The Five Types of Garage Door Opener Drive Systems

The overhead door on your garage is likely the largest and heaviest piece of moving equipment associated with your home. As such, it is important to take the necessary precautions and perform the proper maintenance to keep your garage door in good shape and to make sure that it opens and closes safely.

When it comes to opening and closing overhead doors, many homeowners opt to useelectric garage door openers. These small but powerful machines offer a significant degree of convenience with just the push of a button. There are many different types of electric garage door openers on the market today, with varying levels of lifting power and drive systems. In general, the lifting power you need will depend on the size, weight, and construction of your garage door, but the type of drive system is an important consideration as well. With this in mind, it is important to know what your options are.

Chain-Drive Door Openers

The most common type of electric garage door opener is a chain-drive opener. With this type of opener, a chain runs along a sprocket, which is turned by the opener’s motor to open and close the garage door.

Chain-driven garage door openers require owners to perform regular maintenance on the chain, but chain maintenance is relatively easy. Perhaps the primary downside, however, is that chain-drive openers are generally louder than other types of openers, as the chain and sprocket systems involve a great deal of metal-on-metal contact.

Belt-Drive Door Openers

A garage door opener with a belt drive is typically quieter than a chain-drive opener. As the name suggests, a belt-drive opener uses rubber belts to move the door. Without metal-on-metal contact, operating noise is reduced considerably. There is also less vibration, which could prolong the life of your door opener. The main drawback of belt-drive openers is that they are more expensive than chain-drive openers, but they generally last at least as long as their chain-driven cousins do.

Screw-Drive Door Openers

The overall quietest type of garage door opener is a screw-drive garage door opener. A screw-drive opener moves the garage door up and down by turning a threaded rod, meaning it has far fewer moving parts than a chain-drive or belt-drive opener does.

Compared to the other types of openers, screw-drive garage door openers generally require less maintenance. However, screw-drive openers also tend to be louder than other types of openers.

Direct-Drive Door Openers

With a direct-drive garage door opener, a motor is attached directly to the door itself, and it moves along a track that is mounted on the ceiling of the garage. This type of opener does require regular maintenance, but it is the quietest opener type on the market.

Jackshaft Door Openers

The other four types of garage door openers have at least some of their components mounted on the garage ceiling. For garages with high ceilings or particularly low ceilings, a wall-mounted jackshaft garage door opener might be the best option. This type of opener uses cables and pulleys to rotate the torsion bar to move the door. It is also the most costly type of door opener.

Call a Chicago Garage-Door Opener Company Today

If you are in the market for a new garage door opener, the team at Blue Sky Builders, Inc. can help you find the right opener for your garage. We will also install your new opener, ensuring that it runs safely and smoothly. For more information, contact ourDuPage County garage experts by calling 630-852-8485.

Source:

https://www.4feldco.com/articles/garage-door-opener-guide/