Need advice for garage door opener

[fireman0977]

I have 3 doors in my shop i need garage door openers for

8'x8' a 10'x10' and a 11'x12' door.

I would like to get openers for all of them. Also would like to have the same type if possible. Only thing is I am not able to find alot of info for garage door openers that would handle an 11' tall door. So far I like the 3800 but have heard you have to get the springs exactly right to get it to work right.

Anyway, throw me some ideas

Scott

 

[FJ 432]

I have a 10' by 16' front door that I installed a 3/4hp craftsman opener. Works fine but you have to buy a 3 foot extension. Cost was 175.00 for the opener and another 45.00 for the extension kit. I installed it myself.

Does your door have to raise all 11 feet? If not I might consider this option. the important part is balancing the spring right so that the opener doesn't have to work as hard.

 

[altonj]

We just had a 3800 installed in our home. After years of using a variety of standard overhead openers in a number of homes we finally went this route. Should have done it years ago. Nice and quiet, deadbolt security and no overhead fixturing. Love it!! Our current home has a garage with a 11'6" ceiling and we installed a high lift at the same time that puts the door just a couple of inches from the ceiling when open. Get one and you will not regret it!!!!

Cheers

 

[BHR4CE1]

3800 user here as well. This thing is the best. So glad we did it.

 

[pattenp]

So far I like the 3800 but have heard you have to get the springs exactly right to get it to work right.

Scott

The door needs to be balanced just as it does for any opener. You just need the springs adjusted so the door stays open on its own at about the half way open point. I have a 18ft x 8ft steel door and the closed weight is about 20lbs. You can use a bathroom scale to see what kind of weight your door has when closed. I have a 3800 on my door.

 

[billyjk7]

I found out that slick deals had the Craftsman (sears online) 3/4 hp belt drive ones that were reg 279.00 for a 100 bucks off (online). In addition to that, there is a 18 dollar discount per unit when added to your cart and if you pay via visa, there is another 35 dollar discount on purchases over 300 bucks. I just bought 2 the other day and got em for about 152 a piece out the door. These are the mack Daddy ones with all of the sensors, remotes, thermometer and light sensors. Also has a keyless numeric pad for each opener!

 

[Sarki]

I installed 2 3800 Lift Masters last year on my two 10'W x 9'H overhead wood doors. These doors are monsters and the 3800's handle them with ease. Like the others have said, sure is nice with the hi-lift track as they come to rest just 4" from the ceiling. If using the hi-lift tracks be sure to take your lighting into consideration as you don't want the retracted doors to smash your light fixtures.

 

[autoclassicnut]

I have a Martin door and opener... it is very quiet and it freaks people out when I open the door using the button and they don't know it. Have had more than a dozen people claim they didn't even know it was going up until it got brighter in there.

 

[BTC]

I'm building a house. The garage doors are supposed to be installed next week. I think I'm getting the Liftmaster 3850's for my doors. I kinda wish I would have asked for the 3800's and paid the difference, but the 3850's have been ordered and delivered. If I ever do a lift, it's many years down the road.

 

[Chris Adams]

Still another vote for the 3800.
I have a Genie screw drive (belts die fast in our heat) in my garage and a 3800 in the shop.
Both doors are less than 18 months old, both professionally installed. The Genie was pro installed, I installed the 3800.
Love the 3800, don't like the Genie. Too noisy, slow, 'clunky' and not as secure.

The 3800 is smooth, quiet, fast and when the lock sets, as secure as a segmented door can be.

Also, a very easy install.

One downside on the 3800. It uses a 'wireless' light system that *****. It likes to stay on, at random. Also turn on at random. I have to unplug the light unit itself to 'fix' it, and then after a few days it pops on again.
This seems entirely in the light unit, nothing to do with the opener itself.
Mostly, I leave the light unplugged. We don't really need it in my shop as we seldom park in the shop after dark, or if we do, the overhead lights are on.

 

[pattenp]

Chris, I have two 3800's and I've only had one time that I recall that I had to reprogram the lights and that was after a lighting strike. Other than that my lights have worked without a hitch. Sounds to me that you may have a defective light or something else is going on.

 

[mrobins297aaa]

I have the 3800 on a 18' x 8' door with a 4' high lift kit and it works perfectly

 

[fireman0977]

Thanks for all the replies, looks like I might get one of the craftsman units and a 3800 for right now. From what I gather they aren't to bad to install.

 

[nehog]

I have a 10' by 16' front door that I installed a 3/4hp craftsman opener. Works fine but you have to buy a 3 foot extension. Cost was 175.00 for the opener and another 45.00 for the extension kit. I installed it myself.

Does your door have to raise all 11 feet? If not I might consider this option. the important part is balancing the spring right so that the opener doesn't have to work as hard.

Same setup as mine, and works well. It is remotely possible you can tweak that Sears with the extension kit to get 11 ft, but I would not absolutely promise it will work. I know there is a bit of play left on mine when the door is fully up.

 

[andersen24]

I had a 3800 installed on mine - and have been WAY happy with it. It will be the ONLY garage door opener I go with! I think the key was I had them installed!!!!

 

[BPJOOP93]

What would be wrong with a jackshaft operator?? mounted on wall nothing hanging down in the way.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I have Wayne Dalton doors on both the house garage and my garage (goota match right ?) On the house garage, I used Wayne dalton I-Drive openers, they mount right on the torsion spring. That's right above the door and no opener hanging from the ceiling, just a small light.

I have no openers in my garage but if I put some out there, I think I'd check into the Liftmasters, they seem to have a good reputation here.

 

[BHR4CE1]

One downside on the 3800. It uses a 'wireless' light system that *****. It likes to stay on, at random. Also turn on at random. I have to unplug the light unit itself to 'fix' it, and then after a few days it pops on again.
This seems entirely in the light unit, nothing to do with the opener itself.
Mostly, I leave the light unplugged. We don't really need it in my shop as we seldom park in the shop after dark, or if we do, the overhead lights are on.

I had some issues with my light as well. Come to find out that it is programmed to come on every time you break the beam walking in and out of the garage. Now that I know that... it was actually doing what it is designed to do. I turned the "motion" setting to OFF so it only came on when the beam was broken. Because of all the automation going on in my garage, we really didn't need the factory light, so in the end...we just disconnected it.

 

[Chris Adams]

Chris, I have two 3800's and I've only had one time that I recall that I had to reprogram the lights and that was after a lighting strike. Other than that my lights have worked without a hitch. Sounds to me that you may have a defective light or something else is going on.

I think you are right, as I say, it is probably defective.

I could have warrantied it, but frankly, it wasn't enough of a problem.

It has nothing to do with the opener, or controls, as it is not fastened to them.
If it is plugged in my house, way out of radio range of the opener, it does the same thing.
If I cared I would replace the light module.

The opener itself is awesome.

 

[Chris Adams]

I had some issues with my light as well. Come to find out that it is programmed to come on every time you break the beam walking in and out of the garage. Now that I know that... it was actually doing what it is designed to do. I turned the "motion" setting to OFF so it only came on when the beam was broken. Because of all the automation going on in my garage, we really didn't need the factory light, so in the end...we just disconnected it.

Yes, first thing I tried. So I moved the light module down to a closet in my house for a couple days to test it. Same random popping on. My lighting module is obviously nuts. Should replace it, but I don't really have enough interest at this time.