electric garage door opener

[mdickmann]

I need to replace my ancient electric garage door opener.  Motor seems to have seized up.  Won't lift anymore.  Just makes a buzzing noise
I went over to Lowe's, and the sales associate there said that the openers came with a 7 foot bar.  My bar measures 10 feet.  
My question is:  Does  a new opener need a new bar?  Or can I use the old one?  Will the new parts be compatible with the old bar?
If not, how difficult is it to obtain a new bar?  I don't see them in the store.  

Thanks,
Mark

[Roly]

I need to replace my ancient electric garage door opener.  Motor seems to have seized up.  Won't lift anymore.  Just makes a buzzing noise
I went over to Lowe's, and the sales associate there said that the openers came with a 7 foot bar.  My bar measures 10 feet.  
My question is:  Does  a new opener need a new bar?  Or can I use the old one?  Will the new parts be compatible with the old bar?
If not, how difficult is it to obtain a new bar?  I don't see them in the store.  

Thanks,
Mark

How tall is the door ?   Most garage doors are 7' tall.    Chances new opener will fit old bar are slim and none.  The new bar comes with the opener in sections that fit together.   You will very likely have to redo the mounting for the motor end as it will be too far away from door.   If your door is over 7' tall you will probably have to contact a company that does commercial doors for a opener .  Roly

[fredhargis]

What Roly said. But you can get longer bars from Amazon, at least for the Chamberlain consumer openers. I don't see that you can buy the consumer grade openers with the longer bars; it looks to me like you buy the one for 7' doors, throw the bar/ belt (or chain) out and the new bar replaces it.

[mdickmann]

I measured my door and it is 7 feet from the floor to the top of the garage door.  Very standard.  These are all around the neighborhood. 
Will the Chamberlin openers that are at Lowe's fit this?
Is Chamberlin a good brand to buy?

[fredhargis]

Almost all the openers you see at any of the box stores are made for 7' doors. Whether Chamberlain is a good one is opinion, that's what I installed last year in this house, and it's also what I put into my last house. I like them, but I buy the belt drive models. They are quieter and you don't have to worry about graeaing a chain or screw (or having that grease leak down onto something).

[Phil Thien]

I can tell you the bars are not likely easily interchangeable. I replaced a Chamberlain with a newer one (same brand) and they had changed quite a bit in just ten years.

[jteneyck]

I need to replace my ancient electric garage door opener.  Motor seems to have seized up.  Won't lift anymore.  Just makes a buzzing noise
I went over to Lowe's, and the sales associate there said that the openers came with a 7 foot bar.  My bar measures 10 feet.  
My question is:  Does  a new opener need a new bar?  Or can I use the old one?  Will the new parts be compatible with the old bar?
If not, how difficult is it to obtain a new bar?  I don't see them in the store.  

Thanks,
Mark

Could be the worm and bevel gear in yours is plastic, as it is in mine.  They can strip if the door is heavy or the springs not adjusted properly.  When that happens all you hear is a buzzing sound.  Happened on mine, which was a Sears.  Back then you could buy replacement parts from Sears, which I did and it wasn't a hard job, and used it for another 10 years or so until the electronics gave out.  Actually replaced it with the same model so all I had to change was the drive unit; no change needed with the bar or mounting.  

John

[Robert Adams]

Could be the worm and bevel gear in yours is plastic, as it is in mine.  They can strip if the door is heavy or the springs not adjusted properly.  When that happens all you hear is a buzzing sound.  Happened on mine, which was a Sears.  Back then you could buy replacement parts from Sears, which I did and it wasn't a hard job, and used it for another 10 years or so until the electronics gave out.  Actually replaced it with the same model so all I had to change was the drive unit; no change needed with the bar or mounting.  

John

            Those were either liftmaster or chambarlain that sears sold (I forget) but it doesn't matter as they are the same company now. Those gears are available online everywhere. I would swap the whole opener though as the repair is usually short lived.

              7' doors are the most common though 8' is also very common and borg selling openers will have the extension kit for 8' doors. My doors are 7' 6" and an opener for a 7' door has enough travel. Now getting new doors that height basically triples the cost of the door... I still keep thinking of building my own....

               Don't get a screw drive. They drip grease on the car in the summer and they bind and are noisy in the winter. 
               Chain drive and belt drive are identical now. Exact same opener just different pulleys to match. Both are virtually the same noise wise. 
                The chain drive that are noisy are the ones that use a drum to coil the chain up. Those are not common anymore.

[toolmiser]

If you go to a place that specializes in selling garage doors, they can get the one piece "bar". My door is 8' tall and my opener has the multiple bars that fit together, I didn't know where to get a one piece then. Mine has a lot of bend in it that I don't like. Some day I will move it to the single door and get a better one.

[JDuke]

Another option is a jack shaft opener they are much quieter and open the space above the door for storage options.