Garage Door Opener Types: Which One Suits Your Door?

Question 01

What types of garage door openers are there?

The makers' ranges cover four main garage door opener types for homes. Roller door openers turn the roll directly. Ceiling openers with a chain drive or a belt drive pull a sectional or tilt door along a rail. Wall mount openers sit beside a sectional door and turn the shaft above it. Each suits a different door.

The makers sort their ranges by door. Merlin lists separate openers for roller, sectional and tilt garage doors, and some models appear in more than one list. Its Commander Elite, for example, is listed for both tilt and sectional doors. The table shows how the four types compare.

Chamberlain explains the ceiling type simply: in most standard openers, a motor drives a trolley along a track, pulling the door open or pushing it closed. Whether a chain or a belt moves that trolley is the chain versus belt question. Some openers blur the lines. Steel-Line says its Multi Drive 1500 Pro is side mounted as standard, with a ceiling rail option sold separately.

Not sure which door you have? Read roller vs sectional vs tilt doors first, because the door type settles most of the opener question.

Question 02

How does a roller door opener work?

A roller door opener turns the drum the door rolls onto. Merlin describes a roller door as a single steel curtain that rolls up around a central drum above the opening. The opener fits over the door's axle and engages the drum, so it winds the curtain up and down with no ceiling rail at all.

Automatic Technology's EasyRoller manual shows this clearly: the opener slides over the door axle and into the drum of the door. That design brings a few limits that ceiling openers don't have.

• Axle size. Automatic Technology says the EasyRoller can't be installed on a door axle wider than 35mm.
• Side room. The same manual asks for at least 41mm from the edge of the door to the inside of the door bracket, and 85mm to the wall. The manual to automatic guide covers side room on each door type.
• Weather. Automatic Technology says the EasyRoller must be installed in a dry position, protected from weather, and that moisture or corrosion is not covered by its warranty.
• Power. It needs properly earthed three pin single phase power within arm's length of the door.

Roller door openers are sized by door area or weight. B&D says its Power Drive has a greater pulling force and suits doors up to 16.5 square metres, while its Roll-A-Pro supports doors up to 15 square metres. According to Steel-Line's opener flyer, its RD1000 has a maximum peak pulling force of 1000N and a maximum curtain weight of 130kg. B&D also says its roller door openers can be added to an existing roller door.

Question 03

Is a chain drive or belt drive garage door opener better?

Neither is better for every garage. A belt drive is the quieter choice, and Chamberlain says it suits garages next to bedrooms. A chain drive is the tougher choice for heavy doors, and LiftMaster says it may be ideal for a heavy door used often. Both are ceiling openers for sectional and tilt doors, not roller doors.

The Steel-Line example is the useful one for a big, heavy sectional door. On the same opener, Steel-Line switches to chain once the door passes 210kg. So the real choice is often made by the door's weight, and only then by how much noise you'll put up with.

Question 04

What is a wall mount garage door opener, and what are the downsides?

A wall mount opener, also called a jackshaft opener, sits on the wall beside a sectional door and turns the spring shaft above it. LiftMaster says the design frees ceiling space and cuts noise and vibration. The downsides are strict door requirements, more set-up work and a narrower range of doors it can go on.

Merlin pitches its wall mounted Commander Ultimate at homes with low ceilings, SUVs, utes and tall vehicles with roof storage, and lists it in its sectional door range. The catches show up in the fine print and the installation manuals.

• Sectional doors with torsion springs only. LiftMaster's manual for its 8500W wall mount opener, a US model, says it installs on sectional doors with torsion assemblies only. It isn't intended for doors using extension springs, and it isn't compatible with reverse wound drums.
• Side room beside the door. The same manual asks for at least 21.6cm between the side wall or any obstruction and the end of the torsion bar.
• Spring and track work. LiftMaster says the 8500W is for installation only by trained garage door technicians and may need changes to the door springs or tracks.
• Safety beams. Merlin says the Commander Ultimate's 230kg door rating is based on having safety IR beams installed.
• No roller doors. A roller door has no torsion shaft to mount on, so it takes a roller door opener instead.

Question 05

What horsepower garage door opener do I need?

In Australia you won't usually choose by horsepower. Local makers rate openers in Newtons of pulling force and in the door weight or area they handle. Chamberlain says the lift capacity of DC motors is typically not measured in horsepower. Match the maker's rating to your door's weight and size, with some headroom to spare.

Horsepower figures turn up mostly in US guides such as Chamberlain's. Chamberlain uses horsepower figures for comparison only, and says higher lifting power means the motor doesn't have to work as hard and will typically last longer. Australian spec sheets give the numbers that matter more directly.

Read the peak figure with care. In B&D's spec, the short term peak force is several times the nominal force of 20kg. The peak is what the motor can give for a moment. The nominal figure is closer to what a healthy, balanced door should ask of it every day.

Question 06

Will a more powerful opener fix a heavy garage door?

No. An opener is built to move a balanced door, not to lift its full weight. B&D's sectional opener manual says the door must be well balanced, and that sticking or binding doors must be repaired by a qualified installer before an opener goes in. A heavy door needs its springs or tracks fixed, not a bigger motor.

The makers are consistent on this. B&D's manual says the maximum force needed to move the door should not exceed 20kg, and that a door lifted to about halfway should stay in place when released. If the door fails those checks, B&D says do not attempt to fix it yourself. Automatic Technology's manual says to check the door is in good mechanical condition, correctly balanced and opening and closing properly before the drive goes on. Even Merlin's installed prices assume a garage door that moves freely and is in good working order.

A stronger motor does nothing for a worn or broken spring, which is why every manual above puts the door first. The manual to automatic guide explains why balance comes first. For roller doors, heavy roller door spring tension covers the usual cause.

Question 07

What should you check before replacing a dead opener?

Confirm the opener is really dead, then gather the facts a technician needs. Check the power point, the wall button and the remote. Note the door type, its size, the brand and model on the motor, and how the door felt before it stopped. If the door is heavy or damaged, that gets fixed before any new opener.

1. 01Rule out the easy faults. Check the basics first, starting with the remote and the power. Work through garage door remote not working first.
2. 02Find the label. The brand and model on the motor unit tell a technician what you have and what will suit the door.
3. 03Name the door type and size. Roller, sectional or tilt, single or double. That decides the opener type and the rating it needs.
4. 04Look at the power. Openers need a power point close by. Automatic Technology asks for one within arm's length of the door. Queensland's Electrical Safety Office says installing a new power point, or moving an existing one, is electrical work for a licensed electrician.
5. 05Think about headroom. A ceiling opener needs room above the door. B&D's sectional opener asks for at least 57mm headroom. A wall mount opener needs side room instead.
6. 06Remember the service history. B&D suggests a motor service about every two years, and Merlin recommends an annual service. An opener that has never been serviced may need a repair, not a replacement.

Deadlock Garage Doors does garage door motor replacement across the Sunshine Coast, along with repairs and servicing. Repairs and servicing are booked as a callout valued between $200 and $300 depending on the door size and the labour involved. Whether to repair or replace the opener is covered in the motor replacement cost guide.