Reviews of Chamberlainã‚â® 1/2 Hp Belt Drive Garage Door Opener
The Best Garage Door Openers
After twenty hours of installing and testing three different types of garage door openers, hundreds of open/close cycles and consulting with expert installers to learn what issues cause long-term problems, we chose the Chamberlain – B500 Series as the best garage door opener for residential use. Chamberlain'southward B550 is an ideal model for near do-it-yourself types, with a worry-free chugalug drive and all the features you'll need correct out of the box. For a German-engineered opener — and a higher price tag — wait to our runner-up, the Sommer – Direct Bulldoze.
Our Pinnacle Choices
Best Overall
Chamberlain
B500 Serial
Runner-upwards
Sommer
Direct-Drive
After 20 hours of installing and testing three different types of garage door openers, hundreds of open/close cycles and consulting with expert installers to learn what bug cause long-term problems, nosotros chose the Chamberlain – B500 Series equally the best garage door opener for residential utilize. Chamberlain'southward B550 is an platonic model for almost practice-it-yourself types, with a worry-costless belt bulldoze and all the features you'll need right out of the box. For a German language-engineered opener — and a higher cost tag — expect to our runner-upwardly, the Sommer – Directly Drive.
Table of contents
- Compare the best garage door openers
- one. Best overall: Chamberlain – B500 Serial
- ii. Runner-upward: Sommer – Directly-Drive
- The other finalist we tested
- How we selected products to test
- Important features to consider
- How we tested
- Can you install an opener yourself?
- The bottom line
Compare the best garage door openers
| Product | Toll | Ease of Install | Remote Range (ft) | Build Quality | Wi-Fi? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Chamberlain - B550 | $$$ | 4/5 | 124 | 4/v | Yep |
| ii. Sommer - Directly Bulldoze | $$$$ | 5/5 | 123 | 5/5 | No |
| 3. Skylink - Atoms AT-1612 | $$ | 5/5 | 70 | 3/5 | No |
ane. Best overall: Chamberlain – B500 Series
There are times when it feels like cheating to pick the market leader as the "all-time" product in a category, but for most people, information technology makes sense to go with the pop Chamberlain Belt Bulldoze arrangement.
Chamberlain will sell y'all this garage door opener with any one of a dozen configurations, and that's one of the reasons we like it. Whether you buy the $110 Home Depot special or the $238 arrangement with an upgraded motor, battery backup and LCD wall panel, the opener should install and behave in predictable and consequent means. It might exist a flake of a hurting trying to find exactly the combination of features you desire (you can't get the feature-encrusted wall panel without an upgraded motor and beefy three-button remotes, for example), but at least y'all know you'll be able to notice the parts separately.
If you don't see the B550 for sale, you can go a similar prepare of features in a chain-bulldoze model for nearly the same price. We asked our installer, Jesus Rodriguez, which organisation he preferred, and he says that he hasn't had any specific bug with any of the Chamberlain systems. "If you have a problem, it's usually a problem from the start. One time an opener is set up right, we don't really accept problems with them."
Installation for this arrangement was fast and straightforward. Chamberlain does non include lag bolts or ceiling plates with their openers, so if you don't take exposed overhead joists to hang the motor from (or if they're in the wrong identify) you'll desire to pick up some lag screws and bracket material at your local home improvement store.
Everything else about installing the Chamberlain is quick and past-the-volume. We had a pro installer hang this model for united states of america, and they finished in less than two hours (including fourth dimension for remote programming and our incessant questions.)
Best overall: Chamberlain - B500 series
It'southward the superlative brand in America, and for good reason. It has a smashing price considering its rock-solid Wi-Fi integration and meridian-class motor operation. Don't need the Wi-Fi bridge? Ditch the 550 for the 510 and save some cash.
The day later installing there was a problem with the electronic safe "eye" alignment, probably due to the springs on the clip-on bracket settling overnight. Afterward rocking them back and forth, the receiver LED glowed a steady green once more, and everything worked without a hitch.
