garage door chain drive to belt drive

pberm1962 · 11-23-2011, 03:43 PM

after many failed attempts to repair my sears quarter hp chain drive garage door system on my 8 foot door, i have done some reading and decided to go with a new belt drive opener. the door is in my attached garage right below our bedroom and the quieter belt drive seems appealing even if it is a bit more expensive. will the new belt drive system be compatible with the existing chain drive stuff, such as the rail system and the mounting frame for the opener itself.? if not what new rail parts,etc would i need for the belt system?does the belt drive still use the 2 big springs like the chain drive? i looked at some craftsman openers and none appear to include the belt. thanks paul

Ron6519 · 11-23-2011, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pberm1962

after many failed attempts to repair my sears quarter hp chain drive garage door system on my 8 foot door, i have done some reading and decided to go with a new belt drive opener. the door is in my attached garage right below our bedroom and the quieter belt drive seems appealing even if it is a bit more expensive. will the new belt drive system be compatible with the existing chain drive stuff, such as the rail system and the mounting frame for the opener itself.? if not what new rail parts,etc would i need for the belt system?does the belt drive still use the 2 big springs like the chain drive? i looked at some craftsman openers and none appear to include the belt. thanks paul

The opener can be put on any door. The unit contains the motor head, the electric eyes and the rails.
The springs have nothing to do with the opener.

pberm1962 · 11-23-2011, 04:11 PM

ron you are saying that the new belt drive opener can be put on any door but is the new opener usable with my existing chain rail system

firehawkmph · 11-23-2011, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pberm1962

ron you are saying that the new belt drive opener can be put on any door but is the new opener usable with my existing chain rail system

Pb,
pitch the old chain rail. The new opener comes with all new components. That's about all I put up anymore are the belt drives. They are as quiet as you are going to get and don't require any normal maintenance. I would buy the liftmaster over the craftsman.
Mike Hawkins

pberm1962 · 11-23-2011, 04:33 PM

thanks, do the liftmasters include the belt with the opener

jcrack_corn · 11-23-2011, 04:45 PM

you need the 8ft rail kit. dont leave the store without it....and its another 50 bucks.

i've been very happy with belt drive, it is super quite.

Ron6519 · 11-23-2011, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pberm1962

thanks, do the liftmasters include the belt with the opener

You buy the opener. It comes with everything you need to replace the old opener. You do not use any part of the old opener.
The belt drives are much quieter then the chain drives. I changed over about 5 years ago when the old Stanley opener died. The other door rarely goes up, so it's still there. I bought 2 when the other died, so backup is at hand.
At Sears, everything is now in one box. Used to be there were 2 cartons. One had the motor, the other the rails.
Put a surge protector on the new one. They're more sensitive to power surges then the old ones. Now a days, everything has a circuit board inside.

pberm1962 · 11-23-2011, 07:03 PM

i have decided to go ahead with a belt drive opener , thanks for the advice, i will either go to sears and get the one with everything included or try a liftmaster and make sure i get the 50 dollar kit with it

Evstarr · 11-23-2011, 07:17 PM

I think what jcrack meant to convey was that you need to make sure that whichever you choose can accommodate an 8foot door. Read the box carefully to insure you don't end up short.

pberm1962 · 11-23-2011, 08:29 PM

my wifes telling me its a 7 foot door. i am sure i will end up with at least one trip back to the hardware store,ha ha

Ron6519 · 11-23-2011, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evstarr

I think what jcrack meant to convey was that you need to make sure that whichever you choose can accommodate an 8foot door. Read the box carefully to insure you don't end up short.

The width of the door is irrelevant.

jcrack_corn · 11-24-2011, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron6519

The width of the door is irrelevant.

who's talking about the width of the door? certainly not me. The op said 8ft garage door, i've never known a dimension given with a garage door to be anything other than height. most cookie cutter houses have 7ft doors, most spec homes have 8ft doors. most door openers come with 7ft rails. most door openers have 8ft rail options/extensions. sears has the 8ft rail right on the shelf in store next to the openers.

op, just throw a quick tape on it and settle the debate between you and the wife.

firehawkmph · 11-24-2011, 11:10 AM

Most homeowners don't think of the door in terms of height. If they quote a dimension, it is usually width. The only ones I've had know the height are those that have a taller opening for a specific reason, truck, camper, etc. When ordering a door at a wholesale door supplier, the door size is always listed as width first, then height. 16' x 7', for example, not the other way around. I took the op's 8' mention of the door size as width. Ron's right in stating width is irrelevant as far as an opener is concerned.
How bout it PB, get your tape out and let us know.
Happy Thanksgiving btw.
Mike Hawkins

pberm1962 · 11-25-2011, 06:10 PM

the height of the door is 7 feet , the width is 8 feet. i picked out a half horse belt drive i am gonna pick up next week, i will try to post back to let you know how the install goes thanks to all

firehawkmph · 11-26-2011, 07:39 PM

Sounds good PB,
That's what we figured on your door size. Very common.
Mike Hawkins