Chain vs Belt Driven Garage Door Openers

Belt versus Chain Drive Garage Door Openers and Which one is Right for You

By Mark J. Donovan

Belt and chain driven garage door openers have become ubiquitous with residential garages. Prior to the advent of the garage door opener, homeowners had no choice but to hop out of their cars to shut the garage door before leaving the driveway, unless of course they left the door open and left the garage susceptible to thieves and critters.

There are three basic kinds of garage door openers on the market today, and they include the belt driven garage door opener, the chain driven garage door opener and a screw driven type. This article focuses on the belt vs chain driven garage door openers.

Chain Drive Garage Door Openers

Chain driven garage door openers are widely popular with residential garages. Basically a motor drives a chain that rotates around a long horizontal rod and trolley system and in the process opens and closes the garage door. Chain driven garage door openers are easy to install but are rather noisy. They are also a bit less expensive than belt drive garage door openers.

Chain driven garage door openers include a number of control options for opening and closing the garage doors, including keychain, remote, car, and externally mounted keypads. In addition, as with screw and belt driven garage door openers, they include timer lights that automatically turn on when the garage door is open or closed, and even when someone trips the electronic eye sensors.

Over time chains can loosen with these types of garage door openers due to wear on the rollers and pins. However, the chain can easily be adjusted, and will probably require a maximum of one adjustment over the life of the opener.

Belt Drive Garage Door Openers

Belt driven garage door openers on the other hand are very quiet, and are ideal for garages that have finished rooms above them. Due to the smooth belt motion, there is less vibration that translates into a quieter garage door opener.

Belt driven garage door openers, vs chain driven garage door openers, also open garage doors a little quicker, however they are typically designed for one car wide garage doors.

Belt driven garage door openers are a bit pricier than chain driven garage door openers. Belt driven garage door openers are fairly easy to install, however it is important to take accurate measurements when installing them. Belt drive garage door openers, as with chain drive garage door openers include various controls for opening and closing the garage doors, including remote, car, keychain, and externally mounted keypads.

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