Alan B
100 GW
Installing a Garage Door Opener
My garage is more of a shop and materials storage area than a vehicle parking volume, it has a double wide garage door but has always been manually actuated. Partly to facilitate getting the e-bike in and out for commuting I decided to go ahead with an electric opener. I went through the usual internet research process and ordered a highly regarded belt drive unit. Belt drives are the quietest and highest rated units these days, and our living room is above the garage so quiet is nice but not vital.
Garage Door Opener won't fit
When the opener kit arrived I assembled the track and measured the length of the unit from end to end. It is about 10 and a half feet long. This was never mentioned anywhere that I could find. This is a problem.
My garage has a cross beam supporting the living room above that is parallel to the garage door, and a central beam support pillar that are 9 feet from the door. So there is only 9 feet available for the opener's total length. Perhaps a section could be removed from the belt drive track, as it is assembled from sections, but the belt has crimped end fittings that are not designed to be readily adjusted for a shorter belt. None of this was mentioned in product documentation or reviews.
I did some internet searches and found a mention of this problem and a solution. They suggest buying a screw drive and assembling with the middle section of the three section track left out. Openers are designed for the long track required for sectional doors. The one piece garage doors don't need such a long track so this trick of leaving part of the track out works for them. Our door only moves about 5 feet to open.
Our garage door is an old one piece wood door. It will probably get replaced soon, but that is a project for another day, and a new one piece door would be fine. Sectional doors are nice but not necessary. If I do use a sectional door one of the wall mount cable type openers could be used in this garage. Both the sectional door and the wall mount openers are significantly more costly than the final system we chose.
So I went to the local big box home improvement store and picked up a screw drive model (after getting no help from their absent expert). Sure enough it could be assembled with the middle section of the screw and track left out. There is a coupling system for the screw sections, but it works fine to leave one out. The opener has programmable limit positions so the door travel can be adjusted as needed. It also has a 140 volt DC motor with soft start, variable speed and force.
Both of these kits are quite complete and include a light beam safety sensor, a wall mount pushbutton control for inside the garage, two remotes for vehicles or pocket use, and a weather resistant keypad for outside access. There is a lock feature to disable the remotes for extra security when that feature is not needed. The second unit has an infrared occupancy sensor to keep the interior garage light on when the garage is occupied. They also have rolling code remotes and are compatible with Homelink. Amazing what you can get for about the price of an inexpensive hubmotor. (Two hundred bucks).
One Piece Door Won't Close Smoothly
The one other problem during the installation occurred when closing the fully open door. The opener had a problem getting the door moving as it is pushing it at a downward angle to start and the door is in a somewhat stable position. This caused the track to lift upward and the opener to lift on the straps it hangs from. I beefed up the opener mounting with perforated angle material in triangles which stiffened the mount and prevented the upward motion, but did not solve the real problem, and the opener trips out on the high force when the door gets moving.
The fix was actually quite simple - I readjusted the limits so "open" is not quite fully open. I stopped the opening before the door drops down to level and becomes difficult to start opening. This means the door is only 95% open, but this is fine for what I need. When we get the new door we will balance it for the opener and it will be a lighter door, so this should all improve.
So a one hour garage door opener installation becomes a 2 day project, but success is at hand. I wonder if this motor is brushless and how much peak power it can handle.
Nevermind.
Moral of the story - probably better to buy garage door openers from the local store where returns are practical. The unit I bought from the internet would be very inconvenient to return. The track is about 9 feet long and difficult to disassemble, and repacking the box would be hard. Return shipping would also be expensive.
For those who are interested in details, the belt drive was a Chamberlain and the screw drive was a Genie. Incidentally, the Genie remotes are smaller and more compatible with e-bike use. Both have the exterior keypad remote so you don't have to carry a remote at all if you don't want to. Make sure you mount the external remote away enough from the one piece garage door so it doesn't hit you or your bike as it moves.
PS: I have an extra highly rated almost new in box belt drive garage door opener, as well as an extra screw section for a taller door, if you are nearby and need such things drop me a PM.
