Is a Jackshaft door opener right for me?

Is a Jackshaft door opener right for me?

If you’re looking over the plans for your new garage and there seems to be a lot of space over the garage door, you might want to opt for a Jackshaft door opener (AKA a wall‑mounted door opener) rather than a trolley type.

Trolley type door openers are installed in the centre above the garage door and take up a lot of space, whereas wall‑mounted door openers are installed beside the door and take up less space.

What exactly is a Jackshaft door opener?

Rather than being installed over the centre of your garage door, this type of door opener is generally installed in homes with garage ceilings over 10 ft., and in homes were homeowners require more storage space in their garage. A wall‑mounted door opener is 16.25” high x 6” wide x 6.75” deep. They are just as safe as trolley door openers, they come equipped with a photoelectric reversal system and are operated with a remote control. Remotes use the Security+ 2.0 system with rolling codes, and you can also operate the door using a three button wall control panel, or from your mobile device thanks to MyQ technology. Finally, it can be equipped with a back‑up battery so you can always access your garage, even in power outages!

Who is it recommended for?

If the floor‑to‑ceiling distance in your garage is under 10 ft. and you’ve got a short garage door (under 7 ft.), then this type of door opener system is not for you. These types of door openers are designed for high ceilings, and although you could still opt for a trolley type opener, wall‑mounted openers are much more advantageous.

If you have high ceilings in your garage and you opt for a trolley type door opener, the motor unit will have to be installed at least 2 ft. away from the ceiling and the L‑brackets supporting it will have to be very long, taking up precious storage space. To install a trolley type door opener securely, you’ll need to use slotted steel angles in the form of a triangle, taking up even more space.

Finally, the vibrations from opening and closing the garage door will eventually loosen the supports and make them less safe. Therefore, a Jackshaft type opener will not just save you space, it’s safer in the long run!

Are there any constraints?

Wall‑mounted door openers are not right for everyone, you need enough space (at least 8 inches on one side of the door), and you also need to use a solid shaft to hold the springs of your torsion hardware (if applicable) rather than a hollow tube. The solid shaft will have to be inserted into the housing of the door opener and is how the opener raises and lowers the door.

Whichever type of door opener you choose, remember to ensure your door is properly balanced. You should be able to lift a well‑balanced door with one hand. Don’t forget that your door opener will lower the door with the same force it uses to raise it, so an unbalanced door could pose a safety threat to you and your family.

Is there a price difference?

Wall‑mounted door openers are slightly more expensive than trolley door openers. For example, the 8355W, a professional series trolley opener, will cost you between $375 and $400, whereas the 8500W, a wall‑mounted opener, will cost you between $525 to $550.

Is there someone I can talk to about this?

Of course, you can contact us by phone at any time at 613-749-2138 or send us a request for an online quotation. You can also pop into our showroom where we will be more than happy to show you our range of garage doors and door openers.

If you’re looking for garage door inspiration, why not peruse our image gallery or try out our design center tool?

Comments

Hi there I need a second garage door opener for another vehicle. Which one works with this unit?

Hi, we can certainly help you out with another opener. Can you give us a call at 613-749-2138? It will be a pleasure to provide you with the information.

Add new comment

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.

Copyright Garaga Inc. | Privacy Policy and Conditions of Use | Sitemap