Chamberlain WD822KD Whisper Drive 1/2-HP Belt Drive Garage Door Opener
by Chamberlain
|
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 |
|---|
Tools and Hardware Reviews of Chamberlain WD822KD Whisper Drive 1/2-HP Belt Drive Garage Door Opener
Customer Review: Works well and like the wall control
Summary: 5 Stars
Had a 13 year old unit that was installed wrong (door bumped the track), and sometimes came home to find the door open though it was closed when I left...
New unit arrived on-time, in original packaging (eg as you would find it from a hardware store, not double boxed), which was plenty safe - the thing is well packed - foam + strategic inner cardboard.
Single person install, including taking down the old unit, doing alignment, etc was probably a bit over 2 hours. Instructions were pretty good. One step that got me was the spring tension clip for the belt - I was originally putting the screwdriver on the wide part with no success - when I finally realized the screwdriver was supposed to be pressure against the thin metal disc (like a washer with cut outs on the edge) it clicked right away. I ended up using the mounting arms from my old unit - they were better attachment points than what was included. (May take pics to post next weekend)
Used the remote to train the Home-Link control in my car, then a press of the Learn button on the opener, followed by two presses of my car's Home-Link button and it was working great.
I'm happy with noise level and speed of operation (much faster vs the old unit). I also like the wall control that lets you operate the dual lights independent of opening the door.
Customer Review: so glad I changed my Genie to Chamberlain
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had a Genie for years and worked great... until one evening, I hit the open button on my car outside and the garage door didn't open. So I figured power was out or something. I entered the garage through the kitchen door and found the whole metal rod angled on the floor and the garage door opener still attached to the ceiling. Noticed the L hook of the garage door opener came off the garage door. It was stripped from the garage door and at the same time, the metal rod that was attached to the wall separated!.... probably due to the fact that it opens really fast! Its a good thing that my other car sitting in the garage didn't get damaged from the falling metal rod... and even a greater thing that nobody got hurt.
Long story short, I did some research off Amazon, found this Whisperdrive and read the reviews. I ordered it, got it, installed it with ease. Because my house was already wired for a garage door opener, I didn't need the wires that came with the opener. I also was able to use the ceiling mount that was used for the Genie. Everything that was needed was in the box so that was a relief. The opening and closing is now "Whisper" quiet. Hopefully with the slower opening, it won't shred off the screw from the garage door opener. I'm very satisfied with this product.
Customer Review: Easy installation - remotes don't work from far away.
Summary: 4 Stars
I paid a little extra to get the belt drive. I've always had chain drives, but live in a split level house now where the garage is below a bedroom. Of course, I wanted it to run quieter if possible. Unfortunately, the door is still noisy as the door moving up and down makes a lot of noise. I was disappointed that the operation wasn't that much quieter than the old chain drive I used to have. I also am VERY disappointed with the wireless range of the remotes. My old opener had remotes that worked all the way down the street. With this one, you have to be right down the driveway (40 feet away) in order for it to work. Outside of that, everything is hunky-dory. The installation was a breeze, especially since I was replacing one that was already there, and it works reliably. One of the light bulbs keeps getting loose and turns off, but that's probably to be expected with anything that vibrates. I don't consider that a big deal. Good opener - I'd recommend it. I took a star away for the poor wireless range.
UPDATE (10/2009): The second bulb on this thing hasn't worked in a year. Very annoying. Changed bulbs, played around with the metal receptor, still doesn't work. Always looks half broken, and it is. I would NOT recommend this opener. Change this to a "3" star review.
Customer Review: Caution: Product will not fit some door heights!
Summary: 5 Stars
The WD822KD is a very well made product worthy of recommendation. It was easy to install, however, it is not mentioned in the Amazon description that the product as sold will only work with "standard" 7-foot high garage doors. It will not work on a 8 to 10-foot high garage door. When installed, the 7-foot rail that comes with it will not raise 8-foot or higher doors to their maximum height. While this may not be a problem with small cars, if you need the garage door to open all the way for vans/SUVs or larger roof racks, you're out of luck. This can be solved with an extension rail kit available only from Chamberlain for $[...]. First, you'll have to wait a week to get it. Plus, if you just installed your new opener like I did, you'll need to take it back down, reconfigure the rail to the longer length, install the new, longer drive belt, remount the motor unit and hanger brackets further back on the ceiling, reinstall it all, and finally, spend an hour adjusting the travel distances and safety settings. So, be warned, check with the Chamberlain web site first to be sure that the product will work in combination with your garage door.
Manufacturer details on garage door heights--- [...]
Details on rail extension kit--- [...]
Customer Review: Simple Installation for Two People
Summary: 5 Stars
I read a lot of reviews on Amazon before buying this opener, and most of the people explained that it was very simple to install. But what if you're not particularly mechanically inclined?
Thankfully the instructions are exceptionally clear and very easy to follow. The diagrams are some of the easiest to read that I've ever seen, and assembling the parts was pretty easy.
With that said, it will make you're life much easier if you have two people to actually hang the opener. In the diagram, it will show the motor resting on the floor while you attach the arm to the header bracket. I can't imagine my garage door is set up that much differently that others, and there was simply no way the spring wasn't in the way. So that meant the motor needed to be held up nearly in line with the header bracket to be attached. Without two people, this would have been nearly impossible. (You could carefully balance the motor on a tall ladder step, but that seemed risky)
So with two people, I think the installation is pretty easy - and I'm *not* mechanically inclined. Once installed, the motor runs beautifully and quietly. It's a great price on Amazon and well worth every penny!