4 Garage Door Opener Types: Which Is Best for You?

Once you decide which garage door opener style is right for you, you can then narrow down your garage door opener options to make choosing the right garage door opener make and model much easier. Read on to learn about the five main types of garage door openers and the advantages and disadvantages of each type. 

One of the most popular types of garage door openers is the chain-drive opener. Chain-drive openers pull your garage door up with a metal chain similar in composition to a bicycle chain. While chain-drive openers have been on the market for many years, they remain popular due to many factors. 

One reason chain-drive openers are so popular is due to their low cost. If you are looking for the most economical garage door opener on the market, then you will find that many chain-drive openers are the least costly on the market today. 

In addition, the metal chain a chain-drive garage door opener lifts your door with is typically very strong and durable and can lift even very heavy one-car and two-car garage doors. However, keep in mind that the weight a garage door opener can lift also depends on the horsepower of the model.   

The main disadvantage of a chain-driven garage door opener is that its operation can be a bit noisier than some other door opener types. 

Belt-driven garage door openers are also very popular. In fact, the vast majority of all garage door openers sold are chain- or belt-driven models. Belt-driven garage door openers are very similar to chain-driven openers, although instead of a chain, they use a belt to lift your garage door.

This belt typically glides much more smoothly through the garage door opener track, also called the drive guide, than a chain does. This leads to a belt-driven opener typically making less noise when opening a garage door than a chain-driven model does. 

However, the typical belt in a belt-drive opener is simply not as strong as a metal chain. This leads to belt-driven openers being less-than-ideal for heavy two-car garage doors. In addition, garage door belts can wear out much more quickly than garage door chains, which necessitates occasional replacement.

Direct-drive garage door openers are also relatively new to the American garage door opener market. Unlike traditional overhead garage door openers, the motor of an overhead direct-drive opener moves while the opener chain or belt stays in place. 

Since the motor moves instead of the chain or belt, direct-drive openers offer very quiet operation. In addition, since the motor is the only moving part of the opener, very little maintenance is required to keep the opener in good shape. 

The main disadvantage of direct-drive openers is that they can open garage doors a bit more slowly than traditional garage door openers. They are also more costly than more classic openers. 

Wall-mounted garage door openers, also called jack-shaft openers, are also newer to the residential garage door opener market, although they have been common in the commercial market for years.

This garage door opener style is not mounted on the garage ceiling but instead is mounted on the wall next to a top corner of a garage door. This opener connects to the door's torsion bar and lifts the door with this bar. This means no chain or belt is necessary. 

One unique benefit of this garage door opener type is that it frees up space where a typical garage door opener and track would lie near the garage ceiling to make more clearance for tall vehicles and vehicles with roof racks attached to them. Wall-mounted systems also typically make little noise when operated. 

However, like other newer garage door opener types, wall-mounted openers can be a bit pricier than more classic door opener styles. 

If you need a new garage door opener, then learning which main garage door opener type is best for you can help make your new garage door opener decision easier. Contact Edgemont Garage Doors for expert garage door opener installation and advice.