If you are in the market for a new garage door opener, you may have heard of direct drive openers. But what exactly is a direct drive opener? How do they work? And are they right for your home? In this blog post, we will answer all of your questions about direct drive garage door openers! We primarily recommend the Liftmaster 8500W, but there are several manufacturers offering these types of motors.
Here is a recent article going over the different types of garage door openers.
What is a direct drive garage door opener?
A direct drive garage door opener, also known as a side-mounted or jackshaft opener, is a type of garage door opener that works differently than a standard draw-bar opener. Jackshaft openers are mounted on the side of the garage door instead of on the ceiling, and they turn the torsion tube and spring to lift and lower the garage door instead of pulling and pushing on the top of the garage door.
Why should I choose a direct drive opener?
You might want to choose a direct drive opener for your garage door for several reasons. Direct drive openers are incredibly quiet, so if you have a bedroom above your garage or you simply don’t want to hear your garage door opener running all the time, a side-mount operator is a great option. They are primarily used in high-lift applications or on garage doors with larger radius tracks because the door needs to come up before it starts coming back into the horizontal flat part of the track. A standard drawbar opener is not ideal in these applications due to the fact that they pull straight back. This puts extra stress on the top section and will damage it over time.
Are there any drawbacks to using this type of garage door opener?
One potential drawback to using a direct drive opener is that they are slightly more expensive than a standard opener. Also, if the door closes down on something left in the way or gets stuck in the tracks for any reason they can throw the garage door cables off the drums making the door inoperable until a garage door professional can reset the springs. This is especially true in a garage with a low ceiling where there is very little weight on the bottom section when the door begins to close from an open position.
If you’re looking for a garage door opener that is both reliable and efficient, a direct drive opener may be the perfect choice for you. These openers are becoming more and more popular due to their many benefits, such as quiet operation and low maintenance. However, there are a few things to keep in mind before making your final decision. Be sure to call us so we can help you choose the best direct drive garage door opener for your home. We would be happy to answer any of your questions and provide you with additional information about these amazing machines!