Chamberlain WD822KD Whisper Drive 1/2-HP Belt Drive Garage Door Opener
by Chamberlain
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List Price: Our Price: $178.20 You Save: $71.79 (29%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Chamberlain WD822KD Whisper Drive 1/2-HP Belt Drive Garage Door Opener
Customer Review: Much better than I expected!
Summary: 5 Stars
I installed this opener yesterday to replace a screw drive Genie that was 16 years old. The Genie worked well for many years except it had the older and far less secure wireless technology and was very noisy. I never liked the screw drive unit. During the winter the screw and trolley system gets stiff and the opener really struggles. During the summer the greese on the screw liquifies and then drips on the vehicles. The main advantage of screw drive is simplicity. The screw is driven directly by the motor so there are far fewer moving parts. This is the only advantage in my view.
This opener uses the new rolling code technology and the belt drive system means it is very quiet. Everything I needed to complete the installation was included in the box. It took me about 4.5 hours to install it. This included the time to remove the Genie, read the directions, install everything, and then make the appropriate adjustments. The remote controls are small and light. I think most of the time spent was trying to understand the directions, the pictures, and finding the right parts. The installation is relatively simple and well designed, but it takes time anyway for first time installers. I suspect an experienced installer would get the job done in 90 minutes or less.
The outdoor wireless remote keypad works great and seems to be made much better than the one I had for my Genie that never worked quite right.
The wireless remotes that come with the unit are preprogrammed for the unit. If you want to link other remotes, such as your automobile's remote control, then you must go through a programming sequence. It is not difficult, but having a helper during this step is helpful as you have to press the learn button the opener and then press the remote button in the auto within 30 seconds. This is not as easy as you might think.
I am very happy with this product and would purchase it again.
Customer Review: Hard to imagine a better garage door opener
Summary: 5 Stars
Lets cut to the chase here - if you are in the market for a garage door opener, your search has ended, just add this to your cart and look forward to a straightforward installation and an all round excellent package.
Why is it such a simple choice? Here were my priorities when I purchased an opener:
1: Build Quality - Chamberlain has a great track record here and the unit is rock solid.
2: Noise - Mine is installed under the master bedroom and I leave home at 6am, so noise was an issue. Lets call it what it is, this is a garage door opener and it makes noise, but it is MUCH quieter than chain or screw drives
3: Features - Does everything I could want. I have two units and had no problem programming the remotes and keypad to work with both. Also, the lights are good and bright and the package contains everything you could need for a solid install.
4: Ease of install - I am a new homeowner so don't have a clue about home improvement. That said, I had no problem installing each unit on my own in about 3 hours. If this is a fresh install then you will need additional mounting brackets but you can get these cheaply enough from your local home improvement store.
Am I a happy customer - no doubt, this is one of few products that exceeded my expectations in every dimension.
What didn't I like? The wire which came with the unit was shorter than I would have liked. I have a large garage and routed the wire along corners to hide the wiring as best I could. The supplied wire just wasn't long enough and I ended up springing for some more wire for $10 or so.
What else? My door is 6 ft, if you have a larger door then you will need the additional rail extension which does not ship with the unit.
What tools will you need? I managed it with a drill, a sprocket set, a hacksaw and a phillips head screwdriver.
Customer Review: Surprisingly Quiet & Easy To Install
Summary: 5 Stars
My old Liftmaster finally gave up the ghost so it was time to buy a replacement. Research indicated that the Chamberlain Whisper Drive received good reviews with a good warranty so I checked out Amazon and found it for $199 which was cheaper than anywhere else. A couple of clicks and a few days later it was here & ready to install. Since this was a replacement and not a fresh install it went more quickly and there was no lack of included parts. Total time to remove & break down the old unit and fully install & test the Chamberlain was about 2 hrs (I did keep the old door sensors). Instructions were complete & easy to follow (the single exception noted below) and I had no problems at any stage of the installation. Once installed both my wife and I were amazed at how quiet everything is now! We hear almost nothing from the opener itself and only a few noises from the garage door itself. The twin 100-watt lightbulbs (not included in the kit) do a great job of illuminating the garage. Anyone with a couple of basic tools (screwdrivers, wrenches, etc) can easily do a replacement install in a short amount of time. So far this unit exceeds my expectations and am extremely happy with it!
