To properly choose the right garage door opener, it is necessary to understand the technical differences in their construction, their qualities, and the best use cases for each type. The best choice is made not only when the opener has all the desired features, but when it also technically able to operate the garage door for a prolonged period of time. First, you may want to ask yourself the following questions.

• How heavy is the garage door? Garage doors that are insulated, made out of low gauge steel, wood, and glass may require stronger or heavy-duty garage door openers.
• How quiet the opener should be? Openers that are powered by different motors are quitter than others.
• Does the opener need to be smart? Although most modern openers feature built-in Wi-Fi, you may want to make sure that the opener that you are planning to buy has Wi-Fi capabilities.
• Should the opener have any special features? Some openers offer the ability to add features such as smart garage door locks or cameras for added security.
• Is the opener from a reputable manufacturer? For some openers, finding replacement parts can be quite a challenge.

In this article, we explore different types of garage door openers, including AC and DC models. We discuss the pros and cons of each and provide average cost information.

The Garage Door Opener Drive Mechanism

Let’s review the four different types of drive mechanisms before taking an in-depth look at the openers’ motors.

1. Chain Drive Openers

Chain driven openers are the most common. As the name implies, it involves using a chain that rotating through the main sprocket and opener’s rail while raising and lowering the garage door. Chain drive garage door openers are relatively cheaper, reliable, and are available with DC and AC motors.

2. Belt Drive Openers

Belt driven garage door openers are quite similar to chain driven openers except that the drive mechanism assemblage operates with a rubber belt that rotates through the main sprocket while raising and lowering the garage door. Belt drive openers usually come with more features and will likely cost more than chain driven openers. Unlike chain driven openers, the opener’s belt will need maintenance and replacement from time to time. Belt driven openers are available with DC and AC motors.

3. Screw Drive Openers

Screw drive garage door openers are the oldest type, although they start to disappear from the market given the fact that door manufactures are shifting production towards chain and belt driven openers. For example, in 2015, The Chamberlain Group (which makes Liftmaster and Chamberlain openers) shut down the production of their screw drive models (3130 and 3240).

Screw drive openers operate with a long screw that spins to move the trolley when raising and lowering the garage door. Given the screw motion, screw drive openers tend to vibrate more than chain and belt openers, therefore, may produce more noise.

4. Direct Drive Openers

Direct drive (or side mount) openers are the type that is being mounted to the wall instead of the ceiling. The opener connects to the garage door’s torsion assembly and spins the axle to open and close the garage door. Since the opener works with a torsion assembly, it cannot be installed on a single piece (or tilt up) garage door.

With side mount garage door openers, the garage ceiling and the space above the garage door can be utilized for storage purposes more efficiently. Unlike celling mount openers with chain, belt and screw assemblies, direct drive openers create a cleaner look since they don’t need the rail assembly. A direct drive opener is a good choice for heavy duty garage doors and only available with DC motors.

AC vs DC Garage Door Openers

The garage door opener’s electric motor is a device that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. The mechanical energy is produced by using electric current to create a magnetic field which causes a magnet to rotate. There are two different types of electric motors that power garage door openers.

AC Motors

AC garage door opener’s motor is an electric motor that run on alternating current (AC) electricity. There are two types of AC motors: induction motors and synchronous motors. AC garage door openers are powered by mainly induction motors.

Induction motors use electromagnetic induction to produce torque, which is the rotational force that drives the opener’s motor. An induction motor is constructed from a stator, which is the stationary part of the motor that houses the electrical windings, and a rotor, which is the rotating part of the motor. The stator produces a magnetic field, which causes the rotor to turn and produce torque.

Garage door openers that are powered by AC motors are relatively simple to construct and manufacture, therefore, they are more affordable and attractive to consumers price wise. They are known for their durability and ability to operate heavy garage doors effectively.

DC Motors

DC garage door openers use direct current (DC) electrical energy to produce mechanical energy. The DC motor is also constructed from a stator and a rotor. However, the stators’ windings, or coils, are connected to a DC power source.

The rotor has windings (or permanent magnets) that are surrounded by the stator. When the stator’s magnetic field rotates, it causes the rotor to rotate as well. The speed and direction of the rotation can be controlled by adjusting the current that is flowing through the stator’s windings.

Unlike AC motors, garage door openers that are powered by DC motors feature soft start and soft ending. Their speed is gradually increasing when the opener is activated and decreasing when the opener comes to a stop. DC openers can also be powered by batteries. The opener’s backup battery provides a consistent, stable voltage when the garage door opener doesn’t get any power. The voltage of the battery is determined by the number of cells it has, with each cell producing around 1.5 volts.

