Garage door openers have come a long way from the days when our parents would come home and one of the children would have to hop out of the car and open the garage door so they could pull the car in. Now it’s as easy as a remote control or a smart phone.

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“All-Pro Quality Garage Doors Inc. of San Diego is announcing their final clearance of the year” says Paul Fadden, office manager at All-Pro
A garage door serves many functions in your home from keeping the heat out of your garage during the hot summer months to dramatically improving the curb appeal of your house.So through the months of December 2011 and January 2012 All-Pro Quality Garage Doors Inc. is offering discounts on any and all insulated garage doors…”At first we were going to offer savings on what we currently have in stock in our warehouse but opted instead to offer discounts on any and all insulated doors so that the customer is not limited to any particular color or style, just because thats what we happen to have left, so now you can have the insulated door of your choice and save some money as well,” announced Paul.
All-Pro Quality Garage Doors Inc. Is looking to kick off 2012 the same way they start every new year…by SAVING YOU MONEY! So when summer hits you will be prepared with a beautiful new insulated garage door.
Jamie…an installer for All-Pro says that “folks don’t realize how much hotter your garage can get in the summer months with a non-insulated garage door, the metal just radiates a lot of heat, and that heat rises to the upstairs rooms of the house” So for an average of a hundred dollars more to upgrade to an insulated model can be well worth the investment.
So stop on by the All-Pro Quality Garage Doors Inc. showroom at 8878 Clairemont Mesa Blvd in centrally located Kearny Mesa and see if they can get you into the insulated door of your choice and save you some money all at the same time!!
For more info check out their website at http://www.allproqgd.com

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Whats new in the world of garage doors?

When that time comes to once again think about replacing an appliance in their household a lot of folks out there are wondering…whats new? Is that fancy new clothes dryer more efficient now? How about the new flat screen TV’s and microwave ovens…whats new?

Well my dryer, TV, and microwave are all still working and much like you I’m not buying anything new until the one I have is completely dead, and yes I do realize the consequences of waiting until the last minute before replacing it, you will end up in a rush to replace the item, make a hasty decision and regret it for the next 5 years, I do the same things you folks do, even though I know better. The difference is that when your dryer goes out you can probably do without it for a week or two…after all there is still the clothes-line option. If your TV konks out, well its been a while since I’ve read a good book anyway and what about that microwave? Well I guess dinner will just take a little bit longer to cook for the next week or so.

If however your garage door konks out, it is within reality that your car could quite possibly be stuck in the garage!! Can you get by for a week without a car? So I will put this article out there for those that read it to inform them of whats currently going on in the garage door world.

Naturally the trend for the last 10-15 years or better as far as garage doors themselves go is the “steel sectional” door, many of you have probably noticed in your own neighborhoods that the old style one piece slab doors that we have here in California are slowly but surely being replaced with the newer styles of sectionals, drive down most streets and you will see more of these than any other type of door while back in 1990 it was just the opposite, but as sure as the seasons and weather conditions change…this effect has taken its toll on the wooden doors of the past. Now as we rapidly approach 2012 the trends for new doors are leaning towards different styles of patterns such as the old school “Carriage House” look or the more modern contemporary “Flush” panel design or even the ultra modern “Full View” or (all window) look, but keep in mind not every house has the look to accommodate one of these three styles of doors, some houses are more fitted to the “Ranch” or (Long panel) design or even the “Colonial” or (Short panel) design of the 80s, in any event, panel designs and colors are now coming to the forefront of new trends.

Next on the list would be what the doors are made of, there are new materials being used as well designs, such as fiberglass, vinyl and insulated steel have surged well past wooden garage doors these days although the basic steel door is still the market leader just based on price and availability, but for those looking for a high end stain grade wood sectional garage door it would really pay off to take a closer look at the fiberglass models, they look like stained wood, they are expensive like wood but that’s where the similarities end, these fiberglass doors are fully insulated and metal backed, which is much nicer looking on the inside than wood and with these types of materials they will far outlast any wood products, but they are limited on sizes available.

Vinyl is also another material being used for garage doors, they are hard to find and very expensive but an option nonetheless for those living right on the beach, they (vinyl doors) are insulated and have a flush vinyl backing but I’m only aware of one manufacturer that is currently making them and like I said they are expensive.

