Chamberlain WD822KD Whisper Drive 1/2-HP Belt Drive Garage Door Opener
by Chamberlain
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Chamberlain WD822KD Whisper Drive 1/2-HP Belt Drive Garage Door Opener
Customer Review: Well thought-through do-it-yourself installation
Summary: 5 Stars
My old garage opener, Chamberlain 6200, died, and I decided that it was a good occasion to replace the old noisy opener with a quiter "whisper drive". I installed everything myself. The whole process, including diassembling the old one, installation of a new one, a trip to a hardware store to get some tools, and balancing the door by adjusting the springs, took about 8 hours. The installation process was very straightforward. The manual is very detailed, with clear written explanations and pictures of all parts that should be installed on each particular step. I found just one typo... The box includes every single part that one may need to replace the existing door opener, and even a few spare small parts which are easy to lose. However, for a new installation (in a garage which never had an electic opener) one needs a bracket which can be obtained from any hardware store for several dollars.
There is a fair amount of confusion about the 8-feet doors rail extension pack. This pack costs about $50 and is recommended for doors with the height of 8 feet. The "standard" door height, according to Chamberlain, is 7 feet. I bought it, and spent perhaps 20 minuts trying to figure out if I actually needed it or if I could return it back for a refund. It turned out that Chamberlain recommends the extension kit "to allow an 8 foot door to open fully". What it means, is that with the extension kit you can pull the door so far back that it would lie horizontally on its rails above your head. Without the extension kit, it will not be able to travel that far, and its bottom section would be slightly tilted downwards. Even though I have an 8 feet door (pretty much all newer houses have this size), my old garage opener was installed without an extension kit and worked just fine - I never thought that the door did not open enough. The extension kit adds just 5 or 6 inches to the rail and allows the gate to move a little bit further. I ended up installing the extension kit (just in case), but in retrospective I could just as fine skip it. The bottom line is that it is recommended by the manufacturer, but it is not absolutely necessary for a sectional door. However, it may be much more important to install such a kit for a one-piece door without a track.
The positive observation about this opener is that it is indeed noticeably quieter than the chain one (much less rattle), I like that it can be used with 100 W lamps, and I like the motion detector built in into the wall panel. Remotes work straight from the box, all batteries are included.
Installation requires certain tools and skills, but there is nothing particularly complicated. I did everything myself, with just a little help of my wife. Chamberlain is a brand name for garage openers, and I can recommend this particular product.
Customer Review: Just about perfect
Summary: 5 Stars
For the money I'd say this is the best garage door opener on the market. I had a screw drive Genie opener that lasted 16 years and a storm killed the board in it. They no longer stocked the part so I junked it. (get a surge protector folks)I bought this one for my Chamberlain:
http://www.amazon.com/LiftMaster-990LM-Surge-Protector/dp/B000JGI9SA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1284062499&sr=8-2
(This may take care of another problem mentioned here.....the circuit boards going bad)
Anyway, the Genie worked well for years but the remote was big and it wouldn't work from far away (my driveway is 115 feet long). Sometimes I was halfway down my driveway before it would open the door. I hated that because the door was sooooo slow, so I took a chance and went with this opener rather than another Genie. Also, I had to spray the screw with white lithium grease and sometimes it dripped on my garage floor so I wanted this belt drive unit.
Which brings me to the Chamberlain.....I read a few reviews here that said they had to drive up to the door to get it to open, and some said it worked from 300 feet away. Well I can assure you that mine works from at least 200 feet away and always opens with one quick press of the button. My guess is that the one's having a problem either cut off, or stuffed away the purple wire that hangs from the unit. That's the antenna folks! Mine works great, and this was the main reason I didn't get a Genie. Not sure how the new Genie's work, but mine sucked and I hated it. In fact I'm glad now it went down.
Another "problem" I've read about here is people complaining about the notion that the lights in the opener need to be manually shut off. Not so....this thing works just like any other garage door opener. The lights are on a timer and they go off automatically after about 8-10 minutes just like they should.
These two so-called problems are the main reason why I wrote the review. As everyone by now knows this thing is quiet, and it's a lot easier to change the bulbs than the Genie. And it's big enough for the florescent bulbs.
If the belt ever fails it will be easy to change IMO. As for the install, I had a lift to crank up the motor, but since few others do I would recommend having a friend to help install it. Buy this one, you won't be disappointed.
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: Does what I hoped it would do
Summary: 5 Stars
Purchased as a replacement for an ancient chain drive opener that couldn't be adapted for safety stop. Surprisingly easy to install--when I saw all the pieces I was a little concerned but the directions were very thorough and full of "if...then" branches that covered every issue, like solid door vs. panels, what if a door spring is in the way, what if you can't fit the far end of it onto the wall and need to use the ceiling, etc. There's a helpline # in there but I didn't have to call it. Once in place, it's noticeably quieter than the old one and it lets you turn the lights on separately from running the motor, which is a huge improvement in my garage. The big wall button lights up so you can find it in the dark. So...things to watch for to improve your experience...1) You may need to purchase hardware to fasten it to the ceiling and the door. Carriage bolts are good for the door since they end up fastened inside and out. Lag screws are good for walls and ceilings. Short hex bolts with nuts and lock washers to join bracket pieces. 2) Get a good hacksaw blade. 3) Buy some "angle iron," which is those long pieces of metal that look like an "L" from the side and have lots of holes you can use for fasteners. Maybe a 6 or 8 foot piece to reinforce the door and then another to cut up to make your own ceiling brackets. 4) A stepladder is a must for holding the motor up while you attach it to the ceiling--consider using a helper too. 5) Unfold the box and a few other empty boxes and place them on the garage floor all along the path of the device and especially under the motor--that will prevent scratches while you work. 6) A 2 x 4 board, which you can use a) to measure the gap between door top and opener track b) to test the safety reverse feature and c) as a crosspiece if you need to attach something at a right angle to the beams or studs. 7) You'll need two ordinary 100 Watt light bulbs--difficult to ship those inside it without them busting so I was ok with that.Customer Review: Chamberlain DIY
Summary: 5 Stars
When my old garage door opener froze-up, I felt I would need to call a professional to come out and install a new one. Good thing I read the reviews to essentially find out the only thing I had to fear was fear itself. Turns-out people were right on the money. Though it took some time (about 5 hours all together), the process was simple thanks to the great step-by-step instructions by Chamberlain. The drawings matched the parts perfectly, and the actual-sized drawings of the fastening hardware for each step made it simple to find the right parts and stick them together correctly the first time.
The end result is a beautifully quiet opener - so quiet that the door itself is noiser - prompting my next job: lubing the door.
I do want to mention two possible "gotchas":
1. If your garage door is > 7 feet tall (mine is 8), you need the 8 foot extention kit or the rail will be too short and you'll chop off the top of your van trying to pull in. The extension kit includes a longer section of rail that replaces the end section that comes with the opener, a longer belt, and a longer release rope (I'll be selling my original 7 foot belt soon). I ended-up sourcing the extension from my local home store (H.D.) though Amazon does sell them, their deliver schedule didn't jibe with my install schedule.
2. The two sensors that come with the opener have brackets that can clip on to the track near the bottom on each side. These would not work with my door so I did a little custom bending (there were some tabs in the way) and mounted them to the existing extended arms that were attached to some 2x4s on the wall. Chamberlain sells some extensions, so you might want to pay attention to this matter (it's likely I could have used the existing sensors - but I wanted to "new" things up.)
I recommend visiting the Chamberlain site where you can get more info and download the PDF install guides.