Chamberlain WD822KD Whisper Drive 1/2-HP Belt Drive Garage Door Opener
by Chamberlain
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List Price: Our Price: $198.00 You Save: $51.99 (21%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $178.20 (click here) 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: Quiet, nice accessories, not very well built
Summary: 3 Stars
I think this is the 6th door opener I have installed, so now I have installed several screw drives, a chain drive and a belt drive. The chain drive is noisy but not too much can go wrong, it's mostly metal parts. My last one was bare bones so it was cheap for a shop but did the job with no complaints. The screw drives are heavy duty and quiet but sometimes stick when it's really cold out. My last screw drives were lifetime warranty and about $50 more per unit, so I thought I would try this belt drive to combat our cold winters.
This machine is really quiet, although not much quieter than a screw drive. They all seemed to open at about the same speed.
The price was good, I was really happy with it until I started adjusting it. It's not very well built. The rail system is not as heavy duty as a screw drive. My open/close distance adjustment came off it's track, which was frustrating since it's all plastic, so I had to open it up and snap it back on. The pully wheel is also plastic, it seems like that has to wear out eventually.
Assembly time is about the same on all of the openers. Count on an all day project if you have never set one up before, they all install in about the same amount of time.
I think for the money a good quality screw drive is a better built system. I think I will just make sure I use a good grease for the winter on a screw drive from now on.
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: I don't get excited about garage door openers, but in this case...
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an amazing unit/package. It is SO quiet...you literally hear nothing but the door creaking and a very slight motor noise, very slight. It's also quite nice looking, very sleek styling.
Comes w/two compact three-button remotes already tuned to the door, and a keyless entry pad for access to the garage w/out a remote. My wife also picked up another gizmo you can plug a light into inside the house to control w/the garage remote as well. The motor unit takes two light bulbs, up to 100 watts! This sucker really lights it up!
Did I say it is quiet! I mean really quiet!
As noted, installation is a breeze...if you already have a garage door opener you're replacing. If you don't, you may miss having a couple of things. The obstruction sensors are supposed to snap onto your door rail...if they don't fit, as on mine, the bracket extenders you'd likely want to attach them to the wall aren't in the box (luckily I alread had some brackets from my other sensors). Same w/the motor mounting...I was able to use my existing mounts easily, but if I was installing in a new garage I would have needed to get more hardware...
Overall I am more than pleased...my expectations were well exceeded. Our previous screw-drive opener never seemed too loud to me, but now I wish it had broken sooner. I am VERY happy w/the Chamberlain! Buy it, you won't regret it.
Customer Review: Great Opener, exceptionally quiet and easy to install.
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this opener based on reviews from other like you. I didn't get it from Amazon but at Menard's on sale for $177. This was the best opener I have purchased yet.
First impressions were that the instructions were very large and this job would take me 4+ hours. Well I was wrong, it took me about 2 hours with use of the previous openers wires and ceiling bracket. The instructions were great, they listed out the screws you would need and a picture showing actual size!! With a screwdriver, wrench set, drill, and tape measure you can complete this job with no problems (assuming you are replacing an old opener).
As for performance, this opener is really quiet. My 14 year old sears opener was soooo loud. All I can hear now is the noisy door open and close. And when it does close it slows down for a softer close. The wall and car remotes come pre-programmed and the wireless keyless entry pad is an easy setup. The two bulb slots for 100 watt bulbs is great and allows for alot of light in the garage.
Overall this was a smart investment and I would highly recommend over a chain drive for a quieter and more reliable system. If you are able to handle a drill and a wrench you can install this opener with no issue, just patience and time. Note of advice, shop around before you order, both Menard's and Lowe's had this item on sale for $177 this week.
Customer Review: Three years of service so far without any troubles
Summary: 4 Stars
I installed this garage door opener soon after I purchased my first house. I was a DIY'er in training at the time, and this was one of my first projects as a new homeowner. It wasn't the easiest installation, but it was not overly challenging. I agree with one of the reviewers that a few pieces of hardware had to be purchased to complete the installation. This was mostly angle iron and a few bolts to hang the unit from the ceiling. In addition, you really NEED to reinforce your garage door. I made the mistake of thinking any new garage door should certainly be designed to work with a door opener without modification. Wrong! My wife managed to crumple the top of the garage door one day by trying to use the opener when the garage door was locked shut. Fortunately, I was able to straighten the door panel out. I then added the necessary reinforcement to prevent this from happening again.
As far as humidity being a problem, I have no idea what this person's problem is. I live in Austin, TX, which can be fairly humid and have had absolutely no problems. All I can guess is that this person must live underwater.
My only two gripes are the lack of a complete installation hardware kit and the remote keypad, which sometimes needs to have 'enter' pressed twice for it to work. Otherwise, this has been an excellent unit and I highly recommend it. Unless you live underwater.