The most practical way to go is “Insulated steel” these doors keep summer heat out, winter heat in, as well as cutting down on operational and street noise and being a relative bargain for the benefits, they look nice on the inside as well as the outside and are available in a multitude of panel designs, this is a rapidly rising trend especially in areas of excessive heat like Arizona and Nevada as well as the cold states in the north east.

Garage door “safety features” is another up and coming trend such as “pinch resistant” panels so those operating their door by hand won’t get their fingers caught between the sections, the various manufacturers have all gone about this in different ways and designs due to patent rights and such but the main theme here is to get the sections to not separate enough when operating to allow ones fingers to get pinched. Amarr Garage Doors currently has by far the best design. Other manufacturers have have had other various safety features to keep ones fingers from getting pinched by the rollers or caught in the tracks but the main problem has always been the fingers in the sections type of injury.

So to sum it up…the garage door industry is chugging along and keeping up with technology as best it can, giving consumers (that aren’t in a rush to slap in the first and cheapest thing offered to them) a variety of styles, colors, safety features and choices not previously available, so when it comes time to buy the one item that quite possibly takes up to 40% of the front look of your house at the very least you now know there are many ways to actually improve that look when your garage door finally needs replacing.

Next week I will cover new trends for garage door openers. That one will be a real eye opener, so stay tuned.

Is the question…I frequently get asked by folks out there in do-it-yourself-land, and there are several factors to consider when thinking about doing a job that is potentially that dangerous. Your personal skill level when it comes to understanding and using tools is the first thing to consider, this is also known as being “mechanically inclined” …do you have the right tools to do the job? A ladder, the right size sockets and wrenches, a pair of what we in the industry refer to as “winding bars” ? Are you familiar with your tools ? or are they sitting there all nice and neat on your workbench to be used as a conversation piece at the next man cave gathering with your buddies ? Most folks like that are not inclined to try a repair like this but you never know so this should be addressed.

Is it worth it?

Next on my list of factors to consider, is can you get, or should I say do you have a source where you can buy the right torsion springs for your particular type of door? If so, then I would advise you to ask a lot of  questions when you go to pick up the springs. The last thing to consider is “value” do you have all day or should I say, is it worth it to you to spend all day on this project with all of its dangers, problems and pitfalls when a professional can do it in less than an hour for around $250.00 including the torsion springs, which you have to go and get if you tackle this yourself ?

What do you think?

A lot of places won’t sell to the public based on that simple principle, that it is just too dangerous for the average homeowner to tackle, I say let the homeowner decide that. Auto parts stores sell brake fluid and flush kits but isn’t it dangerous to be tampering with your cars brake system? Are we not smart enough to decide what the consequences could be if your vehicle fails to stop? and lets not get into car batteries, they could be dangerous as well.

The question I do not like to answer is “Do you think I could change the springs on my door myself ?” First off, only you can answer that because anything I tell you is based on my own personal skill level and I could probably change your torsion springs blindfolded, six feet up a ladder, upside down and on fire, so my opinion wont matter. I can tell you how to do it and I can walk you through it over the phone but its up to you to have the necessary skills and mechanical inclination to understand and really grasp what it is I’m telling you to do.

Best advice

My best advise to someone thinking about doing their own “torsion spring” replacement is to call around to your local garage door companies and get a general idea of how much this is going to cost you, then weigh the odds that you could actually pull this off on your own and come out ahead of the game without an expensive trip to the emergency room or a very angry wife that wants to get to work tomorrow.

So the question remains… not if but when your garage door springs break,

to spring or not to spring, choose wisely.

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A day in the life of All-Pro Quality Garage Doors Inc.

Usually starts out the same…finishes the same…with a little bit of …”the same” thrown into the middle of the day. We usually field about 200 calls a day between the three of us here in the shop, and the calls usually break down like this 25-30 of these calls are sales calls (window cleaning, janitorial services, “we’ll get you on the first page of google” calls, etc) then you have another 40-50 calls from the do-it-yourself folks out there looking for garage door and opener parts, which is always nice because we are one of the very few companies here in San Diego that actually stocks 99% of all parts, so I actually enjoy speaking with these people about parts and how to go about fixing their machines or doors. That is what we love to do! Then we get the 20-30 calls about the garage doors themselves that no one here likes to take and it starts like this…”Yeah I was wondering whats the price of your cheapest door and could you do it today?”… no one here likes these calls and for several reasons.

