Quiet garage door opener

[ajchien]

I have a one month old baby, and in a few months we will consider moving her into her own room. Her room, unfortunately is immediate above the garage.

Do you guys have recommendations on quiet garage door openers?

Or a list of things I should consider?

Thanks.

 

[Gendaito]

Not an expert on garage door openers, but generally the belt-drive type are quieter than the chain-drive ones.

You could also try insulating the floor between the garage and the baby's room. That will decrease some of the noise.

Also, with our kids we used a white noise machine which drowned out a lot of noises that would otherwise wake them up.

 

[mixxmstrmike]

Belt drive Liftmaster openers are one of the quietest in the market. You can't quite go wrong.

-Mike

 

[Riverrojo]

My 3/4 hp belt drive craftsman with battery backup is the quietest I've heard. Now you can even use your smartphone to operate it! Got mine on craftsman club sale for $200 last year.

 

[K4luf]

My belt drive craftsman is really quiet. The sound that the rollers make moving along the track is actually louder than the slight hum that the motor makes.

 

[djjsr]

I replaced my old chaindrive unit with a Chamberlain belt drive unit and it's definitely quieter. Then I added a few 2x4's to tie the trusses together in the area were the opener is mounted and that also helped a bit. Next step (I haven't done it yet) is to modify a couple of exhaust pipe hangers, the steel & rubber type, to further isolate the drive from the ceiling structure.

 

[Cougar67]

What may be a problem now will go away in a few months. By the time your baby is about 8 months old she'll be able to sleep through everything!

 

[e-tek]

HaHaHa!! Our has always been LOUD - and at times quit annoying - but it NEVER occured to me to change it out for something quiter......D'oh!!

 

[jweller]

My 3/4 hp belt drive craftsman with battery backup is the quietest I've heard. Now you can even use your smartphone to operate it! Got mine on craftsman club sale for $200 last year.

A guy I work with installed one of those, and frankly, the security aspect of how the smartphone connects over the internet frightens the **** outta me.

 

[Super Sport]

Craftsman belt drives are amazingly quiet. I'm sure it's true for any brand with a belt drive.

 

[scotstern]

Buy a Linear DC operator. Clearly the lowest noise unit on the market. You can barely hear it. Look for it at www.linearcorp.com. They make the best operators and they are not expensive.

 

[machine_punk]

When I moved into this house, about 4 years ago, I had the garage door and the opener replaced. It was dead quiet (Chamberlain, I think). I haven't kept up with the routine maintenance (something you should do every 6 months...lube with silicon spray), and it is a little noisier now. So, my recommendation is ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, according to the garage door opener's manual.

 

[pauldeere]

I replaced my old noisy chaind drive opener last summer with a 3/4 Horse Sears track drive with the battery back up. We have a attached 2 car garage. Talk about quiet, you can not hear the door open or close from inside the house. At the time this opener was on sale for $179.00...........

 

[KCarGuy]

Belt Drive Opener and Nylon Door Rollers...Very Quite!

 

[daveroy]

I used to have the shaft drive Dalton.. it was about the quietest I have ever had. We moved or I would still have it. (when this one dies I'm getting a shaft drive here as well)

And the best part is not hardware down the middle of the garage ceiling!

 

[A1an]

I have a one month old baby, and in a few months we will consider moving her into her own room. Her room, unfortunately is immediate above the garage.

Do you guys have recommendations on quiet garage door openers?

Or a list of things I should consider?

Thanks.

Just how loud is the garage door opener when you are up in that room?

 

[brian thomas]

The real key to keeping it quiet in the room above is to change the mounting system. It needs to be isolated from the ceiling/floor somehow.

 

[upndown]

Not sure what type opener you have.. but some just can't be quieted!! belt drive is your best bet. A few years ago I installed a couple for a contractor friend, homeowners showed up, talking with my buddy under the big door bout the time I test drove it. Door started moving all 3 ducked at the same scared the **** outa them.. LMAO They liked.

 

[Root]

When we upgraded a few years ago, we went with Marantec M line 4700. The installer pushed the button while I was standing in the garage with him and I couldn't believe it. I couldn't hear it at all. I could see the door moving but it didn't make a sound. Talk about creepy!

I guess after all those years of being able to hear the old one from anywhere in the house I just assumed ALL openers were as loud as ours.

Here's a picture

 

[RKA]

Liftmaster 3800's and doors with nylon rollers...only the dog hears it 100% of the time. Unfortunately the locks that the 3800 comes with make a bit of noise as they snap open or closed. Regardless, the only thing I had previously was steel rollers and chain drive openers and this is a world of peace compared to that!

 

[OldracerJones]

I just put in a Chamberlain belt drive, easily the quietest I've ever heard. Purchasedmitmat Lowes's.

 

[OldracerJones]

I just put in a Chamberlain belt drive, easily the quietest I've ever heard. Purchasedmitmat Lowes's.

 

[Schtauffer]

Liftmaster 3850, 8550, 8360, or 3800.

 

[Matt M PA]

I recently installed a pair of Sommer door openers in my detached garage. The door makes more noise than the openers. It doesn't work like most openers, as the motor is in the trolley which has a star wheel attached the travels in a "box" track along a pretensioned chain. The chain does not move.

I'd suggest at least checking them out online.

 

[bluesman2a]

LM3800 FTW.
/thread.

