Wall mounted garage door openers.

[HoosierDaddy]

that's a shame, the wall mounted unit looked a brilliant space saver.

Its biggest draw for me was I could easily install the wall mount myself. An overhead is more work PLUS considerably more risky of a fall. Wouldn't care if I was under 53 instead of over 73

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[HoosierDaddy]

This. That's a bummer.

Timely topic. I'm sort of in the same boat in my shop, which has one 16x8' and one 8x8' overhead. When I built it in 2004, I installed insulated Wayne-Dalton doors that could be had with these slick center/wall mount openers (I think they're called iDrive) that slipped over the torque tube, which have the torsion springs internal. These openers have been trouble-free (probably because I had the doors adjusted perfectly), but apparently they were problematic enough for some (plenty of horror stories online) that they're now obsolete.

So here I am planning ahead for the inevitable, and cringing at the thought of having to have overhead openers in there down the road after almost two decades of nothing hanging there. I installed a belt-drive Genie with battery backup in my attached garage last fall and really like it, so maybe I just need to plan on a pair of those so spare parts are common.

I have a 10+ YO 3/4 HP belt drive Craftsman (rebadged Liftmaster) with battery backup. But it has what is almost certainly a bad board (based on symptoms). I could replace the board but for something that old, I'd rather invest in something new than throw money at something just waiting to fail in some other way. LoL

 

[key01]

These side motor mount garage doors are preferred when you are installing car lifts to provide a high arching track and minimize obstructions from the ceiling motor mount. Other than that I see no advantage to their use.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

These side motor mount garage doors are preferred when you are installing car lifts to provide a high arching track and minimize obstructions from the ceiling motor mount. Other than that I see no advantage to their use.

Yeah, that is a big plus that woudn't help me. Don't have a lift and even if I added one, the overhead opener is between bays so doesn't affect lift clearance.

Quieter is nice but the only place in the house I can hear my current opener is a laundry room and a guest bedroom over the garage.

Just got caught up in the "something different" but mostly very easy DIY install compared to overhead.

 

[GT Pony]

Conflicting Max door weight specs. 650 or 850 lbs. I have no idea what my 16x7 door weighs but suspect under 650

Did the wall mount opener specify a max non-off loaded door dead weight with the springs not off-loading it? I find it puzzeling that the door's mass inertial would be a big deal if the door is counter weighted (off-loaded) correctly with the torsion springs. All the motor would have to do is a short acceleration of the door mass from zero to whatever max speed (ft/sec) it raises the door, which can't be that fast.

Does the wall mount opener installation instructions call out an off-loaded max door weight - like 25-30 lbs?

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Did the wall mount opener specify a max non-off loaded door dead weight with the springs not off-loading it? I find it puzzeling that the door's mass inertial would be a big deal if the door is counter weighted (off-loaded) correctly with the torsion springs. All the motor would have to do is a short acceleration of the door mass from zero to whatever max speed (ft/sec) it raises the door, which can't be that fast.

Does the wall mount opener installation instructions call out an off-loaded max door weight - like 25-30 lbs?

Not that I can see.

Springs can counteract gravity (weight) but not mass. That's what I meant about inertia.

 

[GT Pony]

Not that I can see.

Springs can counteract gravity (weight) but not mass. That's what I meant about inertia.

Yes, I totally got that - total motor load is off-loaded door weight plus acceleration of the door mass - even if it was totally off-loaded there is mass inertia. Like mentioned earlier, the acceleration rate from zero to a constant velocity of x ft/sec (the acceleration period) should not be very big. Garage doors don't open very fast.

So the wall unit installation manual doesn't specify a max door dead weight (with no off-load) - or at least a max door size (L x W) - and doesn't even give a max off-loaded door weight? Every garage door install manual I've seen at least has the latter. If they don't specify a max door dead weight, they can't be too concerned about inertia. A 700 lb door in zero G wouldn't take much force to accelerate from 0 to appox 1 ft/sec.

 

[raptor17GT]

Its biggest draw for me was I could easily install the wall mount myself. An overhead is more work PLUS considerably more risky of a fall. Wouldn't care if I was under 53 instead of over 73

Yeah as we get older we don't bounce as good as we used to and take far longer to recover from said falls. Hope you get a painless solution sorted quickly, looming forward to seeing the final install result

 

[MD18EcoStang]

This. That's a bummer.

Timely topic. I'm sort of in the same boat in my shop, which has one 16x8' and one 8x8' overhead. When I built it in 2004, I installed insulated Wayne-Dalton doors that could be had with these slick center/wall mount openers (I think they're called iDrive) that slipped over the torque tube, which have the torsion springs internal. These openers have been trouble-free (probably because I had the doors adjusted perfectly), but apparently they were problematic enough for some (plenty of horror stories online) that they're now obsolete.

