain, and Craftsman to choose from. Any other brands out there that are worth looking at?

 

[jdunmyer]

The outfit that built my garage (30' X 30' pole barn) installed a pair of Chamberlin operators on the 2, 10' wide doors back in 2014. These are no doubt the low-end model, they have no WiFi, but did come with 2 fobs each. They have been flawless in operation. They're chain drive, I wouldn't necessarily call them real quiet, but I have nothing to compare them to. They have 2 bulbs/each that are not real effective as far as light, but I installed 75 watt Rough Service bulbs, so that's expected.

The door for my Nissan Murano might get operated 2 X /week, the one for the Bolt would be more like a dozen or more times/week. The doors fit well, but are lightweight cheapys that operate easily. The only time my doors are open when they shouldn't be is when I neglect to hit the button, but I am in the habit of looking in the RV mirror on the way out the drive to make sure the door is closing.

 

[BillM]

I originally had a Genie track drive and the nylon belt broke after about 15 years of use. I replaced the belt drive with a screw drive Genie because I could re-use some of the mounting hardware. The screw drive unit worked until I had the garage replaced. The door was a double wide fiberglass panel which was quite light needing only a 60 pound spring on each side. Both the Genie units had minimal features beyond code rolling 315 MHz remotes. Installing an opener is probably within reach of most DIYers but it still will take two or three hours because you are learning as you go for a one-time job.

When I had the garage rebuilt I let the contractor use door specialist handle the door and lift installation. The doors are metal outside with foam insulation and plastic inside panels by Dalton. The lifts are a contractor version of the Chamberlain/Liftmaster chain drive. The models are about in the middle of the product line. They don’t have battery backup but they have the MyQ remote control system. One door is a single wide and the other is a double wide with torsion type enclosed springs. I am not sure I’d the old open springs are even a thing any longer because of the safety issues if they break, even with a safety cable running through the spring. I’ve had those type springs break and there is drama when they fail. So far both Chamberlain/Liftmaster units have been working reliably for three years. I added a three button remote which I keep in the house, attached to the wall with double face tape. I also added a wireless keypad which easily controls both doors. The accessories are easy to find at big box stores. I don’t really want my garage doors being IoT devices which may or may not receive timely firmware updates. I have not activated the MyQ Wi-Fi capability. If you are comfortable with IoT, then MyQ gives you the ability to check the door status from anywhere or to open the door remotely to allow a package delivery. MyQ has the ability to add skills to the popular smart speaker systems.

 

[Lawrence Kornit]

I have the Genie Belt Drive and a Sonoff 4 port elink wall switch Internet WI-FI CONECTIVITY. The Elink has Android Auto CONECTIVITY, $9 a year, so you can open the door from the infotainment system.

 

[garlock]

I have 3 chamberlin's 2 are 9 X 10 doors & one on 12 X 10 all are over 30 years old the doors are wood 1 3/4 thick they all still work great untill a torsion spring breaks, On the opening on their own, maybe change the code, someone in your ares may have the same code!

 

[BillM]

Going back to the original post, I would follow Occam’s Razor that the simplest approach is often the best. I would stay away from the belt or track drive models and go with a simple chain drive or possibly a screw drive unit. The chain is very simple and just needs a bit of light oil wiped on the chain every few years. I was a bit skeptical of binding up when I installed the Genie screw drive, but it never had any problems. I soused spray lithium grease on the screw about every five years, other than that, no maintenance. Of course doors themselves need more frequent attention. If the door is in bad condition or balanced, the opener wont be able to handle it.

As far as noise level goes, my experience is they’re all about the same.