How Long Should a Garage Door Opener Last? (Drive Type Breakdown)

That opener above your car has been there since you moved in. Maybe longer. It whines a little, hesitates before it commits. Here's the real answer by drive type. Chain drive: ten to fifteen years. Belt drive: twelve to fifteen. Screw drive: ten to fifteen. Direct drive: twenty years or more. A direct drive at ten years old isn't halfway through its life. Here's what most people miss. Your opener is rated to lift a balanced door. When springs weaken, the opener starts doing work it was never designed to do. Standard torsion springs last about ten thousand cycles, roughly seven years. A worn spring will take your opener with it if you let it.