People that ask that question do not care one bit about anything but cheap…cheap…cheap, and All-Pro doesn’t  do cheap nor do we like to ever use the word “Cheap” we have to warranty what we sell and cheap is never cheap down the road. Keep this in mind, cheap=expensive, but they don’t want to hear this so they quickly hang up and move on, these people are what we consider “future” All-Pro customers because I can guarantee you that they will be needing a garage door repair within the next two years, only this repair won’t be cheap. Its hard enough to keep cheap stuff running much less to fix it, you have to keep in mind that these types of products are made and designed to fail. People think since (to the average eye)  all doors look the same that they are the same and that they last the same and that they are all of the same quality but they are not, I’m not saying you have to buy the most expensive to get the best…far from it, you just need an experienced estimator that is not attached in any way to one particular brand of garage door, in other words you need an open minded person to guide you to something reasonably priced that fits your budget and your house, anyway I’m rambling again but calls like this remind me of a movie I once saw called “Ground hog day” and we will continue to get these calls every day. Its just the way it is.

There’s always that smattering of calls through out the day from customers that we’ve dealt with before as well as the numerous property management companies and contractors that we deal with on a regular basis, now these are folks that know us…and we know them, they know what to expect from us. These are businesses that would rather have a company that is dependable and able to repair most anything and yet count on us to give them an honest opinion on what to do when something is broken, rather than just to sell them new doors and openers every time. I enjoy talking with these folks as there’s no need to try and convince them  of who we are….they already know.

My favorite call through out the day though is the homeowner that is just starting out the process of looking for a new door or opener or both, and they have done their diligent homework and now are starting to get to the tough questions…the details if you may, such as the various types of drive systems, the type of hardware that each door come with. They want options, they want choices and they are not in a rush, so they won’t be bullied into what someone else wants them to have, now these are the customers that I enjoy speaking with, these are the folks that are willing to listen to the 25yrs of knowledge I have acquired in this business and have an open mind to what I have to say regarding doors and openers and repairs, its an opportunity for me to kick my feet up on the desk and dig into my mostly untapped thoughts on whats going to work for you. This I like!

Last but not least there are the folks that we help out over the phone, this makes up a vast majority of our daily calls, so sale, no money, just good ol’ fashioned advice, it may be hard to believe but if you are willing to try a few things when your garage door opener or garage door is having problems, then I am certainly willing to walk you through it. There are adjustments on most openers and since there are adjustments… this means they can occasionally come out of adjustment. Sometimes its unbelievably simple, the turn of a force control dial for instance is a common one, yet few people are unaware of the fact that “Atmospheric” or weather conditions can play a major role in how your door and operator work.

Have you ever noticed when the weather turns cold or rainy that that’s typically when things start acting up? Though it all worked fine through out the entire summer. Most times its an “adjustment” that you can do yourself, now it doesn’t mean a tweek here and there is going to solve a more complicated situation but know this…when you call around looking for advice in this business… most (and I do mean most!) companies wont give you the time of day unless it means money in their pocket, they are just not willing to go the extra mile and risk losing that easy 150 bucks and give you advice on something you could possibly do to remedy your problem. We do!! and its what makes us All-Pro Quality Garage Doors Inc.

So to bring this thought or should I say… this article to a conclusion, if you have made it this far down the page you now have a better understanding of what we do, five days a week through out the year for over two decades……..

Is it time well spent?….or not. “You make the Call”

Garage door opener remote control distances and range may vary depending on the part of town you are in, for example an opener in Point Loma or La Jolla (coastal) will not get anywhere near the range an opener might expect to get in Santee or Lakeside (Inland) simply based on whats floating around in the air. There are a multitude of frequencies floating around constantly from radio signals to military operations and that’s what determines how well your remote is going to work .  

I live in Santee (Inland) and I typically find the range to be good, it does vary from day to day between 80 to 100 feet and like most of you I’m looking for maximum range so when I noticed the range on my gate slowly going down.. down.. down, I waited until it got to the point where I needed to be right in front of it to open, then I started with the antenna, since it is exposed to the weather I took it down and replaced it with an old TV antenna I had and now my range is roughly 300-400 feet…. Problem solved !!

