jack999

We are buying a new house that does not come with a garage door opener. Can someone recommend a good one, and if there are any bargains out there I'd like to know about that too.

The garage door is steel and is a standard size two-door garage door.

I've got a Lowe's Sunday supplement that has Genies & a Chamberlain opener. They are either screw, belt, or chain operated. Which one is superior?

In the Sears supplement there is a 3/4 hp craftsman for $170 which inclues a plug-in light control, 2 remotes (keyless entry) and a motion detecting control console. What does the console detect motion for, to light up? BTW, the Sears model is screw drive operated also.

To complicate things even a little more, the house is in Jacksonville and we are in Little Rock and I will probably wait until we move there to buy the unit, so I can't take advantage of any bargains right now.

kayak99

I have always used Sears with no problems. I try to watch for the specials & their 10% off sales where they can be combined.

Screw is quiet, never tried belt. Chain can get noisy.

Motion control, at least at the door bottom, are required of all openers. Not certain if what you describe is something new or what.

jack999

I didn't take "motion detecting console" to refer to the door, but I'm not sure.

Michael Corvin

kayak is right. The motion control sensor is a child safety thing. Keep from crushing a child, small animals or old people that don't know how to work it right.

That being said, I found a Sears-Craftsman model at a yard sale (friend of the family), $10. Just needs a 'worm gear' he said. I need to remember that the next time I'm near Sears.

Liver&Onions

I just got this one, and it's great. Keyless entry (numeric pad) is great if you forget your keys

THe screw drive is nice, quiet and works well. The motion detection is on the control pad where you can manually open the door...it turns the light on when you walk into the garage.

there are also the trip sensors at the door that prevent it from closing on your dog or kid if it's sitting right in the electric eye.

jack999

That's what I thought that motion control refered to and not the door.

schmedy

I have a Genni(sp?) that I got from Home Depot on one of their sales as well as the 10% coupon and am happy, its screw type.

kayak99

Johnny, I think we're talking about the same thing.

On all of mine, when you trip a light beam, it reverses the door if its going down (in case of child, animal or confused adult) or turns on the light if its open. Your motion detector might be another device but I think it does the same as the light beams.

Again, I think all openers (with a light) do this.

BTW, if you decide on a Sears, watch their ads each week to determine the best price for what you want. And, if you buy one, and it gets cheaper within 30 days, return to Sears for a price adjustment.

tacomantt

I've owned both Genie and Sears and IMO they both worked just fine. I saw no difference in performance between the two.

Each lasted well over ten years and perhaps are still working (I moved twice).

Personally I liked the Sears ones -- no scientific reason what so ever.

kiddk1

after having a liftmaster I went with a genie from Home depot, if you buy the top of the line one it comes with a lifetime warranty. good luck.

necro

Hope this info helps...
http://www.aaaremotes.com/gdobuyguide.html
I personally like this one...
http://www.wayne-dalton.com/DirectDrive.asp
because of the space it saves... it's also quieter if you put a rubber spacer between the mount and wall.

goodwill

Goodwill to the rescue... Let me shed some light...

The "plug-in light control" that the OP is mentioning (probably reading from an ad), is a device that you can plug into an outlet IN YOUR HOUSE (usually in an entry way), then you plug a lamp or something into that. It allows you to use one of the buttons on your remote to turn that light on before you get out of your car ("Never have to walk into a dark house!"). The garage door opener will (of course) have those electronic 'eyes' to keep the door from squishing your precious koala bear... I'm pretty sure it's illegal to install a GDO without those (if not, it should be!).

Also, since we're on the subject of GDO's and good deals, here's a doozy for ya... This coming Sunday night (November the 14th), between 6 & 9 (maybe 5 & 9 depending on when your particular Sears normally closes on Sundays) Sears is celebrating it's "Friends & Family" night. There's going to be an extra 10% off storewide (some exclusions may, and probably will, apply), and they'll have sort of a 'preview' of Black Friday's sale. The prices in their black Friday ad will be in effect, except for the way good, 6am-11am deals. BTW, you're all invited (tell them you're my friend... you are, right?).

So anyway, I told you that to tell you this... (getting back to Garage Door Openers)... On that very special night, all GDO's will have FREE INSTALLATION! (after mail-in-rebate, so basically you have to initially fork over the $109 for installation, but you'll get it back in 8 to 11 weeks, or however long those rebates take - but it'll still be FREE! And free is good...)

Hope this helps someone...

mmm

Help! Does anyone know how to fix/change garage door opener?

I have Wayne Dalton garage door opener. It doesn't work well. I must keep pressing the button to open/close the door. Should I replace whole system? Is it easy to fix it? Should I call mechanics? How much mechanics usually charge? Are there any free installation sales?

Thank you for your kind reply in advance

kayak99

If you're pressing remotes, it may just be batteries. If its a hard wired wall switch, check your up/down adjustments. (screwdriver should work) If none of that works, check the wiring including the wall switch.

If that does not solve the problem, and your unit is out of warranty, its probably cheaper to replace the unit. In "most" cases you can change the motor/drive without changing much else.. (I am not familiar with your brand)

They aren't very hard to replace.

jack999

[embarassingMoment]You weren't very specific with the problem you are having. A while back the gd began having diffculties closing. Sometimes it would close successfuly, but mostly it wouldn't and would just return to the open position.

I called a gd repairman and he looked around for a moment, removed the tools that were leaning up against one of the sensors the prevents the door from closing on objects. And the door worked fine. The tools were causing the senors to be slightly misaligned and prevented the door from closing.

For a minutes work, he charged me over $50.
[/embarassingMoment]

kayak99

Yep,that'll do it!

I kick mine all the time and have to turn them to point to the opposite sensor.

Glad its all working for you.

[email protected]

Anyone know how to get an invite to the F&F night? Or run into a pass on the web that I can print out? I'd love to take advantage of this deal and get the free installation!

jack999

Holy smokes! I'm now in FL trying to a GD installed and nobody wants to do the Genie except Home Depot and they won't guarantee they can do it within 7 days which I need since will be out of town soon.

Anyone know of a dealer in the Jacksonville area that does Genies or should I just go with a sears model?

kayak99

My answer would be Sears.