# garage door openers: would you get one installed or do it youself?



## guest (Sep 16, 2003)

im looking to get door openers before the winter... 

ive seen them at home depot for about 150-175 per door.. seems reasonable... 

I called a local place.. they charge 315 installed..liftmaster or laneer brand openers


has anyone installed door openers themselves? are they simple or a pain in the butt? 


for the extra money is it worth having them done professionally?


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## bontai Joe (Sep 16, 2003)

I did one, and I consider myself rather handy with tools and it took me 4 hours. My brother does them professionally and can install it better in under 1 hour. He knows ALL the tricks and adjustments for a good installation as he has been doing it for over 17 years. I'd let a pro do it, but I'd see if I could talk to a guy in the "company truck" and offer him some weekend work on his time for cash. You will get the same skills for maybe less $$$.


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## Rodster (Sep 26, 2003)

I put in a Lift master with the cog belt drive. If you want quiet this is the one to get. My Genie worm drive died after 4 years. My son in law and his family are in the door business and I bought it from them. The installers buy them with a one piece beam and mostly assembled so their installers don't waste time putting them together.

Rodster


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## Stewart (Sep 17, 2003)

See if they will cut you a deal for two and let them do it. They have the tools and tricks of the trade and will be out and done inside of an hour or so!!! I have put in a couple and took forever!!! We had our door and opener repaced a few months ago and it was cheaper than doing it myself. :cheers:


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## Argee (Sep 17, 2003)

John.....trust me when I say this.....have them installed by the professionals:lmao:


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## MowHoward2210 (Nov 2, 2003)

I helped my dad put one in years ago. I remember it being kind of a hassle.


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## Chipmaker (Sep 16, 2003)

Personally I would install it myself. A buck is a buck and there is nothing hard about it. The instructions that are included in the openers HD and Lowes sell are about as straight forward and spelled out as it gets. Simple hand tools are all thats needed, and probably some angle iron to hang the motor end of the opener. If you have a wide aluminum door its best to put a reinforcement gusset on it and also a heavier cross bar, but they spell that allout in the instructions.....Sort of partial to Genie Brand myself, but then when you pay what I paid for my Genie you would be too........Brand new sealed in the box complete out the door price of $7.00, yep thats not a typo it was $7.00 and no tax as it was a considered a used or donation item at Goodwill even though it was brand new, Goodwill does not charge tax.....Sort of felt like I was stealing it at that price.

I heard a good one with a dude and his auto matic garage door opener. It was out Operations Squadron Commander. He is as educated as you can be.......absolutely no tools around his place except for maybe a screwdriver, as he hires everything that needs to be done.........Anyway he was supposed to go to some big wig function, so he was in the shower getting washed, stero blaring away and the power went out during a storm. Hmmmm, he figures no big deal, lights up a candle finishes up gets his dress uniform on, goes out to his garage hits the buton, and it dawns on him no power, Hmmm thats right pull this little rope and it will dissengage the automatic door drive, so he pulls it, and pushes the door up, but it is not balanced and relied mainly on the garage door opener to hold it open, and not the springs (Shoddy workmanship as usually you still have some spring tension applied) anyway he is there trying to figure out how to hold his garage door up so he could get his car out. Not a 2 x 4 or pipe or even a screwdriver to ewedge it open, so he gives up goes inside and figures power would be on shortly, so he eases back in his easy chair and dozes off, only to awaken to sounds of the stereo going and lots of bright lights.........the power came on, so he just up and goes out to his car, only to see the sun coming up already...........He missed the affair and power was off longer n his sectin that he anticipated. He told me this story when he asked if there was some kind of clamp I could make him to hold his door up for such use, and I said why not just get a C clamp or a 2 x 4........and also to call whoever put your door opener up to adjust the springs correctly...


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## MowHoward2210 (Nov 2, 2003)

I had a garage door spring bust on me one time. It was the kind that stretches and runs above and parallel to the roller track. I went ahead and replaced both of them at the same time. I was up on a ladder with the door open and had to make an adjustment by unhooking the door from the garage door opener. I knew that there would be nothing holding the door in the open position, except me. Boy that was a mistake! It got away from and smacked the garage floor with a tremendous force. It was just a single car, wooden door on a house built in the 60's. But boy was that SOB heavy to get back up!

I've also had the cable and horizontal torsion bar type spring break on the house I live in now. I was in the house when it let go. It made a horrific noise. I thought that my neighbors house had blown up! So I ran to the garage, and the door wouldn't open. I though oh **it, the explosion knocked the power out. Then I saw one of the lift cables dangling from one of the pulley's. It left a big marks in the drywall were the busted cable had beat on it 10000 RPM for a second or two. Could have killed somebody. The replacement spring gave away last year. It just broke and the damage was contained in the torsion spring assembley. I wont mess with a torsion spring.


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## memmurphy (Sep 18, 2003)

Well SJ, I'm gonna go with Argee on this one. Think "Brake Job". :winky: 

Mark


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## Ingersoll444 (Sep 17, 2003)

> _Originally posted by memmurphy _
> *Well SJ, I'm gonna go with Argee on this one. Think "Brake Job". :winky:
> 
> Mark *



:furious: :furious: Owwwwwwwwwwwww THATS harsh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   


I did one a LONG time ago. It was not hard, but DID take a long time to do it. More of a hassle then anything else. Dooable, but do you want to spend most of a day doing it?


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## leolav (Sep 16, 2003)

Those springs are a real pain. I've had three snap in the past 3-4 years. One night we were in bed and we heard what I thought was a gun going off or an explosion. I went downstairs and looked around didn't see anything out of the ordinary, so I went back to bed. The next AM, I went down to our garage and the opener pulled the door up with no problem. I hit my garage door opened to close it again and then I noticed it went 1/2 way down and stopped dead in its track. I went inside and saw that the lift spring had snapped. The spring when the door was closed gave way and snapped against our garage wall so hard that it splintered the plywood above where the door is. 

It is always recommended to replace the safety wire at the same time as the spring. I can assume that the wire would have to have some damage it it contained that much force. Scares the crap out of you when you hear them let go.

I agree. Let a pro install it. It will look better and probably will give you the piece of mind.


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