There are three garage door opener installation Los Angeles CA options and we will explore them in this article. Many people take on the project of installing their automated garage door system themselves since it’s something that can be customized to control speed and the noise level. For the most part there are three different types of drives you can choose from. As with everything else, each has their pros and cons.
No one type is the clear winner, which is to say the type of opener you select largely comes down to your own personal preference. There are three main types of drives for automated garage door openers: screw, chain and belt.
Garage Door Opener Options
Screw Drive Units
Garage door openers with a screw drive work differently than the other two options. They have a trolley that rides on a threaded steel rod. This rotates using a motor, which moves the door. This type of drive does not demand the kind of forceful pushing and pulling that traditional belt and/or chain drives use for opening garage doors.
Pros: Screw drive openers tend to be simpler and this is why people prefer them. There are not as many moving parts to worry about maintaining.
Cons: Screw drive units tend to be more sensitive to changes in temperature and are therefore not optimal for use in regions with drastic seasonal temperature changes. Generally they make more noise than belt drive units. In terms of cost, screw drive units are more expensive than either chain or belt drive openers.
Chain Drive Units
Chain drive units are considered the traditional garage door openers. They are the ones most commonly used because they’ve been around the longest. They operate the garage door along a track and use the same type of chains used on bicycles to push a trolley that is linked to the J-arm, which in turn attaches to the garage door.
Pros: Chain drives tend to be the most affordable option.
Cons: Depending on personal preference, noise may be an issue with chain drives. They have a tendency to vibrate slightly causing a metal-on-metal noise when operating. If you have a detached garage this might not be a problem. But if your garage is beneath your master bedroom, you may be annoyed by this noise and vibration. However some people actually prefer this because they want to be able to hear if someone is opening their garage door. Over the years advances in technology, such as DC motors and softer start-and-stop mechanisms, have helped to reduce the noise and vibration associated with chain drives.
Belt Drive Units
Belt drive units appeal to a lot of homeowners due to their sleekness and lower noise level. Belt drive units are very similar mechanically to chain drive openers, except instead of using a chain, they have a belt. This dramatically reduces the level of vibration and noise that you have with chain drive units. The belts are usually made of fiberglass, polyurethane or steel-reinforced rubber.
Pros: Belt drive units operate more quietly than the other two types of openers. They are practically silent when compared to chain drive units.
Cons: They are more expensive than chain drive garage openers, which tend to be the least expensive of the three different options.
With the different kinds of garage door opener options, it can be overwhelming to chose which one works best for you! Feel free to give us a call and we will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.
