New garage door opener....

[JDgreen227]

I have a 1994 vintage Craftsman 1/2 hp chain drive opener in my north barn, I can replace it with a brand new one complete with rail, two remotes, and a wireless keypad for about $150 with tax. Buying two new remotes and a wireless keypad and a wall control plus a circuit board for my current opener in an attempt to fix the intermittent operation and reprogramming required for the old one will cost at least $120. So, it makes financial sense to just buy the new one.

However, on the other end of the barn, I have a 1988 vintage Stanley 1/2 hp Lightmaker opener that has been in daily use AND NEVER NEEDED ANYTHING except light bulbs...the remotes (3) all work flawlessly.

I do wonder if the new one I am planning to buy (Chamberlain) will be anywhere near as reliable as the Stanley has been...what are your opinions on the quality of today's openers?

 

[Ken]

I have a 1994 vintage Craftsman 1/2 hp chain drive opener in my north barn, I can replace it with a brand new one complete with rail, two remotes, and a wireless keypad for about $150 with tax. Buying two new remotes and a wireless keypad and a wall control plus a circuit board for my current opener in an attempt to fix the intermittent operation and reprogramming required for the old one will cost at least $120. So, it makes financial sense to just buy the new one.

However, on the other end of the barn, I have a 1988 vintage Stanley 1/2 hp Lightmaker opener that has been in daily use AND NEVER NEEDED ANYTHING except light bulbs...the remotes (3) all work flawlessly.

I do wonder if the new one I am planning to buy (Chamberlain) will be anywhere near as reliable as the Stanley has been...what are your opinions on the quality of today's openers?

Jd My brother uses Chamberlain and in past 3 years had several where the circuit boards go bad due to lightening or power surge.
make one wonder if this is cause because same power is supplied to a Genie in second garage door about 10 feet distance. and just keeps working. buys replacement board from garage door repair company.
ken

 

[deerseeker001]

they don't make them like they used to JD everything inside is plastic and plastic only last so long.

I have a 1994 vintage Craftsman 1/2 hp chain drive opener in my north barn, I can replace it with a brand new one complete with rail, two remotes, and a wireless keypad for about $150 with tax. Buying two new remotes and a wireless keypad and a wall control plus a circuit board for my current opener in an attempt to fix the intermittent operation and reprogramming required for the old one will cost at least $120. So, it makes financial sense to just buy the new one.

However, on the other end of the barn, I have a 1988 vintage Stanley 1/2 hp Lightmaker opener that has been in daily use AND NEVER NEEDED ANYTHING except light bulbs...the remotes (3) all work flawlessly.

I do wonder if the new one I am planning to buy (Chamberlain) will be anywhere near as reliable as the Stanley has been...what are your opinions on the quality of today's openers?

 

[ray66v]

Yep, plastic gears in openers, which is the most common failure point in them.

And if you are handy, just like in the OP's situation, for a couple of bucks more, you may as well buy a new one.

Manually opening the door periodically, to make sure it is adjusted properly, (opens, and closes easily), and there are no broken springs, worn rollers or bearings, will greatly extend the life of your opener.

Also, always pay a few bucks more and replace overhead door springs in pairs, when they fail.

For a few bucks more, you can also upgrade to heavier springs when replacing them, or buying a new door, and you may never have one break again.

 

[s219]

Liftmaster is the only brand I trust nowadays. Seen problems with all the other brands. If you have a jackshaft and winder spring, I like their jackshaft openers. No junk hanging over head, and a lot more reliable. You will pay more, but you get what you pay for.

 

[ray66v]

Liftmaster is the only brand I trust nowadays.

I install about 6 openers a year, and I prefer Liftmaster too.

Chamberlain and Craftsman are Liftmaster openers, packaged for consumers. The only real difference is, about for $100 more, you get a sold lift rail, instead of a mulch-piece one.

I get Craftsman and Chamberlain's as low as $129, when they go on sale. That is hard to beat.

Avoid the Battery back-up units. Good idea, but they have lots of problems with those. Especially with battery life.

 

[MacLawn]

My 1980 Stanley Genie is still going strong! Only problem is hard to find the remotes. Amazon has them, but not local. And, it doesn't have that newfangled infra red light thingamajig to stop the door. It stops when it hits ye! I just tested it, and the thing is a bit o'pressure on me shoulder when I let it hit. It did stop though. Y'all know if I could update it with the infra red thing, or adjust the pressure?

 

[JDgreen227]

My 1980 Stanley Genie is still going strong! Only problem is hard to find the remotes. Amazon has them, but not local. And, it doesn't have that newfangled infra red light thingamajig to stop the door. It stops when it hits ye! I just tested it, and the thing is a bit o'pressure on me shoulder when I let it hit. It did stop though. Y'all know if I could update it with the infra red thing, or adjust the pressure?

Mac, my understanding is that the older GDO's without the sensor eyes cannot be refitted to modernize them. My ancient Stanley gives me a hit on the shoulder that is about equal to carrying a 2X4 over your shoulder with one end held in your hand, and the manual says that is about normal...but my door opener reverses when it contacts my shoulder. Not sure if you have a manual for your GDO but there should be an adjustment to control the downward force. My GF's daughter and her boyfriend just purchased their first house and during my inspection I noted that the GDO, although working properly did not have the sensors, and because they have 2 kids (3 and 6) I offered to retrofit the opener with a new one for safety reasons.

 

[Bird]

We bought a new house in 1977 and promptly had a Genie screw drive garage door opener installed the first week we were in that house. We sold that house in 1989, but in the 11+ years we lived there we never had a problem with the Genie. We bought our current home in 2005. It was built in 1991 and had an Allister Type IIA chain drive garage door opener and a pair of Craftsman remotes. I'd never heard of Allister and when it quit in 2012, I found a lot of metal shavings inside the housing. I finally called a pro in the business and he got it working, but said parts are no longer available, so he could not guarantee anything. So I let him install a new Liftmaster, belt drive, Model 3280M. It's the first belt drive we've had, it's quieter, has 2 light bulbs instead of one, so if one burns out, you still have some light, it's the first one we've had with the invisible light beam safety reverse, and the remotes work every time and from a greater distance than any door opener we've had in the past.

So, at least for the first year and a quarter, it's the best one we've ever had.

 

[Tollster]

I upgraded to a Liftmaster belt drive to replace my aging craftsman last year. The craftsman remotes died long ago and never worked again, and the wireless remote was giving me trouble.
The primary reason I replaced it was to install an insulated garage door, replacing the fiberglass unit from the late 60's/early 70's. It was worth 10-15 degrees warmer through this past winter.
The garage is in my basement.