There are basically five types of garage door opener drives: direct, chain, belt, screw or jackshaft. The most common types are are chain-driven and belt-driven openers, especially in DIY products. Jackshaft openers are essentially reserved for professional installation. Direct-drive units are a special design from Germany and aren’t really seen outside of Sommer’s product range. Screw-drive openers are an interesting addition to this mix. They work by rotating a threaded rod that moves a carriage back and forth.

Screw-drives don’t have ...