The Benefits of a Belt-Drive Garage Door Opener

Garage door openers come in a few different types. When you’re shopping around for one to install in your home’s garage, it might be tough to figure out on your own which type you should go for. That’s where we come in. We can help you figure out which of the types: chain‑driven, belt‑driven, screw‑driven or Jackshaft door opener you should buy.

There are some situations where a specific kind of drive mechanism will fit better than the others. The type that gets recommended the most, though, is the belt‑drive. Keep reading to find out why that is.

Let’s Start by Getting a Better Understanding of the Motors In Garage Door Openers

The motor in your garage door opener is either a direct current (DC) motor or an alternating current (AC) motor. Both of these motors will open and close the garage door in about the same amount of time, they just go about it in a different way. A DC motor starts up at a slower speed, increases in speed in the middle of the process and slows down again for the finish. An AC‑motor stays at the same speed throughout the whole opening or closing of the cycle.

You might be wondering if one motor is better than the other. Well, generally people feel that the DC‑motor is better because it’s quieter and seems to run more smoothly. It’s really up to what your preferences are, but DC‑motors are more popular.

How Does a Belt‑Drive Work?

A belt‑drive works with a T‑shaped track that is installed on the ceiling and is centrally located above the garage door opening. A rubber loop, that is reinforced with metal wires or other durable components, pulls the garage door open by rolling back over the track. The loop then rolls the other direction to close the garage door.

Once the belt‑drive system is installed, the loop can be adjusted for tension with just the turn of a wrench. You need to have a motor that has .5 or .75 HP to power the movement of the opener. The amount of HP you want to get should be based on how large and how heavy your garage door is. For example, if you have a double garage door that is made of dense wood, you’ll want to go with more HP.

If you want to test the effectiveness of your garage door opener, you can easily do that. Turn your automatic opener off. Then try to open the garage with just one hand. You shouldn’t have any trouble doing this. The door should only weigh about 8 to 10 lbs. If it feels like it weighs more than that and you have to strain to get the door up, you need to have a professional come and look at it to see if it needs to be adjusted or balanced. An unbalanced garage door can be very dangerous.

Benefits of a Belt‑Drive Opener

One huge benefit to having a belt‑drive opener is that it is much quieter than other options. This is especially important for people who have a bedroom in their home that sits right on top of the garage. The belt‑drive opener reduces the noise put out when the door opens or closes by up to 30%. If you want to make this benefit even better, you can pair the belt‑drive opener with LiftMaster’s 8550W DC motor. Your garage door opener will be the quietest one on the block.

How does the rubber belt help to lessen the noise coming out of the door opener? The belt is a smooth loop that travels around the track. With something like a chain‑drive, you have a clunky metal chain traveling over a track. Not only is it just louder from the material, but it also causes a lot of jerking around which makes for additional noise.

So, what’s the catch? Well, one thing to be aware of when you start looking into getting a belt‑drive garage door opener is that they usually cost more than other kinds of openers. With such a big decrease in the sound your garage door will be making, though, it will be worth putting the extra cash into it.

Other Things You Can Do to Reduce the Noise Coming From Your Garage Door Opener

• Secure the opener solidly to wherever it’s mounted.

  When things jiggle and vibrate, they make noise. You can install rubber strips between metal parts and wood joists to reduce noise. There are kits you can purchase also that help to eliminate vibration noise. A vibration isolation kit can be used for securing your garage door opener so that there is less vibration.

• Use nylon rollers.

  Unlike metal rollers, nylon ones make far less noise. The material is softer and doesn’t conduct sound the same way that metal does.

• Keep metal parts lubricated.

  You need to be regularly lubricating the metal components of your garage door opener at least twice a year. You can use regular motor oil, like 5W30. The reduced friction will keep noise levels down. One thing you don’t need to do is lubricate the rubber loop of the belt‑drive. It gets greased at installation on both ends and that lasts for up to 7 years.

• Install carpet or lay down rugs in the room over the garage.

  Carpeting will absorb the noise coming from the garage door opener, rather than help it transfer through to your room. If you have wood floors in your bedroom that’s sitting right on top of the garage, you may want to change that.

• Switch to a Jackshaft door opener.

  A Jackshaft door opener gets installed on the wall beside the garage door, not in the ceiling. Therefore, it’s not running on the underside of your bedroom floor, should your room be over the garage. This will definitely lessen the sound that you will hear coming from your garage door opener.

You’ll have to likely do more than one of the things we mentioned in this article to get the level of noise reduction you’re looking for, but at least you know it can be done. You can get help with the best ways to go about this at your house from Automated Door Systems.

Let Us Help You Make Your Move

We’re ready to help so contact us at 416‑239‑7777. Our experts are knowledgeable and friendly. If you’d rather not get on the phone, we can also email you a quotation whenever you would like.

Find Out the Benefits of a Belt-Drive Garage Door Opener