The need for better reception

Now that doesn’t mean that you can do the same thing because my antenna wire for my gate is coax cable…your antenna is simply a wire, but the various opener manufacturers have acknowledged a need for better reception in and around the coastal areas and as of late have been producing garage door openers that run on dual frequencies, this means that the transmitter or remote control will emit two frequencies at the same time and the receiver built into the opener will grab the strongest signal making it atleast twice as good as before if not near perfect.

What you have to realize is that the frequencies our door openers run on is a frequency owned by the military and when they excersize their right to jam those frequencies there is not a thing you or I can do about it….NOTHING! We just have to be patient and wait it out, and I suppose after more of these single frequency machines start getting replaced by the newer models these problems will slowly go away. There are some things you can do right now to “help” increase your range but none are guaranteed to work and all are quite expensive. You can have an external antenna installed outside with coax cable but I’ve tried that in the past with limited success and by the time all is said and done you’ve come up a few dollars short of a new machine with the dual freq receiver already built into it.

The Liftmaster Rep told me last month that they have tested the dual freq machines near a military base in Florida and it worked flawlessly and Genie’s system is basically the same so to sum up this article I would say you now have two logical choices when living on the coast…#1- Replace the opener you currently have, regardless of how old it is, with one of the newer dual freq machines, or #2- Wait until the manufacturers come out with this dual freq in an external receiver that you can attach to your existing machine although keep in mind it’s not practical to spend 90 bucks on parts plus labor on a new receiver and two new remotes if your current system is over 10 yrs old.

So If you are in that group of folks constantly having range problems with your garage door remote control…solutions to your frustrations are on the horizon.

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All-Pro Quality Garage Doors Inc  gets alot of calls regarding a garage door tune-up and I must say that I’m not a big fan of this, first of all the word “tune-up” is a key word for those unscrupulous companies with no skills but very good at getting the opportunity to sell you a ton of stuff you don’t need while at the very least showing up with nothing more than a can of  spray lube  and some new rollers (with your name on it) ready and willing to sell sell sell, and get you to believe that you should have someone come out once a year to do this…nonsense! What a garage door company hears when you ask for a tune up is…. “Hey I’ve got 60-80 bucks to throw away, would you like to stop by and relieve me of my extra money?”

Do I need “yearly maintenance?”

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not coming out against routine or preventative maintenance, I am however suggesting you stay clear of those that advertise it as a special. When you think about having someone come out to do what I refer to as “general service” be specific on the phone as to whether or not anything on the door or opener is concerning you because we do a general service on every stop even if its initially just to screw in a new light bulb, you address that problem first and foremost because you will always get the general service anyway as part of the deal. In other words if you call me out because your wireless keypad stopped working, when I finish with that, I am automatically going to give everything the once over, its included at no extra charge to you.

Lets take a minute to analyze and determine when you actually need someone to come out. First off if you purchase a home you should start fresh and have someone come out and do a general service, that way you have a starting point. Most of the time when you buy a house, an inspector will give it the once over,  but inspectors do not specialize in garage doors and openers and are not versed in the various safety reversing systems built into today’s garage door openers.

Types of garage doors

There are basically two types of garage doors out there, “one piece” and “sectional”…lets start with the one piece door, there are 5 main pivot points on the hinges of the door and if any of them are in need of lube they will generally squeak pretty bad, indicating they need maintenance or lube, if they are worn,  your door will move side to side and bounce a bit more than it should and a tune up is not going to help you whatsoever, your hinges and springs  should be replaced. If the door sags in the middle then the “truss rods” (going the length of the door top and bottom) should be tightened until it comes up level and trust me that will not be done by most companies doing a “tune up”. If you want to keep your “300lb gorilla” otherwise known as a one piece door working its best for years to come the single best thing to do is to paint it…inside and out, keeping it waterproof and not allowing water to soak in and rot it, then a bit of high quality spray lube on the pivot points every few years or when it squeaks is the best thing you can do.

Steel sectional doors are different in that they can be (at times) more maintenance than a one piece door, no they don’t soak up water and get heavy, no they don’t rot and warp, but they do have more moving parts which means the chances of it being installed correctly are less than on a one piece door, they are more likely to  squeak and make noise simply due to all the moving parts, but it doesn’t have to be that way. There are typically 12  hinges on a normal door and if they were put on crooked (which is easy to do) they will continue to grind and squeak even after lubing, they should be straightened or gapped and you wont get either from the guy doing  a “tune-up special”. The other problem with sectionals is that since there are so many moving parts its very easy for the shady “garage door companies” to convince you that these parts are worn out, keep in mind that yes… there are alot of moving parts but  the good thing is they don’t move very fast so the parts if installed properly rarely wear out in less than 15 to 20 years with the exception of the spring which doesn’t “wear out” it just breaks.

