Electric overhead door openers became popular in the 1970s and have evolved into a massive market with a wide variety of different kinds of electric garage door openers for industrial and residential garages. Automated garage door openers took the inconvenience out of having to get out of the car to physically open the overhead door.

There are four types of overhead door openers: chain driven, belt drive, screw driven, and jack-shaft. Every type works in a different way and your specific requirements will direct you to the best opener for your garage door.

Details to take into account when looking for an opener:

Do you want added safety functions for your opener? This is especially significant if you have children.
Are you searching for a very quiet opener?
Do you live in an environment with harsh temperatures (in which a screw drive opener may be the very best choice)?
Do you need to have remote access?
Does your garage allow ceiling setup of the opener, or do you have cathedral ceilings (which would make a jack-shaft the most suitable choice)?
What is your budget? Chain-drive garage door openers are the least expensive of the four choices.
Chain Drive
Chain-drive garage door are the most favored of the four types of garage door opener. They are the least pricy. They are the noisiest of the four kinds, they are extremely durable and are a good garage door opener option.

Belt Drive
Belt-drive openers are quieter than chain drives because they use rubber belts. They cost a little more than chain-drive openers and are best for those with living rooms at the top of or next to the garage. There are also reduced vibrations associated with this opener type.

Screw Drives
This garage door opener kind is often used in environments with extreme temperatures since they are designed to withstand temperature changes. Screw-drive openers will not suffer from iced over chains or other weather-related problems. The tracks are plastic-lined and there is very limited upkeep involved.

Jack-shaft
Jack-shaft drives are excellent for eliminating that large garage door opener box on the ceiling of your garage. Jack-shaft openers are mounted on the side wall of your garage and are ideal for garages with high ceilings. Another benefit is that they are extremely quiet.

In case that you are not sure about which garage door opener is ideal for your garage, then locate a local garage door expert who can help you make a decision.


Automatic garage door openers became popular in the 1970s and have evolved into a huge market with a plethora of different kinds of check here automatic garage door openers for residential and commercial garages. Automatic garage door openers took the inconvenience out of having to get out of the car to manually open the garage door. When safety is such an important issue, as it is with garage doors and garage door openers, it's simply better to leave it to the experts.