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I need a garage door opener

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malibu101

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Location
Walnutport PA
7x9 wooden garage door. Genie screw drive opener died on me. The second one in about 10 years. I'm done with them. They fooled me twice, shame on me.
This one just died. No lights on the button or safety eyes. It has 120VAC to the circuit board but it's dead in the water.

So, I am asking what should I look for in a new one?
I will step up and pay the price if necessary for reliability. But what's reliable?
I don't need or want any "tech" features. I simply need a wall button in the garage and a remote for the car. That is it. I would even prefer no circuit board, but nowadays everything has a microchip.

Who do you think makes the simplest and best opener on the market? And why?
 
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T_R

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Maine
I think a lot of guys on here are going to steer you towards liftmaster. They are a nice opener no doubt.

I didn't really care much about mine either, I just wanted to be able to push a button in the truck and have the door go up. So I just bought the cheapest one at home depot. It was a Chamberlain 1/2 hp for a little over $100. It does what it is supposed to. If it breaks after 5 years, I wouldn't be upset and would feel like I got my money's worth.
 
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malibu101

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Erampu said:
We've had a Genie Excelerator for several years now. It goes up fast!
Click to expand...
Thank you for your thoughts on my problem.
But, I'm not sure I can ever be convinced to ever buy another Genie opener ever again in my life.

T_R - From looking online I see that most of the pro garage door/opener installers in my area use Liftmaster. They are on my radar and was hoping to hear anyones experience with them.

By the way- I plan to install it myself. I have done a few and I am fully capable of it.
And this is in a detached garage meaning noise is of no concern to me either.
 
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James-W

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I have a Chamberlain belt drive unit that I bought at Home Depot, but it was one of the more expensive ones. It works well, no problems at all with it so far, but I have only had it for about 4 years so it is a little early to tell how reliable it is for long term use.
 
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malibu101

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Walnutport PA
Bluedodge said:
Huh.

I have a pair of Genies same age as the house (1993). Never had a lick of trouble.

Is your door / track / springs / rollers out of whack?
Click to expand...
I'm glad for you and I know my attitude towards Genie may limit me on choices.
But it's like cars, tires, washers, faucets, etc.-
What one person swears by, another person swears at.

Good point but yes my door works smoothly, quietly, and easily. I fact it's been a long time since I lifted it manually and I even thought to myself that it rolled and was counterbalanced nicely.
My problem has never been with the mechanics of the opener. My 3 experiences (the 2 Genies I mentioned and a Craftsman that was here when we bought the house) have all been circuit board failures.
Also, I installed a surge supression outlet when I installed this last opener. Guess that didn't help.
And nothing else electrical in the garage has suffered any problems like I have "bad" electric.

Me, my garage, and circuit boards do not seem to get along.
 
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LEVE

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On the Willapa
I've had three garages over the last 30 years. The first one was a 28' double with a wood garage door. I installed a Craftsman 1/2hp opener. It stayed on that door for 12 years... and then was moved to my new garage half way across the nation. That garage was a triple, and I installed the 12 year old CM opener on the single bay door. I bought another CM opener for the double wide door. 14 years later I moved again and this time my little double garage again has a CM opener.

Here are the reasons I like them:
  • The cost is reasonable.
  • They are generic. Several other companies share the parts.
  • Parts are easily purchased locally or on line.
  • They are easily repaired.
  • They've been very reliable. I did rebuild the oldest opener with new nylon gearing.
I would not hesitate to recommend a CM opener.
 
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malibu101

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LEVE - I only gave Craftsman a passing thought as the quality of their hand tools nowadays kinda precludes me of thinking of Sears for anything anymore. Thanks for putting them on my radar.

As we know, Craftsman and Kenmore don't make anything. Other manufactures make products to their specifications and brand them. AKA- house brands.
Does anyone know what manufacturer makes Craftsman garage door openers now?

EDIT- I don't know why Sears is underlined. ?
 
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upndown

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Desert Hills/Peeples Valley AZ.
I used to use only Genie openers. But over the years less so as I watched their product and reliability take a nose dive. When they sold to OHD, I severed all ties Completely!

Chamberlain products are your only viable choice now. You want something you can walk in and buy parts off the shelf if need be.

Check with a Liftmaster Dist. To see if you can get just a basic Pro Series opener. That simply means a solid rail and chain vs 3 piece rail, Chain and cable. Much stronger rail and smoother operation. Then just weigh out the price difference. Either will work!
 
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Matt M PA

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Oct 21, 2008
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SE PA
I put a pair of Sommer openers in my detached and have been well pleased. They seem a bit slower than some other units, but they work differently than others. I'm sure a search would show some videos on these...
 
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nadogail

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Coronado, CA
I have had a good history with Genie openers in my home and 4 rental houses. We bought the lowest price models with the Lifetime Warranty.

Just yesterday, a 14 year old Genie failed, but they are sending the repair parts from the factory. Two years ago they sent a replacement circuit board for the same opener.

I have had problems with an expensive Liftmaster, that the dealer blamed on the Navy ships in port. The dealer said it is a recurring intermittent problem because of the radio frequency they use. After venting to the dealer about selling me an unsuitable opener, they deeply discounted a Genie.

Garage door openers, like cars, need occasional repairs; I try to minimize the expense of them.
 
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James-W

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I think we need to keep things in perspective here. We aren't talking about an item that costs thousands of dollars, we are talking about an item in the $100 - $200 price range. We can't expect it to last for the next 50 years.
 
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malibu101

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SchuLace

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I have a Craftsman in my house that is right around 5 years old. Works great. My parents had Chamberlains in their house for about 23 years until they started to get tired.
 
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padroo

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Chesterton, In.
I have always had good results with Sears openers. I have 3, 3/4 hp in service at the moment.
I installed one for a neighbor back in the 70's and it is still working and never a problem.
 
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