Wi-Fi-setup was quick; for more details on "smart" functions see our comparison with the Nexx Garage arrangement below. Chamberlain has basically ensured that you can't use third-party Wi-Fi adapters with their openers past changing the way wall switches send control signals, and that means y'all have to use Chamberlain'due south MyQ app if you desire smart features with this door opener. The downside there is that Chamberlain charges $ten per yr to enable Google Assistant or IFTT compatibility, and that's just sad .
We know that the people who want programming features similar IFTTT compatibility are the same people who will refuse to purchase products with pay-walls, then it's a baffling decision. That said, it's cheaper to buy a Chamberlain opener and subscribe to the IFTTT feature for a few years than it is to purchase any competing "smart opener" systems.
Key takeaways:
- Chamberlain is the market place leader for a reason. The B550 Opener is well-designed only nonetheless priced competitively.
- Any installer or service technician will know exactly how to prepare or troubleshoot this opener.
- If you lot're looking for info to do your own troubleshooting, Chamberlain has expert documentation and near of the online discussions will exist well-nigh a similar model.
- This was the fastest door opener.
- The remotes and wireless keypad piece of work flawlessly, fifty-fifty when using cheap LED light bulbs.
- Chamberlain'due south Wi-Fi "smart" app control was quick and easy to ready.
2. Runner-upwards: Sommer – Direct-Bulldoze
Start, the bad news. Sommer's – Straight Drive is the most expensive opener we tested, and it has the fewest accessories or perks. The install transmission isn't equally easy to navigate every bit the others, and there's even a part / design update that didn't get included in the manual shipping with those parts. This opener also had interference issues with a common LED lightbulb brand we tried, and the remotes have a fairly brusk range.
With that out of the fashion: we really like this garage door opener, and if we had to re-install an opener every week this is the 1 nosotros'd pick each time.
Many cantankerous sometime men talking about garage doors on the internet complain about the disappearance of mechanical limit switches, the function that tells your opener when to stop opening or closing the door. New-fangled electronic controllers are like shooting fish in a barrel enough to program, merely information technology warms the cockles of our hearts to meet that Sommer is still using a fail-rubber mechanical organisation.
Runner-up: Sommer - Directly Drive
This is a different way to open up a garage door, and we beloved the ingenuity of the design. There'due south a cost premium and some quirks, merely if you simply want an opener that will last forever, then this is the one to get.
At that place are exposed moving parts and nylon gears on virtually garage door openers that demand to stay tight, lubricated and precisely aligned in order to proceed the system from wearing, chattering or jumping. (You too need to keep cats and birds from getting caught in the belt or chain.) Sommer keeps the moving parts to a bare minimum with one direct-driven metallic sprocket that follows a tensioned metallic concatenation subconscious inside the track.
The snap- or bolt-together rails of the other systems aren't exactly awful designs, but the C-channel arrangement Sommer uses is designed to stay in perfect alignment with the aforementioned tension that holds the chain up. If y'all have any doubts virtually tension in v or x years, the organization is easy to check and adjust.
Sommer managed to come out of our testing as the quietest opener, only that'due south mostly because it's the slowest. Unless you're opening a brand-new door fabricated with impossibly smooth joints on a perfectly-designed track, the door itself is going to be louder than any opener motor or drive mechanism, and the faster yous open up it the louder information technology will be.
While the other systems give you electronic eyes with brackets that snap onto a standard-size door roller track, Sommer makes no assumptions nearly your door and gives yous brackets to screw into the wall. Aiming them was really easier than it was for the Chamberlain system. On our rails, the Chamberlain clips took far more than endeavour to snap on than we expected, so that's another mark in Sommer's favor.
This opener volition work flawlessly with any third-party "smart" opener organization similar Nexx Garage, and you can buy it arranged with Gogogate at the Home Depot. That's withal another cost premium compared to the all-included price of Chamberlain's organization, but at least they won't accuse yous a subscription fee to plough on IFTTT.
The one comment in a customer review that worries u.s.a. slightly is a note from a user who has seen carbon buildup on the metal electrical contacts on his system. The contacts should exist cocky-cleaning, so it's hard to say what went incorrect in his case. Spraying the contact bespeak with Deox-IT every few years definitely wouldn't hurt. In the long run, the risks of something going wrong with a drive gear or chugalug on a conventional system are much college, but it is something to watch for, and some people might be uncomfortable with a charged 24V DC rails overhead.
