I've been debating this myself lately, because our garage opener sounds like a freight train rolling through at 6am... neighbors probably think we're running a secret mechanic shop in there, lol. Anyway, about the quieter models—my brother-in-law installed one last summer and swears by it. But funny enough, he's had a couple of minor hiccups with sensors and alignment issues. Nothing major, but enough to make me wonder if quieter sometimes means more sensitive or delicate?
I'm all for fewer noise complaints (and less side-eye from next door), but I'm also not looking to add another thing to my 'finicky home appliance' list. Did you notice if yours needed more fine-tuning or adjustments after installation? Or maybe it was just his luck...
Been wondering the exact same thing lately since we're about to replace ours—it's currently doing a solid impression of a jet engine every morning. 😂 Interesting about the sensor issues though... makes me think quieter models might be a bit more finicky. Did your brother-in-law mention if it was tricky to install himself, or was it more of a random thing that popped up later? I'm all for quiet, but I don't wanna spend my weekends babysitting garage door sensors...
"Did your brother-in-law mention if it was tricky to install himself, or was it more of a random thing that popped up later?"
Funny you mention sensor issues—I ran into something similar last month. Installed one of those whisper-quiet belt-driven openers for a client, and the installation itself was straightforward enough (just follow the manual step-by-step, nothing too crazy). But about two weeks later, the sensors started acting up randomly. Turned out it was just alignment sensitivity—took maybe 10 minutes to tweak and hasn't been an issue since. Quiet's great, but yeah... sensors can be picky little things.
Had a similar thing happen when we upgraded ours last year. Installation was pretty smooth, but about a week later the sensors randomly decided they didn't like each other anymore. One minute fine, next minute refusing to close the door without a dramatic blinking tantrum. Turned out a spider had built a tiny web right in front of one sensor... took longer to find a broom than to fix the issue. Sensors definitely have a mind of their own sometimes.
Had something similar happen, except mine wasn't spiders—it was leaves blowing around. Every windy day, the sensors would randomly freak out and refuse to close. Took me forever to figure out what was going on. Ended up rigging a little shield out of scrap wood to block the wind and debris. Worked like a charm since then. Ever had issues with weather messing up your sensors, or is it just my luck?