My garage is more of a shop and materials storage area than a vehicle parking volume, it has a double wide garage door but has always been manually actuated. Partly to facilitate getting the e-bike in and out for commuting I decided to go ahead with an electric opener. I went through the usual internet research process and ordered a highly regarded belt drive unit. Belt drives are the quietest and highest rated units these days, and our living room is above the garage so quiet is nice but not vital.
Garage Door Opener won't fit
When the opener kit arrived I assembled the track and measured the length of the unit from end to end. It is about 10 and a half feet long. This was never mentioned anywhere that I could find. This is a problem.
My garage has a cross beam supporting the living room above that is parallel to the garage door, and a central beam support pillar that are 9 feet from the door. So there is only 9 feet available for the opener's total length. Perhaps a section could be removed from the belt drive track, as it is assembled from sections, but the belt has crimped end fittings that are not designed to be readily adjusted for a shorter belt. None of this was mentioned in product documentation or reviews.
I did some internet searches and found a mention of this problem and a solution. They suggest buying a screw drive and assembling with the middle section of the three section track left out. Openers are designed for the long track required for sectional doors. The one piece garage doors don't need such a long track so this trick of leaving part of the track out works for them. Our door only moves about 5 feet to open.
Our garage door is an old one piece wood door. It will probably get replaced soon, but that is a project for another day, and a new one piece door would be fine. Sectional doors are nice but not necessary. If I do use a sectional door one of the wall mount cable type openers could be used in this garage. Both the sectional door and the wall mount openers are significantly more costly than the final system we chose.
So I went to the local big box home improvement store and picked up a screw drive model (after getting no help from their absent expert). Sure enough it could be assembled with the middle section of the screw and track left out. There is a coupling system for the screw sections, but it works fine to leave one out. The opener has programmable limit positions so the door travel can be adjusted as needed. It also has a 140 volt DC motor with soft start, variable speed and force.
Both of these kits are quite complete and include a light beam safety sensor, a wall mount pushbutton control for inside the garage, two remotes for vehicles or pocket use, and a weather resistant keypad for outside access. There is a lock feature to disable the remotes for extra security when that feature is not needed. The second unit has an infrared occupancy sensor to keep the interior garage light on when the garage is occupied. They also have rolling code remotes and are compatible with Homelink. Amazing what you can get for about the price of an inexpensive hubmotor. (Two hundred bucks).
One Piece Door Won't Close Smoothly
The one other problem during the installation occurred when closing the fully open door. The opener had a problem getting the door moving as it is pushing it at a downward angle to start and the door is in a somewhat stable position. This caused the track to lift upward and the opener to lift on the straps it hangs from. I beefed up the opener mounting with perforated angle material in triangles which stiffened the mount and prevented the upward motion, but did not solve the real problem, and the opener trips out on the high force when the door gets moving.
The fix was actually quite simple - I readjusted the limits so "open" is not quite fully open. I stopped the opening before the door drops down to level and becomes difficult to start opening. This means the door is only 95% open, but this is fine for what I need. When we get the new door we will balance it for the opener and it will be a lighter door, so this should all improve.
So a one hour garage door opener installation becomes a 2 day project, but success is at hand. I wonder if this motor is brushless and how much peak power it can handle.
Nevermind.Moral of the story - probably better to buy garage door openers from the local store where returns are practical. The unit I bought from the internet would be very inconvenient to return. The track is about 9 feet long and difficult to disassemble, and repacking the box would be hard. Return shipping would also be expensive.
For those who are interested in details, the belt drive was a Chamberlain and the screw drive was a Genie. Incidentally, the Genie remotes are smaller and more compatible with e-bike use. Both have the exterior keypad remote so you don't have to carry a remote at all if you don't want to. Make sure you mount the external remote away enough from the one piece garage door so it doesn't hit you or your bike as it moves.
PS: I have an extra highly rated almost new in box belt drive garage door opener, as well as an extra screw section for a taller door, if you are nearby and need such things drop me a PM.