So keep your eyes and ears tuned to your garage door and opener for unusual sounds and movement that could be an indicator of problems to come and do not call around looking for a bargain and leave you and your families safety in the hands of a guy with a can of lube.

Let’s talk garage doors…and maybe I can attempt to answer some of the questions you might ask, based on the questions I get over the phone everyday. Now first off, is it going to cost you anymore to wait until a problem arises before getting a new door? Answer=…YES…in the fact that #1-you just missed work that day because your car is stuck in the garage. #2- If you think you are going to find a “legitimate” garage door company to come out and repair or replace it within the hour its just not going to happen…(most legit companies are usually booked out atleast a day, simply because they have a good reputation, and alot of repeat customers. Bad companies are waiting by the phone for the next sucker!!) what will happen though is the path most people take when they are in a panic is the wrong one, when you’re in a panic, bad decisions will flow one after another. So the final answer is YES if you wait until something breaks it could cost you substantially more.

The first mistake you will make is using the phonebook, the second is calling the biggest ad in the phonebook, not noticing that they have four full page ads  in a row (just to make sure you don’t go elsewhere) and show a picture in the ad of a half dozen or so trucks just waiting to help you out, yet they usually have nothing more than a p.o box listed as their address and you should plan on them charging you more just to get your old clunker back up and running than you would have spent last year on a whole new door! so yes if you wait until something happens then it could cost you up to twice as much when all is said and done.

The second mistake is how and what you ask for over the phone when shopping for a new door, I get the call everyday asking whats the cost of our cheapest door? I answer that with a question of my own “The cheapest now or the cheapest later?” meaning if you buy a cheap door now it will cost you plenty when it falls apart, on the other hand if you spend a little more now on a decent door, it shouldn’t cost you anything more for years to come (thus being cheaper in the long run) Don’t go cheap!!! it doesn’t pay off.

The third mistake is where, or I should say who… you buy your door from. I get to a lot of jobs where…as I’m looking over their problem I find myself thinking where in the world did you get this stuff, the customer claims that their door is only a few years old yet the door or opener they have up there is from a mfg that’s been out of business for 12-15 yrs and they don’t remember who that company was, now don’t get me wrong…I wouldn’t expect the consumer to know that but had they gone with a solid, long standing company with a good reputation the chances are good that this would not have happened.

Stick with a company that knows their business, don’t think your going to get a good deal or even good service from the big box retailers out there either I have plenty of experience with that as well, here’s how they operate…you go into the big box retailer and decide you want a garage door so you fill out all the forms, pick out the door and opener you want while talking with a guy who was working in the plumbing department just last week and now your expecting legitimate and knowledgeable answers regarding your situation for a garage door???? and then here’s the kicker, now you have to pay IN FULL in advance before they even send someone out to measure you’re opening. Its a mind-boggling chain of mis-communication even dealing with them, (1) first you deal with the guy working the department that day, (2)then they contact the mfg of the brand of garage door you picked out, (3)then the mfg contacts one of their dealers,(4) then the dealer contacts you in order to come out and measure, (5) then he submits the measurements to the mfg who forwards them to the retailer (6) then the retailer gives the go-ahead to the mfg, (7) the mfg then contacts the dealer again (8) the dealer then contacts you again to set up the install.

That’s just to get the ball rolling, then in three months when the garage door is squealing like a pig or if you have any other problems, (be it minor or not) you have to start all over again at #(1), you are not under any circumstances to deal directly with the installing company, therefore problems must start at the guy working the dept where you ordered the garage door.

Here’s how it should work…you call us and from then on there’s only one number and one line of communication, we deal with you and we deal with the mfg and there are no middlemen, simple is just that…simple.     