Key takeaways:
- Sommer's Straight-Drive one of the nearly expensive openers on the market, simply the engineering quality might be worth the money in the long run.
- A lifetime warranty means this is an opener you'd probably consider taking with you lot if you movement, and it's the easiest to detach and re-install.
- No keypad or Wi-Fi accessories at this price, but they're simple to add if you need those features.
- Some surprise undocumented design updates and LED compatibility issues did make our install experience less than perfect.
The other finalist nosotros tested
The Skylink – Atoms AT 1612 is not a bad opener. Information technology's a meaty and simple pattern compared to our top pick, but the design emphasizes meaningful features at the expense of not looking like the garage door opener you grew upwardly with.
If the cablevision-auto-style sliding trolley had been a little chip more overbuilt, or if the optional Wi-Fi module and "smart" wall command were included at this price, the Atoms opener could perhaps unseat Chamberlain.
As it is, there are too many concerns about the long-term life of all the lightweight parts and not enough reassurances that Skylink is going to be effectually in twenty years to sell you lot new ones.
Skylink has advisedly thought through the install packet and included niceties like lock-washers, lag bolts and extra bracket fabric that Chamberlain simply refuses to provide. The clear, simple alphanumeric programming and troubleshooting codes are also superior to the 'count-the-flashes' organisation Chamberlain uses.
While we were unimpressed by the range of the remotes included, information technology's sufficient and we like how meaty they are. The keypad is as good as anything we've seen, and the condom "eye" transmitter/receiver clipped on (with some effort) and worked immediately without whatsoever aiming or tweaking headaches.
The fact that the lightbulb is built-in is also a refreshing modify from the erstwhile bring-your-own philosophy of the incandescent era. It's not the brightest LED setup we've seen, only it's peachy that you lot don't need to estimate virtually compatibility.
If you're looking at this opener equally role of Skylink'southward security system, they checked all the right boxes for this component and y'all won't have any compatibility headaches. For anyone else, we're still not sure information technology'due south worth choosing over the opener everyone else is buying.
How we selected products to test
We know plenty of anecdotal stories about openers in our ain homes and in the garages of our friends and relatives, but nosotros spent a long week digging on cyberspace communities similar /r/homeowners/ and the Garage Periodical forum to come across what other people have to say well-nigh the openers they install and utilize.
Nosotros talked to our contractor friends at KTY Construction, garage door installers at Crown Door, and three different contractors who work with The Garage Door Hero.
Afterward checking a few facts, we found out that Chamberlain Group, Inc. now makes the majority of openers in the The states. This includes well-known brands like Liftmaster and Sears' private label Craftsman.
Fortunately, Chamberlain has a proficient reputation among installers and homeowners. Sadly, the same cannot be said for the merely major competitor, Genie. The general consensus is that immovability and quality of materials used in Genie'southward residential-course openers have degraded significantly in contempo years, and it was hard to detect an expert who didn't warn us most that when we asked nigh the brand.
We decided not to test a Genie opener, since they're very similar to Chamberlain models except in the reputation for build quality, and they're not competitive in pricing.
To come across how the other brands stand up to the market place leader, we chose a newcomer to the market; Skylink has made a name for themselves selling their compact "Atoms" openers with tight integration into the Skylink DIY security/smart-home system.
We also tested a Sommer direct-drive model, since information technology represents probably the only significantly different option you lot'll have in the world of residential garage door openers. Sommer has very positive buzz in homeowner discussions and a lifetime warranty is always a good sign, even if information technology does come at a price premium.
Of import features to consider
Motor power and door weight
A garage door can weigh quite a chip, just most all rolling-door systems are designed with a large, carefully-tensioned leap that volition keep the door "balanced." If your opener is disconnected and you lot pull the door halfway open, it should stay there and not motility. If you're installing a new opener or replacing an sometime one, checking the balance of your door is a good first step to making sure your opener will work well for a long time.
