Chamberlain WD822KD Whisper Drive 1/2-HP Belt Drive Garage Door Opener
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Chamberlain WD822KD Whisper Drive 1/2-HP Belt Drive Garage Door Opener
Customer Review: Easy installation: truly quiet!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought the Chamberlain whisper drive about a month prior to installing it and it just sat in my house while I dreaded the installation and procrastinated. Finally, my brother and I decided to complete the job on a Saturday. I was replacing a garage door opener that was built in 1987 and had an add-on reciever for remote controls (if it didn't, then I would have replaced it sooner). Anyway, the old opener was incredibly loud and had no safety features.
Installation of the Whisper drive took about 5 hours and the extra set of hands really helped (it would have been quicker if we didn't have to watch a 1.5 year old and 3 dogs at the same time). We were able to use the existing bracket on the garage door, the existing bracket on the ceiling (with some modification) and the existing wiring for the button. We found that the instructions were very well written and thorough (I should know; I'm a technical writer); however, it would have saved some time if I would have printed an extra copy because we were working on different steps at the same time and fighting over the instruction manual (you can find a .pdf of the instruction manual on the Chamberlain website).
Anyway, everything was very easy to install; you don't need to be technically inclined in order to do this job. The safety sensors clip right to the garage door rails and you string the wires over to quick-connect terminals on the opener. It is incredibly easy to calibrate the opener and the safety sensors (took me about 10 min.).
The opener comes with some nice extras including a large lighted wall button, two 100 watt light sockets (I can see my garage now), the opener comes pre-lubricated so no need to buy grease, it comes with a wireless keypad and three button remotes. The remotes can be programmed to turn-on the lights on the opener so you don't have to go back to the wall button when you are working in the garage. Also, you can buy an accessory 120v socket adapter that is programmed to the third button on the remote and you can use that to turn on/off exterior lights, interior lights, or anything that you want.
One word of advice: hit the hinges, spring, pulleys, and wheels on the garage door with WD-40 to further reduce noise.
Awesome opener, whisper quiet, anybody can install!
Customer Review: Easy to assemble, not too hard to install
Summary: 5 Stars
Assembling the opener was very easy.
The opener itself did not contribute to the challenge of installing, most of that was based on the designers of my garage. I only had to run to the hardware store once to pick up mounting brackets. That's a new record for me.
The instructions were well written and easy to follow.
The opener is quiet and it meets my functional expectations.
Customer Review: Easy to install and exceptionally silent
Summary: 5 Stars
I got one a couple of weeks ago and installed it myself, replacing an old noisy Craftsman screw drive for my sectional 2-car door. All you need is a few basic tools and a screw driver. Lots of bolting and screwing. Some reviewers have complained about having to get brackets and some basic hardware that are not included. If you are getting it new for a new door that has never had an opener on it you should plan for the trip to the hardware store, the instructions tell you everything you need. If you are replacing an older opener, you probably have everything you need, including a reinforced garage door. I could use the brackets etc. from the old opener, even if I had to relocate them a little bit. Installation was easy and straight-forward with excellent instructions. Took 2-3 hours, including the removal of the old one. If I did again it could probably be done in an hour and a half. The opener is really quiet and smooth. All you hear is a whir from the reinforced rubber belt and low hum from the motor. It seems to slow down slightly just before it closes completely, very cool . Most of the noise now comes from the garage door sliding up and down. Very happy. And the lights are positioned one on each side so it lights up the garage much better than the old one where the two lights were side by side in the front. The coded remote key pad is great bonus. I hadn't even seen that I was getting that when I ordered the unit.Customer Review: Easy to install and whisper quiet.
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a noise freak and this thing is great. I installed both the 1/2 and 3/4 HP versions of this for a single and double door respectively. Both are extremely quiet (the neighbors agree). From upstairs, I can no longer hear the garage door opening when my wife gets home. This unit took about 2 hours for me to install but only because I had to reposition a light in the garage to make room. Also there was no previous unit in this spot so I had to position it from scratch.
At one point a second person is required to assist with the installation. I got around this by stablely positioning an igloo cooler on the top of a ladder and positioning the opener on top. So it can be done by 1 person with a little ingenuity.
Customer Review: Everything worked as expected.
Summary: 4 Stars
I am a "hell for stout" type of person so I chose to use 1/8"x1" flat steel to mount the unit in lieu of the light weight 3/4" perforated steel angle provided.
In one of the reviews, I saw where a person had an idler pulley failure, so I machined an aluminum pulley with a sealed ball bearing along with the necessary spacers needed to install it.
I was surprised to see how small the gear belt was and I do have concerns about the longevity of it.
Aside from the concerns above, the installation went well and the instructions were easy to follow and the unit worked like a jewel.