Now that we’ve covered some common mistakes that could cost you a fortune in time and frustration lets go over how to actually choose a garage door, if your looking at some web pages and you notice that every one of the companies you’ve visited sell “Wayne-Dalton” or say…”Amarr” brand of doors that tells you two things #1 if I have a problem down the road I’ve got choices as to who I can have fix my door if one of the Amarr dealers is booked for the next few days I can easily find another one, which is not the case if you buy a lesser known Martin or a Raynor door. If you own one of these mfg’s doors you very well could be limited to one or maybe two companies in all of San Diego that carry them, that in turn means…”less competition equals higher prices and less choice” stick with the brands most dealers carry.

If you’re still not clear on which door is for you then find a multi-line dealer and ask them some questions, the reason I say “multi-line” is because if a dealer or garage door company only sells one brand then they will always tell you that its the best…the best for what?? the best for every application? NO, no single mfg makes a perfect line of garage door models, each mfg has something the other doesn’t and who’s to say that one particular brand is perfect for you’re application! Once again it goes back to choice, the more brands available to you the more choices you have. Once your at the point where you are discussing prices, colors, styles and sizes with a reputable, multi-line dealer with a local address, that doesn’t use “subcontractors” to do the installs then you are on your way to getting the best garage door for your home, the best doesn’t always mean the most expensive, it could just mean the best for your budget and for your house!!

Hopefully if you’ve read and understand this article then you should be pointed in the right direction, if you choose to go it on your own…good luck!! You are about to meet a cast of characters you thought were only in the movies….horror movies!!!!

Class is now in session!!

There are many types of garage door openers out there, so which one is right for you?? The first thing you have to realize, is that garage door openers are not a one size fits all application. Garage door openers are made to function better if its on the right type of door, most of our repairs are done on machines that are either installed wrong or the opener is on the wrong type of door, and in a lot of cases just a low quality opener. Now so far I’ve used the words “opener” and “machine” both have the same meaning, they refer to the entire mechanized operation so when I say “opener” I’m not referring to the handheld device in your car…that’s called a “remote control” or just “remote”. With that being said there are several types of garage door openers on the market.. there are screw-drives, there are chain-drives there are belt-drives and last but not least direct-drives commonly referred to as “Jackshafts”. But lets take them one at a time and start with…

Screw-Drives

These machines have been popular (not necessarily good) on all types of doors for the better part of 45 years but…because of their design they do require regular maintenance. Back in the late 6Os,7Os and early 8Os, Genie used a very durable steel in the “carriage” or “trolley” design and the machines were tough! Even without grease on the screw they would run for what seemed like forever then they switched to a lighter grade steel and all that went downhill, the openers would still go as long as any out there provided you regularly greased the screw but who ever does that!! So the average life of the Genie screw-drive trolley was about 4-5 years and that’s being generous, Liftmaster or Chamberlain or Craftsman,all made by the same mfg…(Chamberlain) also has a screw-drive and it has the same problem so to counter that  they use a plastic inner trolley and a self lubricating housing around the screw to keep the heat and wear down, but the self lubricating housing realistically only lasts about a year..or the equivalent of your warranty then its back to the same ol, same ol, grease grease grease. My official opinion on screw-drives is…stay away from them, they are old technology with new materials, would you sell your grandma a screwdrive?…..I don’t think so.

Chain Drives

This type of machine has been around for as long as screwdrives give or take 5yrs and they have come along way. Chain-drives have always been very durable machines but caught a bit of a bad rap when Sears started selling a do-it-yourself model from Chamberlain called the Craftsman, now this machine, although called a “chain-drive” was driven by a chain on one side and a cable on the other and it seemed like nothing could be done to make this thing quiet because the cable would stretch until it broke at the loop. So from then on the chain-drives started getting a bad rap as a “coffee-grinder” or noisy machine, although it wasn’t a true chain-drive.The Liftmaster 1300 series of chain-drives…dollar for dollar are as good a machine as you can get, they are versatile, in that they can handle any type of door from heavy wood to light steel, one-piece or sectional and they are powerful and inexpensive and relatively speaking, low maintenance, but to get to this point they have had many good improvements along the way. Chamberlain has added a chain spreader which keeps the chain from slapping the rail, they switched out the steel worm gear to a nylon worm gear to reduce heat on the helical gear and they removed the two tension springs off the inner trolley to reduce door bounce and its a solid one piece rail with a full wrap around chain. The components on this machine can handle what the motor puts out, so in most cases you don’t need a 1/2 hp to lift the door, and as far as routine maintenance goes..there’s virtually none, just have the two nylon gears inside the motor case lubed every 7 yrs and that’s about it. The two models I prefer that have been real work horses for us over the last two decades are currently called #1346=1/3 hp and #1356=1/2 hp.

