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 domestic and commercial 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 need added safety features for your opener? If you have little ones, this is particularly important.
Are you looking for a very quiet opener?
Do you live in an environment with extreme temperatures (in which a screw drive opener might be the very best pick)?
Do you need to have remote access?
Does your garage allow ceiling setup of the opener, or do you have high ceilings (which would make a jack-shaft the most ideal choice)?
What is your budget? Chain-drive garage door openers are the least expensive of the four options.
Chain Drive
Chain-drive garage door are the most favored of the four types of garage door openers. They are the least expensive. Although 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 due to the fact that they use rubber belts. They cost a little bit more than chain-drive openers and are best for those with living areas on top of or next to the garage. There are also reduced vibrations associated with this opener type.

Screw Drives
This overhead door opener kind is oftentimes used get more info in environments with extreme temperatures since they are developed to withstand temperature changes. Screw-drive openers will not suffer from frosted chains or other weather-related issues. The tracks are plastic-lined and there is very limited upkeep required.

Jack-shaft
Jack-shaft drives are fantastic for abolishing that huge overhead door opener box on the ceiling of your garage. Jack-shaft openers are set up on the side wall of your garage and are perfect for garages with high ceilings. Another perk is that they are incredibly quiet.

Find a local garage door service provider who can help you choose if you are unsure about whichever garage door opener is best for your garage.


Automatic garage door openers became popular in the 1970s and have evolved into a huge market with a plethora of different kinds of automatic garage door openers for commercial and residential 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.