Automatic overhead door openers got popular in the 1970s and have evolved into a huge market with a huge selection of different types of automatic garage door openers for commercial and residential garages. Automatic garage door openers took the trouble out of having to get out of the car to personally open the garage door.

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

Things to think of when buying an opener:

Do you want additional safety capabilities for your opener? This is specifically important if you have little ones.
Are you shopping for a very quiet opener?
Do you live in an environment with extreme temperature levels (in which a screw drive opener might be the best pick)?
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 openers are the least pricey of the four choices.
Chain Drive
Chain-drive overhead door are among the most popular of the four kinds of garage door opener. They are the least pricy. They are the noisiest of the four types, they are very durable and are a solid 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 more than chain-drive openers and are best for people with living spaces above or next to the garage. There are also minimal vibrations related to this opener type.

Screw Drives
This overhead door opener type is usually used in climates with harsh 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 excellent for eliminating that large garage door opener box on the ceiling of your garage. Jack-shaft openers are attached on the side wall of your garage and are excellent for garages with high ceilings. Another advantage is that they are super silent.

If 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 more info decision.


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 get more info openers took the inconvenience out of having to get more info 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.