Garage Door Openers: A Buyer’s Guide to the Types of Genie Garage Door Openers

Published on: August 4, 2021   

 Looking for a new garage door opener? Not sure where to start? You’ve come to the right place.  Here at Genie we are committed to providing you the garage door opener that matches your desires for speed, convenience, connectivity, and reliability.  Each type of garage door opener has distinct advantages and unique features.  Below, we will discuss the different types of garage door openers as well as their benefits to help you decide what is the best fit for you.

     When searching for a new garage door opener, often the type of drive mechanism is not something that is heard about very often.  However, the drive mechanism is what differentiates all garage door openers into 4 categories: screw drive garage door openers, chain drive garage door openers, belt drive garage door openers, and wall mounted garage door openers. 

Genie Screw Drive Garage Door Openers:

• How It Works:
  • Screw drive garage door openers operate using a trolley and a threaded-steel rod which rotates the motor to move the garage door opened or closed.
• Advantages:
  • Screw drive garage door openers are ideal for heavy doors.
  • Screw drive garage door openers are often much easier to maintain and run smoothly since there are fewer moving pieces.
  • Screw drive garage door openers are also not recommended to be used in locations where there are dramatic seasonal temperature changes as these openers are temperature sensitive.

Genie Chain Drive Garage Door Openers

• How It Works
  • Chain drive garage door openers operate using a roller chain, like that of a bicycle to move the garage door.
• Advantages:
  • Chain drive openers are the least expensive and most common type of garage door opener.
  • Chain openers are a classic and known for their durable and dependable design.
  • Chain drive garage door openers are recommended for detached garages as they can be noisy. However, newer Genie garage door opener models now use a DC motor and soft stop and start so chain drive openers are much quieter.

Genie Belt Drive Garage Door Openers

• How It Works
  • Belt drive garage door openers operate using a steel-reinforced rubber, fiberglass, or polyurethane belt to move the garage door. Our Genie garage door openers use a durable, heavy duty, steel-reinforced ultra-quiet belt.
• Advantages:
  • Belt drive garage door openers are the quietest of all garage door openers and are ideal for attached garages close to living spaces.
  • Belt drive garage door openers feature a sleek design and a low-vibration belt. Genie belt drive garage door openers are equipped with a steel-reinforced belt, and an ultra-quiet DC motor.

Genie Wall Mounted Garage Door Openers

• How It Works
  • A wall mount garage door opener, also known as a jackshaft garage door opener, eliminates the need for a traditional rail as the wall mount garage door opener is mounted to the side of the garage door and uses the garage door’s torsion bar to operate the garage door.
• Advantages
  • Wall mounted openers are ideal for garages with little available overhead space since a wall mounted garage door opener will free at least 48” of ceiling space.
  • Genie wall mounted garage door openers have higher security since they have a patent pending Safe-T-Pulse system that checks for cable slack and stops the door from closing if there are any issues needing addressed. Additional features include a remote garage door lock and a LED light.
  • Wall mounted openers are the most expensive garage door opener option, but also have the most features.

No matter what type of Genie garage door opener you purchase, you can rest assured knowing you purchased a product from one of America’s best known and trusted consumer brands.