I Need to Replace my Garage Door and Opener

[T77911S]

Originally Posted by stevej37

Wayne Dalton still sells doors, but they quit the opener business. I think too many users were having trouble with the programming...which is more detailed than most...which led to returns.

that's what my 16ft door is. also one their openers. too bad, the opener is SOOOO easy to install.
its a motor mounted on the wall above the door with a pole going thru the middle.
so no hanging a motor and running chains or belts.

problem: the light quit coming on when you open the door.

put the door up yourself.
I put up 3 small doors and the 16 ft by myself.
the hard part for me was squaring the tracks in relation to the wall and each other.
but I get a bit anal about being exact.

[atcjorg]

Originally Posted by gshase

This is the best and super QUIET.....LiftMaster 8500 Elite Series® Wall Mount Garage Door Opener

I have 2 of these also self installed lots of features, very quiet, check em out

[DonDavis]

I've received 2 quotes for doors only. I've decided to install the opener with my son. Probably will get the Liftmaster 8500.
First quote is $1100.
Second is the guy Sid texted about. They came in at $1050.
Both doors are the insulated type.
A third guy is coming by on Monday.

More to come.

[Skytrooper]

Go with the insulated door, they are more rigid and operate much quieter. The side mount jackshaft openers are also very quiet, but more expensive than the drawbar type openers.

Here is a basic breakdown of potential problems with both types of openers;

1. The jackshaft type opener turns the torsion shaft of the door. The springs, drums and cables are the components of this torsion shaft. If, for some reason (and there are many) your door itself doesn't want to close, the jackshaft opener can create enough slack in the cables that they will jump off the drums. This is a bad situation. There is a switch with an arm that comes with it to detect slack and stop the motor before something goes horribly wrong, but I have seen these switches malfunction.

2. The drawbar type opener relies on physically pushing and pulling your door from the top section. This is the most common type of opener. It is the least expensive, typically, unless you want the MyQ or similar technology so you can operate your door from another continent using your smart phone.
The biggest issues facing this type of opener is the potential damage that can be caused to your door. Now we all know that openers today have photocells that stop the door if there is an obstruction, that blocks the beam.....that is the important part....blocks the beam. If there is something like a brick or post on the ground below the photocell, the openers does not detect and obstruction. The same thing if there is something like the open tailgate of your pick-up sticking into the opening. The opener will not detect any obstruction that does not block it beam.
So, what happens to a drawbar operated door on a bad day. Well, if a spring broke and you try to open the door, the opener will still try to open the door by pulling on the top section of the door. If you have a very thin insulated door, or an uninsulated door the opener can ...based upon the sensitivity settings, wreck your top section. The same thing will happen if you run the door down on something that obstructs but doesn't block the beam. the door will stop but the opener will still try to close the door all the way.

No matter which way you choose, and neither is a bad decision, the situations I listed above are rare. You will most likely have about 10 years trouble free with a new door and opener combination. Remember, if your garage door faces the road it makes up about 1/3 of your house. Look for a door in style and color which compliments your "curb appeal"

Now there will be some here that will say I am full of BS, but these are the things I saw and had to repair while working in the garage door installation and repair industry.

[tdw28210]

Go screw-drive side mount opener.

[NY65912]

I have a single car garage. I had a Hormann door and opener installed last year. $1200

My kitchen is located above the garage and you can not hear the door open.

We love it!

Residential Garage Doors by Hörmann
SilentDrive® Garage Door Openers

[JavaBrewer]

Originally Posted by tdw28210

Go screw-drive side mount opener.

I have been on the fence for years. I am going to pull the trigger on a Liftmaster 8500 as part of my upcoming garage refresh. Flooring, cabinets, and workbench.

[LeeH]

Don - I really like this guy. I've recommended him to several people for openers and springs.
Spring King

I've never understood the need to replace a garage door that isn't banged up. Nylon rollers and a new opener made ours seem like it was new again.

[DonDavis]

Had a few estimates and went with "On Track Garage Door Service". Chose the insulated door and installed it was $950, total.