For example, the typical garage door opener battery backup is a 12-volt battery with eight cells. When a DC garage door opener works on its battery power source, you may notice that it’s working slowly than usual in order to conserve the battery life. Some openers will also make a constant beeping sound.

Why DC Garage Door Openers Are Quieter Than AC openers

DC garage door openers are quieter than AC openers because they don’t vibrate as much and don’t have the humming or buzzing noise that is common in AC door openers. To simplify it, the AC motor’s magnetic field causes the rotor to change direction rapidly. The movement creates friction between the motor’s brushes and commutator, which produces the noise and vibrations. If your AC door opener’s motor is making excessive abnormal noise it could indicate that there are issues with its bearings, or a loose stator core.

On the other hand, garage door openers that are powered by DC motors operate by using direct current. This allows a constant magnetic field around the rotor, resulting in minimal vibration and overall noise. Additionally, brushless DC garage door openers aren’t constructed from brushes or commutators. Instead, they have an electronic controller to determine the timing and direction of the current flowing to the motor’s windings.

Although DC garage door openers are designed to deliver smooth and quiet operation, there are a few factors that can contribute to the noise level of the opener, including the configuration and operating speed of the motor, the load it is carrying, as well as the parts and materials that the motor is constructed from. Nonetheless, DC garage door openers are a lot quieter than AC.

Horsepower and Torque Output

Horsepower is a unit of measurement used to describe the power of an electric motor. It measures the power that the opener’s electric motor can deliver to a load or device. The higher the horsepower rating of a garage door opener, the more powerful it is.

As you may have noticed, DC openers are measured by Newtons, which is a unit of torque in the International System of Units (SI), and used to determine the power output (or torque) of the opener. Newton meter (or Nm) is the force required to produce a torque of one newton meter on an object with a moment of inertia of one kilogram meter squared (kg·m²). One Newton unit is the force which gives a mass of 1 kilogram an acceleration of 1 meter per second.

A garage door opener that produces more torque will be able to operate heavy garage doors, while an opener with a lower torque rating may not have enough power to do so. For example, light steel garage doors can work well with a ½ HP garage door opener while heavy insulated and wood garage doors will require a ¾ HP opener.

The opener’s torque output and horsepower are not the only quality to consider when buying a garage door opener. When operating heavy equipment, the opener assemblage and its components like the drive mechanism, gears, and sprockets, as well as the opener overall construction must be able to endure and support heavy loads. For example, you may find Chamberlain and Genie garage door openers that are powered by motors that produce more than 1 or 2 HPc (horsepower comparable), but the openers are not capable of operating heavy garage doors. On the other hand, you may find LiftMaster and Marantec openers that produce only ¾ HPc and can operate heavy duty garage doors effectively.

The Quietest Garage Door Opener

Which garage door opener is the quietest: chain, belt, screw, or direct drive? Openers that are powered by DC motors, whether it’s chain, belt, screw or direct drive are the quietest openers.

Consumers often mistakenly believe that belt-driven openers are quieter than chain-driven ones. In reality, the noise produced by the opener’s drive mechanism is minimal compared to the noise generated by the opener’s motor itself.

For example, an opener powered by a DC motor and chain assembly will be quieter compared to an opener powered by an AC motor and belt assembly.

As mentioned above, screw drive openers can be noisier due to their tendency to generate more vibrations.

Garage Door Opener Prices

The cost of a garage door opener with installation varies depending on the project complexities and type of garage door. For standard AC garage door openers, consumers should expect to pay around $500 (with installation). DC openers, heavy duty openers, and openers with advanced features can cost up to $3000 (with installation), although the average cost is around $1000.

Big home improvement retailers may offer low-cost openers and installations; however, they sell retail light duty brands like Chamberlain and Genie. These openers are more suitable for light garage doors, they are built with light duty parts and hardware, and might not pass the test of time. Additionally, big retailers don’t employ in-house installers, they outsource their installation projects to a third-party hiring company who dispatch unlicensed individuals and takes a percentage of each sale. Typically, these temporary workers will be on the lookout for possible upselling opportunists since their pay is not adequate to cover their expenses and rising cost of inflation.

The Best Garage Door Opener

Although all makes and models of garage door openers accomplish the same goal, they are built differently and offer different benefits. Consumers may want to make sure that the opener they buy has all the right features and torque output.

Garage door openers that are powered by DC motors are more expensive to manufacture, more efficient, quiet and can be used with a backup power source such as batteries in case of a power surge. If you live in California, Senate Bill 969 illegalized AC garage door openers, requiring homeowners, property owners, homebuilders and garage door repair companies to install DC garage door openers only.

Garage door openers that are powered by AC motors are more affordable, and considered to be more powerful than DC openers because they can utilize higher electric current to produce more torque and lifting power. However, they vibrate, produce more noise and cannot be used with a designated backup battery power supply.