Because the spring carries the weight of your door, for the majority of residential door installations the common ½ HP motor is more than enough power. At the very superlative of the open position the door is often resting on the track, though, and an specially heavy door (with wooden panels, for example) might benefit from a bigger ¾ or one HP motor.
"Trolley" openers
These all piece of work in pretty much the aforementioned way, with your choice of a chugalug, chain or worm-gear shaft driving a trolley up and downwards a track that you install on your garage ceiling.
The majority of openers sold and installed are chain-drive, and typically that's the but option on the near economical models at your hardware store. Belts are more than common on models with all the bells and whistles, advertised as quieter than bondage. Worm-gear driveshafts are less common and crave periodic greasing to keep them running quiet and smoothen.
Directly-Drive openers
Sommer makes an opener system that mounts the motor directly to the trolley moving up and down the track, so the only moving function is the drive wheel itself. These are more expensive than the caster-drive "trolley" openers, but they're made in Germany and come with a lifetime warranty. This system is too one of the few that still uses a mechanical limit "stop" that tells the motor when to stop pushing, which will reassure the traditionalists who distrust the control circuits in other openers.
Jackshaft openers
If you take room (recommended clearance is almost a foot from the edge of your door to the wall), a "jackshaft" opener similar the Liftmaster – 8500 lifts your door directly from one side of the bound-balanced axle that makes your door easy to open and close. The advantage here is that you don't need track and drive systems installed overhead, so setting it upward should be much simpler and cleaner if y'all have space on the wall. (There are too adapters to go around clearance problems similar two-door installations.)
Do notation that a jackshaft organisation requires extra tuning to keep the cable from unwinding and potentially causing the door to fall. Pusher springs are recommended to make sure your residential door volition never become stuck at the top and cause a dangerous accident by free-falling.
Bombardment backup
Most garage door openers on the market are now available with a battery upgrade, and if the power in your area is especially unreliable it might be worth the cost.
We asked our installer contacts for opinions well-nigh batteries, and they noted that the biggest downside to batteries is that they will need replacing. Customer reviews online ostend that five to half dozen years is a typical life for a backup unit, even if your power never goes out when you need to open the door.
If your garage door is the only manner in and out of a building, make sure that you accept some kind of mechanical emergency release organisation in place, even if you opt for a battery backup in case of ability outages. A keyed "vault lock" emergency release is quick to install and gives you a secure way to manually open up the door from the outside even if your opener motor is malfunctioning.
Remotes and keypads
One of the only differences between manufacturer model numbers is the packet of accompaniment remotes and panels included in the box you get.
Information technology's definitely cheaper to buy a package with all the components you want than to pick and choose redundant replacement parts, but you may have no pick if you want a compact unmarried-button remote and an outdoor wireless keypad, for example.
Sommer was the simply manufacturer that didn't have a bundle with a code-entry keypad, and that's definitely the characteristic that we missed nigh. If you don't want to ready upward internet-enabled opening, a keypad on the outside of the door is a nifty backup but in case a family member locks you out of the house.
Lighting options
Other than the Atoms models, garage door openers all have sockets for standard a21-size lightbulbs. Nosotros tested models with two sockets, but some less expensive models will only have i.
Note that while incandescent bulbs are hot and inefficient and CFL bulbs are ugly, some LED bulbs tin can interfere with opener remotes.
Smart hubs and compatibility issues
Chamberlain Group (which includes Liftmaster and some other names) are integrating the "MyQ" smart garage system into their hardware, and it was included with the B550 opener we tested. All of the new opener motors from Chamberlain's brands are uniform with the arrangement, but if you lot don't see a "Wi-Fi" logo on the motor housing, then you'll demand to add the "MyQ habitation bridge" to get in work.
Nexx Garage is an example of a third-party device that adds the same functionality. The hardware is a compact Wi-Fi-continued box that comes with one sensor so it knows when your door is open or airtight. There'south also 1 set up of wires to emulate a button push on your garage door opener's wall panel and trigger the motor.
This is where the compatibility tricks come up into play: Chamberlain'south MyQ openers don't utilize a unproblematic normally-open switch to trigger the motor, so Nexx Garage won't work with Chamberlain hardware out of the box. Nexx Garage is currently offer a free bridge that uses a wireless remote signal to trigger your MyQ opener, but it's much easier to try working within Chamberlain's walled garden if that's the opener motor you lot want.