Then, my son and I installed the LiftMaster 8500 that I bought on Amazon for $295.
Turned out great. The door is sweet, and the opener is very quiet. The opener install was fairly straight forward, but i needed to install an outlet near the opener. Not too bad, just had to crawl around the attic a bit. I still need to get the gateway set up for the app on my phone, but everything works great. I really like the clean ceiling with the opener on the side. I will say the door opens just a tad slower than a traditional type, but I'll take it.

Photo evidence...

[vash]

that is neat!!

so you didnt have to mess with spring tension?

[DonDavis]

No, not at all. I told the door guy that I was installing the 8500 so it was ready to go.

[stevej37]

Similar installation...no overhanging opener. Wayne Dalton..$250

[FPB111]

Originally Posted by recycled sixtie

It is certainly worth getting another quote. I find the personnel who do the install - it helps if they are friendly. I check online opinions on the company mentioned. How long is the warranty for? For some reason the opener on mine keeps blowing the bulbs(I do install the hd bulbs though). Am in the dark a lot! We have a Barcol 1/2 hp which works well on the two car/single door garage.

Regular oiling helps prevent problems.

Put an LED bulb in it.

[porsche4life]

Looks good don! It's on my list! I'd like a true insulated one with no windows. Ours has two cracked panels that have been braced, should be good for 5 years or more, but when they start getting bad, I'm getting insulated!


Text me if you have any issues with the MyQ stuff. Pretty easy from what I recall, and I love the way it works. I don't take keys when I go out for a ride or skateboard, and just pull my phone out as I get close to home, hit open and roll right in. Even nicer when you have that oh crap we forgot to close the garage door moment. Just close it from anywhere or check and see how long it's been closed!

[DonDavis]

Originally Posted by stevej37

Similar installation...no overhanging opener. Wayne Dalton..$250

I looked into them when I started shopping, but found this...

"Wayne Dalton Garage Door Openers

Wayne Dalton currently only manufactures and sells garage doors, not openers. Wayne Dalton residential garage door openers were manufactured and sold by a separate company, which is now doing business under the name HomeRun Holdings Corporation. For technical information, manuals and warranty information for your Wayne Dalton garage door opener, visit WayneDalton support. . If you wish to purchase a new Genie opener, visit Genie Company Garage Door Openers | Garage Door Installation to find a dealer near you."

So I gave up. Heard they are good openers, tho.

[DonDavis]

My 9 year ownership and operation review.

No issues at all. Totally serious. The whole assembly is sturdy. All I can detect is minor noise as the door is moved. It’s just the structure aging and allowing a little flex. It’s very minor and, quite frankly, makes sense. Have you heard my knees? 😁 but they still work well!

I lube the torsion spring at least twice each year. Stop laughing…🤓
Then, I clean/lube the wheels and channels the same, but a little more often since they are more eye level stuff.

The MyQ App is the bees knees.

5 stars, would do again

[stevej37]

10 years later...my Wayne Dalton is still going strong. Fast and quiet.
Gone through a few batteries for the remotes...otherwise no problems.

[LWJ]

I don't know the styling of your home but I recently bought new garage doors. They are a huge bang for the buck. I got glass pane with frosted film. They really dressed up the front of my house and most importantly, let a ton of light into my garage.

They were not particularly expensive and I had many neighbors make positive comments on them.

Just a data point.

Good luck. I greatly enjoy my new doors.

[911boost]

My ex has the same Liftmaster that I installed almost 20 years ago with zero issues.

I had all new insulated doors put on a few years ago, one with high rise tracks for the 4 post lift and two Liftmasters. I really like them and would do it exactly the same again.

Glad yours are working well.

[cabmandone]

Steve,
Don't jinx yourself. Wayne Dalton stopped making that opener several years ago and they're known for the circuit board crapping out. I have the same one you have and know I'm living on borrowed time. I have two of the Liftmaster jack shaft openers as well. I wish someone would come out with a new version of the Wayne Dalton because I believe a lot of the complaints with that opener were installation related. If my Wayne Dalton craps out, it'll be replaced with the jackshaft opener from Liftmaster.