Motorized garage door openers became popular in the 1970s and have evolved into an enormous market with a huge selection of different types of automated garage door openers for commercial and residential garages. Electric garage door openers took the hassle out of having to leave the car to physically open the garage door. Many garage door openers may be set up by seasoned do-it-yourselfers, but for most, installation should be entrusted to the experts. When safety is such an important issue, as it is with garage doors and garage door openers, it's just much better to leave it to the professionals.

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

Factors to think about when shopping for an opener:

Do you need extra 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 may be the very best choice)?
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 suitable choice)?
What is your budget? Chain-drive openers are the least pricey of the four choices.
Chain Drive
Chain-drive overhead door are among the most popular of the four kinds of garage door opener. They are the least pricy. They are the noisiest of the four types, they are incredibly durable and are a solid overhead door opener choice.

Belt Drive
Belt-drive garage door openers are quieter than chain drives since they use rubber belts. They cost a bit more than chain-drive openers and are best for people with living areas above or next to the garage. There are also minimal vibrations associated with website this opener type.

Screw Drives
This overhead door opener type is oftentimes used in climates with harsh temperatures since they are developed to withstand temperature changes. Screw-drive openers will not suffer from frosted chains or other weather-related issues. The tracks are here 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 contractor who can assist you decide if you are uncertain about which garage door opener is most ideal 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 residential and commercial 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 such an important issue, as it is with garage doors and garage door openers, it's simply better to leave it to the experts.