Nexx Garage is fairly easy to install: screw one side of the magnetic sensor to the wall to a higher place your door and screw the other side to the pinnacle of your door next to information technology. The included screws weren't tough enough to get through the aluminum skin of our tester door, but a drill helped them out. There are too brackets included if you don't have room at the pinnacle of your door, only the suggested mounting position worked well for u.s.a..
Then long every bit y'all don't have a Chamberlain opener, the button-button wires tin can become straight into your motor control connectors where your wall switch wires become. (In that location's a small jumper wire included so you can test that this method works to trigger your opener, or y'all could test with a paperclip before y'all purchase a Nexx Garage.)
The apps we tested, MyQ and NexxGarage, are nearly identical in functionality and setup. Even with a mediocre Wi-Fi indicate out in the garage we speedily got both systems working and haven't had whatever problems.
The app is smashing for checking on how oftentimes your door has opened during the calendar week or opening/endmost for a friend or a delivery guy without giving away your keycode. We linked NexxGarage to Google's Assistant, merely other than voice control there isn't much it adds.
IFTTT recipes are the near powerful mode to leverage a smart garage door. IFTTT can exercise things like open up your door when you reach the driveway or turn off some security systems and plough on your smart lightbulbs when you go home and open the door.
Right at present Chamberlain's MyQ organisation supports IFTTT if you pay a (minor) subscription fee; Nexx Garage includes it for free, though information technology'southward "in beta testing."
IFTTT opens up an insane number of "that's cool, but why?" possibilities. The number of things that could trigger your door to open up/shut is overwhelming, but we can't recall of many that would be actually useful. (The weather, maybe? An RSS feed publishing door statistics on your blog?)
If yous're the kind of person who worries at lunchtime whether you airtight the door when y'all left for piece of work in the morning, and so this organization might bring you lot peace of mind. Wi-Fi enabled opening and monitoring is a nice feature to accept when it'due south included (as in the Chamberlain systems), but we're not certain it's worth the actress purchase for the other openers nosotros tested. If you purchase a system similar the Sommer without a keypad, ownership an accessory keypad is probably a smarter first upgrade than the internet modules.
The one feature that we didn't test, which seems sectional to Gogogate, is integrated video forth with door monitoring. Gogogate says they tin integrate most IP security cameras into their garage door app directly, and that's a cool feature if you lot're already buying smart security cameras for your home or if yous accept a rural security gate that'south within your Wi-Fi range.
Long-term testing update
In our long-term testing, nosotros did apply the Nexx Garage smart system to remotely open up a garage door (from some other country!) after both of the Sommer remotes had been left inside our detached garage. (The Sommer doesn't come in a package with a code-access keypad like the others practice.) Getting notifications on your phone that the door has been left open for longer than x minutes was cool at first, but we turned it off after working all day in the garage one weekend.
The status on the Nexx Garage app is occasionally wrong when yous start open the app, but it's always correct when you refresh information technology. We oasis't had any Wi-Fi connectivity issues, just we did see a one-day outage of the Chamberlain MyQ arrangement recently (they said in an e-mail that they lost power to servers). And then far, reliability has been practiced for both systems, only not good enough that we'd say you lot should replace your remotes and access panels with a smartphone app.
How we tested
Installation
Nosotros started with a blank slate: a single-automobile garage with a finished ceiling and a locking transmission-open handle on a sectional curl-up door.
We worked with a pro installer from Garage Door Hero to set upwardly the Chamberlain opener, and and so our tester took information technology down and installed the other two systems himself.
Install difficulty is graded on two scales: ease of assembling and installing the hardware, and ease of understanding the instructions. Sommer's system is remarkably easy to piece of work with compared to the weight and complexity of the pulleys and fasteners of the other systems, merely a disquisitional step in the assembly of the drive unit of measurement is missing from the version of the installation instructions included in our box.
Motor speed and noise
We tested the speed of each motor and the amount of dissonance they made. Looking at the test results, it's clear that the number of seconds you save going with the fastest model and the change in noise is not going to be pregnant to nearly people.
