Well, I'm taking the plunge and buying a brand-new belt-drive garage door opener. It's being installed at this very moment by a very nice man named Tito.When my 20-year-old opener broke a couple of weeks ago, I learned there are several different replacement operations. The chain-drive, which is what I have, sounds like a freight train going by. No big deal if the garage is separate from the house. But when your bedroom is directly over the garage, it can be very disconcerting in the middle of the night.
Another popular type of opener is called a screw-drive, which is a bit quieter, and more efficent. But if it breaks, it's more expensive to replace.
The higher end is known as a belt-drive. Belts are much much quieter, therefore cost about $50 more per unit. Installation, I'm hoping, is pretty much the same all the way around.
The things you learn when you own a home. The first guy who came out, quoted me $750 to install a new opener. That didn't sound right. I priced them on Home Depot and Sears' websites, and found the openers themselves cost about $200-$250.
Another company I found through "The Homeowners Club" (which I HIGHLY recommend) quoted $350 plus tax, which includes installation. MUCH easier to live with.
So, with any luck, I'll be sailing into my garage without getting out to walk around the house, through the mine-field of dog poo, get into the house and open the door to let my car inside anymore. I am looking forward to effortlessly pressing a button, having the door rise, and driving inside, with a smile on my face!!!
