Garage Door Opener
 

I'm going to install a garage door opener in my 2 car garage w/ steel door. I notice there are chain, belt and screw type drives as well as one that works directly on the torsion bar. Anyone have an opinion on which is best?

Thanls in advance,

J. Tucker
'99 Arctic Silver
'98 BMW 318ti

I've had three different types at different residences. The chain drives are the most common and inexpensive, but make a fair amount of noise, The belt drive is a variation of the chain drive, which I liked better because it's so much quieter. I imagine a rubber belt will wear out faster than a chain and need more frequent replacement, but in the five years I owned mine, it gave me no problem. The screw drive is the strongest of the three, obviously, and is as quiet as the band models, but is the most expensive of the three. There aren't many things to break on a screw drive. You're certainly not going to break that giant screw. I currently have a chain drive (installed by my contractor). When it expires, I'm going back to a screw drive.

Oh yeah, the one that works directly on the torsion bar is nice because you don't lose any ceiling height...especially important if you have a truck or are thinking about installing a lift. I've never owned the wall mounted type, so I can't tell you anything about how good or bad they are.