Replacing a garage door opener


 
DanHoo said:
Not to use the app with the opener, but if you want to integrate it with a smart hub or IFTTT then there is a monthly subscription.
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considering i don't have a smart hub (whatever that is; is it like a new wife, say version 2?) and don't play IFTTT, then i'm a luddite with open and close capabilities only and that I have a Ring cam in the garage I can actually see what's going on in the garage?

i did just buy wifi light bulbs for some reason. i think i'm looking forward to playing with those next.

note, the smartest thing i did in the past 3 years was to connect my whole house fan to a Kasa wifi plug. now i can turn on the fan from my phone with timers all without having to go upstairs to throw a manual switch. and i can grab the 330AM summertime air to chill the house before the daily bakeathon starts. this makes me very happy.
 
DanHoo said:
Battery backup adds some cost yet it allows operation during a power outage.

In CA it is required by state law. This happened after it was presumed some could not open their door manually and were unable to escape a wildfire.
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Genuinely curious about this. Was there no other way out of the house? Or perhaps they were blocked by the fire.
 
Brett-EDH said:
considering i don't have a smart hub (whatever that is; is it like a new wife, say version 2?) and don't play IFTTT, then i'm a luddite with open and close capabilities only and that I have a Ring cam in the garage I can actually see what's going on in the garage?

i did just buy wifi light bulbs for some reason. i think i'm looking forward to playing with those next.

note, the smartest thing i did in the past 3 years was to connect my whole house fan to a Kasa wifi plug. now i can turn on the fan from my phone with timers all without having to go upstairs to throw a manual switch. and i can grab the 330AM summertime air to chill the house before the daily bakeathon starts. this makes me very happy.
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The myQ app is fine for simple things, open, close, set a schedule to close ( like every 30 mins after 10pm because the kids forget... ) and send alerts when the door opens and closes, and this does not need a subscription.
 
JimK said:
Genuinely curious about this. Was there no other way out of the house? Or perhaps they were blocked by the fire.
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California SB-969 FAQs

Why was SB-969 introduced?​

SB-969 was introduced in response to the 2017 wildfires that left people trapped in their garages with no power to the garage door openers. Some individuals were unable to lift their garage doors manually and unfortunately some lost their lives.
 
GrantT said:
Last time went from chain drive to screw drive....love the new one. Other than that...being able to link to home network so you operate your door from ANYWHERE would be amazing - I know some can do this now. Also to be able to tell if my door is open/closed and even get alerts etc.
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You can add a inexpensive device to your current garage door to make it ‘Smart’. I added the MEROSS Smart Garage Door Opener to my 16 year old opener. Works great and easy to install.
 
We have Chamberlin belt drive with battery backup. Nice unit. Getting old though and a couple things beginning to act wonky. I added the MyQ hub to it a few years back. LOVE LOVE that thing. Plus now when I get an Amazon delivery they can set it in the garage, I have a WYZE camera that is all knowing and watchful as well. So I even know where they put it, if they were checking out my tools and so on. No subscription either BTW. I see Costco selling one from Chamberlin now. Belt drive, with camera and MyQ installed. Thinking one of those will come home with me soon. Only thing I hate is the stupid sensors. Mine are disabled. Nothing but grief from them here in midwest
 
LMichaels said:
We have Chamberlin belt drive with battery backup. Nice unit. Getting old though and a couple things beginning to act wonky. I added the MyQ hub to it a few years back. LOVE LOVE that thing. Plus now when I get an Amazon delivery they can set it in the garage, I have a WYZE camera that is all knowing and watchful as well. So I even know where they put it, if they were checking out my tools and so on. No subscription either BTW. I see Costco selling one from Chamberlin now. Belt drive, with camera and MyQ installed. Thinking one of those will come home with me soon. Only thing I hate is the stupid sensors. Mine are disabled. Nothing but grief from them here in midwest
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I have been considering the MyQ, but the reviews say the sensor eats batteries. What is your experience with that?
 
JSaus said:
I have been considering the MyQ, but the reviews say the sensor eats batteries. What is your experience with that?
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It's not "batteries" it's "battery". Yes it does tend to use it pretty regularly. I think about once every 5 or 6 mos. It's just one of those little flat batteries (a 2420 IIRC). Cheap, easy to replace but a little bit of a nuisance. FWIW I installed a new opener with MyQ built in at my dad's house. It does not use an external sensor. So no need for that little battery. Another thing I am strongly considering is the one that mounts right next to the top of the door and is direct drive. We shall see
 
LMichaels said:
It's not "batteries" it's "battery". Yes it does tend to use it pretty regularly. I think about once every 5 or 6 mos. It's just one of those little flat batteries (a 2420 IIRC). Cheap, easy to replace but a little bit of a nuisance. FWIW I installed a new opener with MyQ built in at my dad's house. It does not use an external sensor. So no need for that little battery. Another thing I am strongly considering is the one that mounts right next to the top of the door and is direct drive. We shall see
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Thanks. It is not the cost, but the nuisance that bothers me. Perhaps they should have designed with a more substantial battery. I understand it is a position sensor like the Weber Grill light. Maybe someone makes a wired system with a photoelectric sensor?
 
IDK it's really not THAT much of a nuisance. The biggest thing is I keep forgetting how to remove the cover :D
 
DanHoo said:
Not to use the app with the opener, but if you want to integrate it with a smart hub or IFTTT then there is a monthly subscription.
Click to expand...
you could use the free homebridge software and run it as a HyperV virtual machine.

Homebridge

Homebridge adds HomeKit support to your non-HomeKit smart home devices.
homebridge.io homebridge.io
 
One of my craftsman garage door openers (chamberlain) started acting up a few years ago so I thought I would try to figure out what was wrong with it before replacing it. It turns out that over time the soldered connections on the logic board break causing it to start operating randomly. I was going to replace the board but found an ad on ebay for a guy that repaired and tested them. I took a chance and mailed it to him and it worked! Way cheaper and easier than replacing the whole opener, which I think I've done five or six times by now in my life.
 
Brian B Atlanta said:
Do they still have garage doors that use the 2 springs one on each side. I know when I replaced mine 3 or 4 years ago the put that tortion spring over the door which is a single unit first time in years the door actually went down evenly when they did it.
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It seems like the really lightweight base models do:


But the springs are very light and not like the ones that were used years ago; I installed doors similar to the above a number of years ago and they replaced heavy wood doors with large springs that would've caused a lot of damage had they ever let go under tension.

I know it seems obvious, but never try to release or remove a side-assist coil spring with the door down!
 
Brian B Atlanta said:
I think Liftmaster has become the Mercedes of openers can't go wrong with one of those.
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Liftmaster is the Professional retailer/installer. Liftmaster also sell commercial use access products.
Chamberlain is the retail product version (box stores and retail DIY outlets).
 
Brett-EDH said:
Liftmaster is the Professional retailer/installer.
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Dad & my brother put in a couple of Liftmaster openers in the spray material building out in the orchard. It's a drive through with a pair of big doors, these have been trouble free for the better part of 20 years.
 
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