So here I am planning ahead for the inevitable, and cringing at the thought of having to have overhead openers in there down the road after almost two decades of nothing hanging there. I installed a belt-drive Genie with battery backup in my attached garage last fall and really like it, so maybe I just need to plan on a pair of those so spare parts are common.

I have a pair of single-width Wayne-Dalton doors, also with iDrive openers. They've been trouble-free for me, too, since 2005. I was disappointed when I learned of their discontinuance, so I'll just have to see how long they last. No reason to believe either will give out anytime soon, although I probably just jinxed myself...

 

[HoosierDaddy]

So the wall unit installation manual doesn't specify a max door dead weight (with no off-load) - or at least a max door size (L x W) - and doesn't even give a max off-loaded door weight?

I posted the max weight is 650 to 850. And it depends on other factors such as the size of the cable "pully" diameter. The unit also has limits based on the radius of the track transition from vertical to horizontal. Max width is 18' max height is 8' There are different limits for doors that open straight up.

 

[Sfckelley]

I have 2 Genie wall mounted openers. Both have battery backups and a traditional disconnect to operate the door manually. One is on a 16' double, the other on a single. I have had no problems and highly recommend them! They are simple to install yourself as well.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I have a pair of single-width Wayne-Dalton doors, also with iDrive openers. They've been trouble-free for me, too, since 2005. I was disappointed when I learned of their discontinuance, so I'll just have to see how long they last. No reason to believe either will give out anytime soon, although I probably just jinxed myself...

I would have less concern for single wide. With an overhead weight limits are go/nogo. But there are additional factors with a wall mount and width is the most impactful. Additional factors by definition mean additional potential problems or side effects or maintenance. I believe that is why even the manufacturer says their wall mounts are for when "traditional" openers can't be mounted or would get in the way.

I went out and manually lifted my garage door from an end instead of the handle in the middle. Even at opener acceleration rates there was a very slight cocking motion. Components were definitely experiencing forces they did not with the overhead opener. Those forces were undoubtedly small and within "limits" for said parts. But... professionally, I didn't choose options that had potential or unknown downsides unless there were obvious or potential gains. Same here. The wall mount doesn't give me a single operational thing I want or need.

 

[MattMPA]

My detached garage has three bays; one follows the roof line to allow for the lift. I need to put an opener on that bay. The way the tracks are set, the top and second door panel gap hits the weatherstrip at the top. I suppose that needs to be addressed.

Anyhow, mine have the torsion spring above the door as opposed to the long springs. I installed door openers by Sommer that allow the opener to be attached to the corner, providing the door has the springs set up like mine. This allowed me to place one opener on the right side, and allow the use of a mid-rise lift in that bay. It's been working for almost 15 years with no issues.

 

[GT Pony]

I posted the max weight is 650 to 850. And it depends on other factors such as the size of the cable "pully" diameter. The unit also has limits based on the radius of the track transition from vertical to horizontal. Max width is 18' max height is 8' There are different limits for doors that open straight up.

Guess if the installation instructions don't make it clear if it will be a good match or not, maybe call the company Tech Line if they have a phone number and see if they can add any additional info that the instructions don't lay-out.

I ran some rough numbers being curious on how much torque a wall mounted opener would have to put onto the shaft to raise a 700 lbs door that was off-loaded by the torsion springs to 40 lbs (never heard what the instructions actually show), and was accelerated from zero to 1 ft/sec in one second (start-up inertial movement requiring ~22 lbs). Cable pulley assumed to be 6-inch diameter (that's the size on my garage door). Shows the input torque would be approx 18-20 ft-lbs. Makes sense it wouldn't be a lot because of the door off-loading, and the fact that a pretty small motor is used. If the door off-loading is more than 40 lbs, then of course the required torque would go up. At any rate, it's not huge and the shaft on the door could easily take the torque.

A door that goes straight up without bending and moving horizontally on the tracks will take way more torque as the door rises higher because it's not going to reduce the load on the motor as as it rises. The torsion springs are also losing wind up torque as the door rises. Doors that move horizontally on the track don't put as much stress on the motor as the door rises because the door weight decreases at the same time the torsion springs unwind and lose opening torque, so they basically balance each other out.

Anyway, whoever designed the door opener should have figured all of that out and reflected the design limitations by calling out the requirements of matching it to a garage door in the installation instructions. Sounds like the instructions are not doing that very well, but maybe the manufacture can shed more light on the unknowns.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Guess if the installation instructions don't make it clear if it will be a good match or not, maybe call the company Tech Line if they have a phone number and see if they can add any additional info that the instructions don't lay-out.

I have not looked at the instructions. I have all I needed for the decision to NOT go wall mount regardless of what any instructions say. It is clear and stated by the manufacture that wall mounts are not preferred over overhead except to address specific problems. None of those problems apply to me.

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