Electric overhead door openers became popular in the 1970s and have evolved into an enormous market with a huge selection of different kinds of automatic overhead door openers for commercial and residential garages. Automated garage door openers took the inconvenience out of needing to leave the car to manually open the garage door. Various garage door openers can be installed by skilled do-it-yourselfers, however, for most, installation should be left to the experts. When basic safety is such an essential issue, as it is with garage doors and garage door openers, it's simply better to leave it to the specialists.

There are four styles of overhead door openers: chain drive, belt driven, screw drive, and jack-shaft. Each kind operates differently and your particular needs will guide you to the most suitable opener for your garage door.

Points to take into account when looking for an opener:

Do you need added safety features for your opener? If you have little ones, this is particularly important.
Are you looking for a very quiet opener?
Do you live in an environment with extreme temperatures (in which a screw drive opener might be the very best pick)?
Do you need to have remote access?
Does your garage allow ceiling setup of the opener, or do you have cathedral ceilings (which would make a jack-shaft the most ideal choice)?
What is your budget? Chain-drive garage door openers are the least expensive of the four options.
Chain Drive
Chain-drive garage door are the most favored of the four types of garage door openers. They are the least pricy. Although they are the noisiest of the four kinds, they are incredibly durable and are a good garage door opener option.

Belt Drive
Due to the fact that they use rubber belts, belt-drive openers are quieter than chain drives. They cost a little bit more than chain-drive openers and are best for those with living rooms on top of or next to the garage. There are also reduced vibrations associated with this opener type.

Screw Drives
This overhead door opener kind is often used in environments with extreme temperatures since they are designed to withstand temperature changes. Screw-drive openers will not suffer from iced over chains or other weather-related problems. The tracks are plastic-lined and there is very limited upkeep required.

Jack-shaft
Jack-shaft drives are excellent for eliminating that large garage door opener box on the ceiling of your garage. Jack-shaft openers are mounted on the side wall of your garage and are ideal for garages with high ceilings. Another benefit is that they are extremely quiet.

Find a local garage door expert who can help you make a decision if you are uncertain about whichever garage door opener is best for your garage.


Automatic garage door openers became popular in the 1970s and have evolved into a huge market with a plethora of different kinds of automatic garage door openers for commercial and residential garages. Automatic garage door openers took the inconvenience out of having to get out of the car to manually open the garage door. When safety is garage door repair near me such an important issue, as it is with garage doors and garage door openers, it's simply better to leave it to the experts.