ASSEMBLY TIP: On page 7 of the instructions is an item called the "Spring Trolley Nut" which is used to set/adjust belt tension on page 11. The instructions are not clear on page 11 as to what you're trying to achieve. There's a silver "nut ring" at one end of the Spring Trolley Nut and the dark "square end" at the other. You need to rotate the silver nut ring 90 degrees (or 1/4 turn) relative to the square end for it to clear the end and snap down to set the tension. I found this easiest to do by holding the square end with a wrench while using the tip of a flat edge screwdriver to push against one of the 4 indentations in the silver nut ring until it rotated enough to snap down.
Customer Review: Great deal on a good opener
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this door opener as a Christmas present for my family. I spent several weeks looking around and the deal was really good, especially considering the free shipping. I have a one piece door and it is below the Master Bedroom so I wanted as quiet of an opener as possible and while the motor is quieter than the ones I've used in years past, it is not "whisper" quiet. The belt definitely is much quieter than chain models, however, as there is no clacking noise on start up. Like other reviewers I had to run to the harware store to get the mounting brackets for the ceiling and a few extra bolts. Chamberlain does include the mounting straps, but not the L-bracket if you do not have exposed rafters or joists - they can't provide every potential mounting piece but this one seemed like it should have been included since many garages are drywalled now and the part is not expensive. I am a bit of a perfectionist when doing home projects so my 5-6 hours to install this could probably be cut in half by someone who just wants to get it done. I also had to run a new electrical line. I found the instructions easy to follow and more or less well written - just take your time and read the whole section before you start slapping things together! It took less than an hour to actually put the unit together - most of the time was spent in the adjustments of the mounting and the actual door. The eye beams were perfectly lined up on my first installation, so I didn't need to fiddle around with that. The controls work great and I really like the outside keypad control. It even allows you to set a temporary code with a time limit to allow access for deliveries, contractors, etc. All-in-all a really good door opener.
Now, I am considering an opener for the other door where I keep my motorcycle and I will probably go with Chamberlain again...
Customer Review: Worth the purchase if you want a quieter garage door opener
Summary: 5 Stars
I've read other reviews about this opener and one opinion I do share with some of them is the fact that the Amazon online product description doesn't include whether or not it can be used for garage doors over the standard 7' tall (my garage door is a 8'x16' sectional door). Some reviewer also said that the box itself didn't include the garage door size requirement either. I couldn't find anything online to help me find the answer so I ordered an extension rail for it before the opener arrived. Needless to say I should've waited because the opener DID have the requirements on the box showing "for 8' - 10' garage doors" and i returned the extension rail. So if you order this model it can accommodate for the larger doors.
Installation:
Directions were awesome. I've never installed a garage door opener in my life but am not a stranger to turning wrenches so I read the manual the night before, watched a bunch of YouTube videos and decided to install it by myself. My home is new construction so the brackets that the opener hangs on were not there. Installation time was probably a good full day because I took a couple trips to Lowe's to get angle irons to hang the opener brackets to the ceiling and then add another piece of angle iron on the garage door as a vertical reinforcement. So aside from the angle irons that aren't included the installation was a breeze. Open and close adjustments were straight forward and remote control programming was a cinch.
Performance:
Super quiet. If I ask my fiancee to listen for the garage door opener while she's in the bedroom she can hear it, but if she's asleep it won't wake her up.
Overall: Excellent garage door opener strong enough for an 8'x16' sectional door (non wood), installation manual was very user-friendly and worth it if you need a quieter opener