Nosotros tested the noise level when opening and closing the door using an LEQ-A scale with REW measurement software. Nosotros too tested the noise level when the motor was asunder from the door and the level of noise fabricated by the door existence opened and closed by hand.
Unsurprisingly, the door itself is by far the master source of noise, then if you want to get "whisper-placidity" performance you're better off looking into door maintenance than a different drive system.
That said, the door definitely makes more noise when it's moving quickly, and then if repose operation is your goal, the boring-and-steady Sommer wins by a olfactory organ.
Security
We tested the door closing mechanism for resistance to intruders and for the rubber features that prevent the door from closing on a person or object.
Each opener was secure confronting prying or lifting when closed, with no requite or slack one time the opener had been gear up to close the door completely during the terminal step of the installation process. If you notice a door that has a gap or any looseness when airtight, you should be able to re-train the opener'due south stop limit; check your possessor's manual.
Each opener organization has a switch on the wall console inside that allows you to "lock out" opener remotes or wall switches and prevent any remote entry.
Safety sensors
If yous tin't get your safety sensors aligned, your garage door opener will not work. We actually had more trouble with the highly adjustable clips on the Chamberlain organization than the bare-bones brackets that came with the Atoms opener, though once we got them aligned we didn't have any problems with sunlight or whatever other interference preventing the door from closing.
Once the sensors were aligned we did both standard safety tests: the doors did not shut if there was an object in the doorway blocking the light axle of the sensor, and the doors all car-reversed when they hit an object.
Remote range
We took our opener remote downwards the block to see how far away you demand to exist to get the door to open up.
Chamberlain was the only manufacturer who listed a range number in marketing materials, and nosotros but managed to go 10 percent of the claimed range, fifty-fifty with the bulky three-button remotes included. We checked and the LED bulbs we were using are on the recommended list. Information technology'southward possible that our bug would be solved with new batteries, but the range with the remotes as they came out of the box was sufficient.
The Skylink and Sommer remotes are compact key-fob-sized models, which we appreciate (especially when using the garage remote on a motorcycle), simply there are compromises to go the compact package:
Skylink's opener never managed to pick upwardly remote signals from farther away than threescore feet. That's more enough to sit down in your auto in front of the door and open or close it, but if yous second guess a button press while driving upwardly because yous're non sure you were close enough yous can start yourself downwards a frustrating finish-beginning cycle that will definitely add together unneeded stress to your life.
The Sommer antenna was definitely getting interference from the smart LED bulbs nosotros tested; with the bulbs in, information technology would barely pick up a bespeak from xx anxiety abroad after the lite turned on. Without any bulbs installed the opener would work from approximately the aforementioned 70-foot radius equally the Chamberlain opener.
Update: we tried these Sylvania LED bulbs in the Sommer, and the interference problem went away. If you can't find those, Genie advertises bulbs that should be uniform with "most systems", but they're very expensive.
Smart features
We tested the MyQ system integrated into Chamberlain's opener and the add-on Nexx Garage system past setting them up with smartphone control. Our Wi-Fi coverage in the garage was good enough for the test, and we never noticed connectedness problems with the openers even when a laptop wasn't getting enough indicate to stream music.
Can you install an opener yourself?
Afterwards working with three different types of opener systems and talking to three installers, nosotros'd say there are a few essentials you need if y'all want to DIY:
- Structure know-how. If you lot can't climb upward on a ladder and add a caryatid between studs to mount the subclass above the door header, then rent someone to do this task for you.
- Supplies and tools. Chamberlain's kit doesn't even include the lag bolts or angle iron you'll demand to hang the motor cease, then a basic familiarity with structure fasteners and where to get them is essential. Beyond a ladder, you should have a measuring tape, wrench set and a good screwdriver. A stapler and a drill or impact commuter are also must-have for running wire and driving lag screws.
- A helping manus. It'south possible to lift and install an opener motor yourself (the Sommer Direct-Bulldoze is easiest in that instance), merely information technology isn't fun. At the very least you lot'll probably need a big cardboard box or a stool to raise the back of the runway and so you can clear your door springs when you lot hang the forepart.