 

[oldgymnast]

Liftmaster 3800's and doors with nylon rollers...only the dog hears it 100% of the time. Unfortunately the locks that the 3800 comes with make a bit of noise as they snap open or closed. Regardless, the only thing I had previously was steel rollers and chain drive openers and this is a world of peace compared to that!

I agree with RKA

 

[M Fan]

I also say that the belt drive models are the way to go. I just got two Liftmaster Elite 8550 openers earlier this month. This was an upgrade from the battery backup Craftsman's that I bought a year ago, also belt drives. Craftsman, Chamberlain and Liftmaster are all the same really, but only the Liftmaster has a solid single-piece beam, the Craftsman and Chamberlain models are sectional square tubing. While the Craftsman was much quieter than my Genie screw-drive, the Liftmaster with the solid beam is even quieter. The MyQ iphone interface is the main reason I upgraded, but the solid beam is why I paid a little extra to get the Liftmaster. But I think any of the belt drives are a good choice.

As a side note, the dealer I bought them from had this model and the 3800 Jackshaft models on display in the garage door showroom and the beltdrive was just as quiet or quieter. But if you want a vehicle lift, the jackshaft may be the ticket. Also, the Jackshaft model does not have the iphone interface, which I wanted. Hope this helps!

 

[kywildcat]

Buy a Linear DC operator. Clearly the lowest noise unit on the market. You can barely hear it. Look for it at www.linearcorp.com. They make the best operators and they are not expensive.

I love my Linear's!!!!!

 

[Falcon67]

Another Craftsman 3/4 HP Belt Drive user here. Can just barely hear the door in the house if the TV is off and the laundry room door (access to garage) is open. The noise actually comes from the 10 yr old door (never maintained of course), not the opener. I greased the door up some and it got pretty quiet.

 

[srmofo]

liftmaster 3800.

 

[autoclassicnut]

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17205

Without a doubt the quietest on the market... only sold through dealers and good warranty... little more costly but quiet for sure.

 

[calven]

Liftmaster 8550 with white nylon 10-ball rollers gets my vote. Keep the door lubed up. It doesn't get much quieter than that.

The 3800 is nice too , but meant for doors with high-lift. They also tend to be more pricey.

You should also consider insulation with / noise barrier in the garage ceiling space...

 

[touring1]

Same baby issue here. try use cut up tires for supports. use a couple layered joints, cut and paste. rubber will txmit less noise than the punched metal straps. and the track willkeep the unit stable. its sorta like the old rag joint in steering linkages.

 

[ford33]

It is not only the opener that is making noise, it is the the garage door opener attachments that are transmitting the vibrations to the wall and ceiling and up to the room above. We have the same setup in our home. Our master bedroom is above the garage. Try this before buying a new opener.

I reduced the noise considerably by putting a 1/2 inch thick rubber pad between the opener drive rail and the garage overhead wood beam where the drive track attaches to the front wall. Then I cut the steel straps used to hang the opener from the ceiling. Once cut, I attached a 1/2 thick x 3 inch long strip of rubber between the cut two pieces of strap. This effectively seperated the drive mechanism from the wall and ceiling.

When I open the garage door now, it is much quieter in the room above. I could have seperated the drive door wheel rails from the wall and ceiling but just these changes mentioned were enough to make a large reduction in noise. I have a Sears chain drive.

I don't remember where I obtained the rubber pads. It may have been from a rubber floor mat I cut apart.

 

[Slupie]

We have three kids, ages 5, 3 years and 5 months old, their bedrooms are right above the garage, never bothered to get the garage door opener quiet. Get the baby used to sleeping in a normally functioning household, it will make your life easier later in life. We live normal lives with all of our kids, now they can sleep through any noise. We can even vacuum under the babies crib while he is sleeping and he will not wake up.

My cousin on the other hand even turned off his phone so the baby wouldn't wake. Let me tell you that at 7 years old the house has to be perfectly quiet for her to sleep.

 

[NewLogik]

LM3800 FTW.
/thread.

Enough said !

 

[Narddog]

This is an old thread but here is a bump.

The Marantec M4700e

A clear winner in my opinion.

 

[eddiemeddiem]

I put in nylon rollers, lubed the hinges, and installed a belt drive Chamberlain a couple months ago, and it's a good bit quieter than the old screw drive Genie with metal rollers... My guess is about half as loud.

A good bit of the remaining noise comes from the springs rattling against the metal tracks. My next attempt is to cut a couple bike tires and glue them to the side of the tracks to quiet the rattle of the springs. Hopefully it'll help a lot.




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[ovilla]

Liftmaster 3800. It will be as loud as manually opening the door. You will also hear the locks engage too, unless you decide not to use them.


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[EJM02]

I'v skimmed through the above posts, so please excuse if I repeat here.

Belt drive is definitely the quietest. The Liftmaster direct torsion drive openers are even quieter but the locking mechanism creates a bit of a jolt when actuated. Think ball peen hammer on a sheet of metal for noise comparison.

One thing I didn't read in any of the posts i skimmed through was about the door itself. Insulating the door will dampen A LOT of noise. I have a chamberlain belt drive opener because I wanted the quiet feature it offered. When the door opens and closes, all I can hear is the sheet metal banging around and it's loud enough to piss me off. --- I'll be insulating my garage door within the year. My father-in-law's door is insulated and if you weren't directly looking at the door, you'd never know it was moving.