Customer Reviews

Chamberlain PD432D 1/2-Horsepower Screw Drive Garage Door Opener

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is my first review, so please bear with me. This garage door opener installed without a problem and works great! I definately recommend buying this based on price, ease of installation and its quiet operation. A couple of things to point out; this unit is for a 7' door, it will not fully open an 8' door; Before beginning the installation, read the instruction manual for any bracket mounting materials you will need.

We purchased this item to put into a home we just bought. Among other things missing the previous owners took the garage door opener. So we shopped around and found this model. It was what we were looking for at the price we wanted to spend. I ordered the item and it was delivered on time. We then proceeded to call a company to install it for us. A local garage door company charged a reasonable price for installation. The only thing the installer said was an issue was the wires coming from the senors to the wall weren't long enough. We have been in the new house for two weeks now and have had no problems with the opener. This model is exactly what it states to be. It is functional and very fast. Our previous home had a loud motor and was very slow. This one is on the quiet side (not silent) and very fast. It also has a good signal reach on it so you can open it when your further away. We are satisfied with the product and would recommend it for others. Good price for the product.

Installation took me 5 hours, this includes removal of old unit and beefing up new attachment points. This unit is pretty slow. Takes 12 seconds to go up or down. My 22 year old chain drive took 10 seconds. Very quite I think. The keyless wireless unit is not included. This costs another $27. My old keyless wasn't compatible with this opener. Instructions could be better. After assembling the track, flip it over before mounting it on the motor head assy. Also, twist both of the white with black stripe wires from each eye together and then do the same with both white wires before inserting into the head assy. Otherwise it's pretty good

I purchased this product on line at Home depot for $146. It replaced a 30+ year old Barcol chain drive that finally kicked the bucket and could no longer be fixed. The door is a heavy, 49 year old, 150 lb wooden door, and this has no problems lifting it. I also replaced all of the door's pulleys and both extension springs, and a couple rollers that were rusted and frozen. All of this "maintenance" should help the opener last longer, and made a big difference in the door's operation. It's like new, now, and hangs completely balanced and level, opening and closing balanced and level as well.

Some things you need to know about this installation. Read everything first, and pay attention to the details. The header needs a 2x4 attached to the wall. Measurements are based on this. I also had to move my old mount back 10 inches to install this unit, so measure where your mount should go before you lift this up. The less "messing around" the better. Also, the 2 sensors units plug in the same contacts, so give the sensor wires a twist around each other, then install in the contacts. This is not explained in the directions. Connect them when you connect the entry panel to the motor unit.

Otherwise, installation was ok. It just takes some time. The door opens and closes much smoother than the old chain drive. There is no chugging, jerking, and popping, which makes it much quieter.

The first thing you notice is that the instructions are VERY well written. Everything assembled easily, and it runs quietly. I highly recommend it.

I bought this unit to replace a 10yr old chain drive who's sprocket axle snapped.

The new unit is about the same speed as the old chain drive, but much quieter. It's installed on a double wide door w/ central located torsion spring (i.e. twisty spring not pull spring.)

It doesn't work with pre-2005 rolling code remotes which is a bummer as I'm still using my 10yr old chain drive on the single bay door, so now I've got two remotes to deal with. I had no problem programming it for the wife's '09 Impala are a new exterior security remote I added.

Install was a breeze since there was an existing garage door opener that was installed well and the mounting brackets on the door and header above the door where identical I simply reused them as well as the safety sensors. I tossed the new ones in my junk pile just in case one fails at some point in the future.

The only thing that was a bit negative on was the force sensitivity adjustment screws for how much force is applied at max when opening/closing the door before reversing direction when it binds or something is blocking it. I'm guessing they used cheap POTS for this. I made a turn of less than 5 degrees and it goes from not sensitive enough (would crush a box)to being to sensitive where the slights pressure causes it to reverse and about 50% of the time the door wouldn't close before reversing from the pressure of typical shifting.

That being said, I did a few more tests as I had read about how some people claimed it wouldn't open there doors. I stood on the inside lip of the door (275lbs in addition to the door itself) and turn the sensitivity adjust up - not all the way and it lifted me 18" before I stepped off. Now this is a steel garage door, that in and of itself weights 240lbs, add me that's > 500lbs. Panel wood doors are in the 350-400lb range.

If this garage door opener is having problems opening you're door, you need to either adjust the lifting force sensitivity screw up or adjust/replace your springs. If you have torsion springs (mounted on the wall above the door) then take some graphite or Teflon spray lube and spray it along the spring (try aiming more for the top) and it will reduce the friction of the touching surfaces as the spring is twisting and untwisting.

One final piece of advice. If you're replacing the side springs - use a guide/retention cable down the center of the spring and attach it at each end. We had one of these springs break when I was a kid back in the 70's and it was stuck in the back wall from the force. A cable would have kept it from flying around the garage and may save someones life.

This is the 2nd Chamberlain opener I've purchased. The first one was also a screw drive and has lasted me 11 years now without a problem, and is still going strong. This purchase was for my second smaller garage door. Item arrive in 3 days - wow! Installation was a breeze - took about two hours. Instructions were extremely clear. Was very frustrated thinking the company had left out my motion sensors, but found them neatly tucked away inside one of the light compartments, which is one of the last places you look in the installation process. Wish there were led lights on the "vaca" and "lock" buttons on the wall mounted controler, because it really caused some problems during wiring. I thought I had it wired wrong, but it was just in the "vacation" mode, which you couldn't tell. Hightly reccommend this opener!! Fast delivery, easy installation, awesome price, and based on my 1st unit, it should last us for another 11 years. Don't hesitate to purchase this item.

We ordered this item because we were told that a screw drive opener was the best. So far, we are very pleased with its performance. The only problem we had with it was the installation. The directions for installation are horrible! They were very difficult for us to follow. We do most all work around our house ourselves and are experienced at installing various items so the trouble we had was not for lack of experience. Certain parts of the directions seem to skip over some things and you kind of have to figure it out on your own. We still do not have one thing done the correct way because we got too frustrated and thought it best to leave it until another day. This does not impact the functioning of it but it is a safety issue that needs to be addressed. I also don't understand why they can't include an extra bracket or two and the hardware (bolts, nuts and washers) in case you need them to complete installation. The part I'm speaking of is one of the brackets to attach it to the ceiling, if you have a finished ceiling. I don't know of anyone anymore that has an unfinished ceiling in their garage. It would only cost the company a little extra to include this part so that you don't have to try to go to get the part in the middle of installation. That was just a hassle for us! As stated, I am very happy with the performance of the product and would recommend it to anyone! I would just caution that the instructions are very bad and if you are not "handy", you might want someone else to install it for you.

Ordered and the big box showed up 2 days later. Must have been shipped from a local distributor. Box delivered in good condition and well packaged. Clear instructions. I installed it myself. Works great. Much quieter than the Genie screw drive that broke down after 13 years. Better design than my Genie as follows:
- lights in front and back of the motor lighting up the whole garage, not just one side.
- screw is maintenance-free, need no periodic greasing which could drip on your head.
- the sensors are protected behind the clamps, not exposed in front of them.
Amazon had the lowest price on the web and ship the product promptly. Now I just have to see if this Chamberlain will outlast my previous Genie.
Very happy customer for now.

I purchased this product as a compromise between the pricier belt drive models and the noisier chain drive models. It is smooth in operation and the professionals swear by it's reliability, efficiency and endurance. It was much quieter than I expected. My remote works from inside my house (I have a detached garage) which is a bonus.