If yous've got a free afternoon, tools and supplies, then installing a garage door opener isn't especially difficult. If you're replacing an existing opener, information technology shouldn't take more than than four hours.
Hiring a professional installer
If yous search on Yelp or talk to general contractors and property managers, it'southward pretty easy to detect garage door installers with proficient reputations. These are the guys installing, repairing and maintaining residential and commercial doors all around yous, so they know how to keep your door rolling.
Retailers like Dwelling house Depot and Amazon also take "professional installation" services they sell, but from what nosotros can see, they're non much different from calling upwardly a pro from Yelp. In that location's a lower hazard of getting stuck without service or warranty recourse if you become through a bigger company, only you can relieve some coin if you cutting out the eye-man.
Pros:
- An installer tin do the task apace and efficiently and will accept all the materials prepare to get the task done.
- If you're buying the opener hardware from your installer, there'due south normally a service warranty included in case anything e'er goes incorrect.
- The installer's opener, if you buy information technology, typically has a long jumpsuit track that is said to be more reliable and durable than the bolt-together rail that comes in retail packaging.
- An installer will too be able to maintain and service your door, including adjustment of the track, joints and spring balance. All our experts said this is the #1 fundamental to keeping your door running for a long time.
Cons:
- An installer will often try to sell you an opener, and in that example, you'll probably take fewer choices than you lot would if shopping for your own.
- An installer won't do electrical work for you, and so make sure you lot have a ceiling outlet tested and ready to become before you call.
- If you want to install something exotic like a Sommer Straight-Bulldoze or a Jackshaft opener, some installers will refuse the task or offering no warranty even on the installation labor.
How to install a garage door opener
Installing an opener on a door that has never had a motor before will accept a few extra steps.
- Spring balance will probably be biased toward making your door open by itself one time you unlock information technology. That's nice for saving you work when opening past mitt, merely it means a motorized opener is fighting the spring every time it closes the door, and that'southward extra vesture on the motor over decades of opening and closing. It's non really that complicated to tweak spring balance, but if yous've got any doubts about your ability to practice this safely and so information technology's definitely worth paying a pro.
- Brand sure you have an electrical supply where you need it. For our test install, we had to swap a lamp base for a receptacle: we tried a lamp-holder-with-outlet solution but found that the plug would fall out of these receptacles hands and nosotros don't recommend them. Yous might exist able to fit a receptacle in your ceiling electrical box, but with a smaller ceiling box designed for lamp bases, you may demand a specialized adapter.
- If you lot accept a finished ceiling rather than exposed joists or rafters, then locating the studs is going to be a must for hanging the opener. The installer nosotros worked with uses perforated angle iron for hanging the opener motor and attaching the front end of the rail to the wall above the door, which made all adjustments easy.
After you lot discover your ability and structural options, or if you're replacing an existing opener, the pace-by-footstep guides included with the openers are thorough and articulate. Assemble the track, assemble the drive system, hang the door end of the runway, hang the motor, adhere the door bracket and wire in the safety and control switches.
The bottom line
If yous have a garage door opener that's died or if you're installing a brand new one, it's incredibly confusing trying to navigate the maze of features and specifications for the models available.
We went with the Chamberlain – B550 for a few reasons. It'south like shooting fish in a barrel to discover and purchase online, and every installer or repair guy in the US will be familiar with this design. The hardware is well-built and the system has proven dependable for millions of owners.
The price on the B550 is too right in the sweet spot: this has all the features available in Chamberlain's ½ HP lineup without a battery backup, so it's often priced lower than less-common ½ HP models that don't accept Wi-Fi modules.
If y'all don't like the snap-together rails and nylon pulleys of residential openers and you don't have room for a Jackshaft opener abreast your door, Sommer'due south Straight-Drive system is worth a await. In that location are quirks and a cost premium that kept this model from making top pick, but information technology's a well-designed piece of hardware with a lifetime warranty.
All-time overall: Chamberlain - B500 Series
Chamberlain has a solid opener with all the bells and whistles for a good price. The fact that it's faster than the contest and easy to find support for makes information technology impossible not to option. Just retrieve to pick upwardly your own lag screws.
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