Belt-Drives

Several manufacturers make belt-drives these days but I like to stick with the most reliable brand which to me is Liftmaster, we carry most brands but prefer to sell the brand with the least amount of problems so lets focus on Liftmaster belt-drives for now. Keep in mind that belt-drive openers are a VERY door specific machine, they do NOT work on 1pc doors very well or for very long and should NOT be installed on a 1pc door. If you have a belt drive on your 1pc door do not call us to fix it because it will never run properly or for very long.. no matter what we do, its just not the application or machine for that type of door period.To keep it simple there are two types of belt-drives…AC and DC.

The AC model belt-drive known as a formula I or # 3280 is one of the early model belt-drives and essentially its a chain-drive motorhead that’s driving a belt instead of chain. It is minutely quieter than a chain-drive minus the power and to me… not a good machine, but an easy one to sell because its cheaper than a DC model and the general public doesn’t know the difference, they just know belt-drives are supposed to be top of the line and this is a belt-drive, so they are none the wiser to the tricks, dealers can buy these types of machines much cheaper than their DC motor counterparts and sell them for the belt-drive (premium) price. What makes a DC motor belt-drive quiet is the motor! Otherwise why would they even offer it in DC, plus the other benefit is being able to have a battery back-up attached so it will run even with the power out.

In its simplest form a DC motor puts out more torque than an AC motor and the horsepower for DC is rated in “Newtons” rather than HP but the DC motors also have a slow start/slow stop feature which helps keep the entire operation quiet. When an AC motor machine is activated it goes O-60 or should I say “O to full speed” in one shot…the second you push the button, but the door on the other hand is not on the same page and wants to resist the sudden force and that’s where alot of the noise comes from..basically its the jerky-ness of the door resisting the opener, where as the slow start of the DC machines act as a smoother motivator for the door to get it going without all the jerky-ness, and it does the same as it comes to a stop, so for the first two inches and at the last two inches it slows down, greatly reducing the clanky-ness of the entire operation.

The DC machines also calibrate the pressure needed to operate a door based on its resistance and weight electronically which leaves little room for installer error, in other words the installer cannot set the machine to crush your car hood or your cat, AC motors are at the mercy of the installer, if he sets the force adjustment too high, it crushes, if he sets it too low the door will bounce back up on a cold or wet morning while you are happily driving off to work not knowing your garage door will be open all day and that brand spankin new Craftsman tool box you just got for your birthday is about to be sold for a fraction of the price its worth at the local swap meet….all because you thought you got a belt-drive garage door opener for a bargain price!! Final thoughts…AC motor belt-drives= not good (better off with a chain-drive) DC motor belt-drives=Very good, very quiet, but very door specific. (Only works on a sectional door)

Jack-Shaft (Direct Drive)

This section is simple because there is literally only one available and its a Liftmaster # 3800, and it will only work on sectional doors. So for those of you looking for a machine that does not mount to the ceiling like a traditional machine does, the Liftmaster #3800 might just be what you’re looking for, its quiet, has (800 Newtons) or the equivalent of  3/4 hp and mounts on either end of the torsion tube provided you have atleast  10 inches of side clearance, so the idea behind this opener is that if you have a room above the garage it removes completely… the vibration of a typical opener that hangs off the ceiling, or if you have a low beam in the garage that supports the second story of your house or have had a loft or storage shelving installed where a typical opener would be mounted you could still automate your door using this type of machine. It can also be used on applications where you just simply don’t want an opener hanging down in the middle of your garage.I have found over the years that the #3800 likes the heavier sectional doors vs the light non-insulated models, another benefit of this type of machine is that it will lift a sectional door up to 13 feet high with no modifications while a normal machine only lifts doors up to 7’4″  with a normal railed machine you would need to get a longer rail to accommodate the added height of say an 8′–9′ or 10 ft high opening which is becoming more common in newer houses.The Liftmaster #3800 has been a very reliable alternative for us since 2004 and we also have one of these as a working model in our showroom, so if  you think this might be something that interests you, stop by and check  out our working models.

So to sum it all up the choices are many, but choose an opener that works best on your type of door with the tips I’ve provided in this article and you should get 15 to 20 good years of service from it.

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