Belt, chain, screw, direct drive or wall-mount: picking the opener

Five drives, side by side

A ceiling opener pulls a trolley along a rail, and the trolley pulls the door. The wall-mount unit has no rail and turns the spring shaft instead.

The descriptions come from HomeStars’ opener guide. One Vancouver installer measures a belt drive at 40 to 60 dB and a chain at 70 to 80 dB.

Where the price gap comes from

A shelf price covers the unit only. HomeStars puts a new opener, unit and labour, at $250 to $600 in one guide and $400 to $900 in another. One Ottawa firm’s published list starts at $550 installed and notes that a belt costs more than a chain.

Between matching units, the retailer gap was $50; the Vancouver installer puts the installed gap near $300. A Canadian door maker prices a wall-mount unit about 25% to 30% above a ceiling opener, with the same installation time. HomeStars adds that higher horsepower raises the unit price, and Wi-Fi, battery or camera features add $100 to $300. The full job is broken down on our opener installation cost page.

What sits above and beside the garage

This fact settles most choices. HomeStars says chain noise matters under or beside living space and calls the belt a good fit for attached garages. The Vancouver installer adds that chain links carry vibration through the rail into the joists and the rooms above.

So say in the request what shares a wall or ceiling with the garage: a bedroom, an office, a family room, or nothing. For a detached garage used for parking, the chain’s price counts for more than its sound. If the door itself rattles, read the noisy garage door page first, since HomeStars warns that a new opener does not fix a door that binds or sags.

Door weight and horsepower

The springs carry the door; the opener moves a door already in balance. HomeStars warns that a new opener on a door that binds or sags wears out faster, so a tired spring comes first (see broken springs).

The Vancouver installer lists a double insulated steel door at 165 to 225 lbs and wood or full-view doors at 300 lbs and up, and leans to chain for the heavy end. HomeStars says an older half-horsepower unit may strain against a thick insulated double door, and that an opener under about ten years old with matching horsepower can be remounted on a new door.

Which garages can take a wall-mount unit

A wall-mount opener frees the ceiling for storage and suits low, sloped or very high ceilings. A Canadian door maker lists its limits: torsion springs only, doors up to 14 feet tall or 180 square feet, 7 inches of wall beside the door, 3 inches above the tube, and no low-headroom doors.

One opener maker’s pre-install sheet adds that the unit fits a 1-inch shaft set 2 1/2 to 6 inches from the wall, needs a grounded outlet within 5 1/2 feet, and excludes doors with extension springs and one-piece doors. A photo of the wall beside the door and the spring above it lets the company check these limits.

Upkeep in a cold garage

HomeStars gives an opener ten to fifteen years and says big temperature swings shorten that. Chain and belt parts wear faster than the motor, so a worn drive can sometimes be serviced. The Vancouver installer says a chain wants lubricating once or twice a year, while a belt needs none. For an unheated Ottawa garage, ask what service the quoted drive needs and its temperature range.

What to send, and what the quote should name

In the request: door width and material, torsion or extension springs, ceiling height, what is above the garage, the nearest outlet, and your current drive.

The quote names maker and model, drive, horsepower, rail length, remotes, any Wi-Fi or battery backup, removal of the old unit, and HST. ESA says electrical work you hire out must go to a Licensed Electrical Contractor. Ontario requires a written agreement for work over $50.

Who handles your request

Ottawa Garage Door Desk is a request service. Your request goes to one independent local garage door company, which calls you back, looks at the door, springs and ceiling, prices the drive you choose and installs it.