Genie DC Powered Screw Drive Opener
The Genie Excelerator DC Powered Screw Drive Garage Door Opener is a great do it yourself opener you can install easily that works very well.
Ease of Use, Performance: 22/25
Look & Feel: 23/25
Features 24/25
How much I enjoy 23/25
Total: 92/100
My second foray into do it yourself garage door opener installations is the Genie DC Powered Screw Drive Opener under the model name Excelerator with model number 4060. The Genie Screw Drive Opener is easy to install and will go up in only a few short hours for a wide variety of door types and sizes.
While I did not have to purchase any additional parts the model does allow for larger door sizes with handy extensions you may need depending on your door size. I was installing the Genie Garage Door Opener on an 8 foot brand new garage door but the instructions say you will need an extension for this size. I did however not use one and it fit just perfectly on the setup my relative has for his garage and door.
The opener went up in a couple of hours with a break here and there to take some photos and was pretty simple to accomplish. The instructions are easy to follow with a manual and foldout poster sized instruction sheet for the assembly and installation of the opener.
The poster includes a nice large color illustration of many of the parts so you have detailed pictures to go along with the instructions. The manual gives all the warnings and setting up the various features like open and close position and programming the remotes.
The Genie Screw Drive Garage Door Opener is a complete self contained unit so you have no various parts to buy but you will need some kind of bracing for many types of garage doors. I found that you can use simple angle iron to brace a steel hollow door but you can also purchase a door brace made specifically for garage door openers.
This brace goes from the garage door opener arm point at the top center of the garage door where you connect the arm that opens the door to the next lower hinge. This simple bracket costs about $15 and saves a few headaches of figuring out how to attach bracing on the door and makes installation even easier.
The Genie Screw Drive Garage Door Opener that I installed is available from several stores such as Sears and several internet stores. This exact model may not be available from several stores but the Genie website has this and many models that are very similar are available at many home improvement stores.
The Genie model 4060 has a 1/2 horse power DC motor and is screw driven so you have plenty of lifting power and smooth action for your garage door. The Genie Screw Drive model does go up very easily and I had no problems installing it with a little help from another person.
With a little work you could easily put up this garage door opener yourself as long as you have a couple of ladders tall enough to set the opener on while installing it above the door where it will go. You of course will need several tools and the extra bracing if you’re installing it on a hollow steel or aluminum door.
If you are installing it on a wood door you can use the included screws and install it on a wooden door without any bracing depending on the door type. A wood door would be easy to install this on as you would drill a hole through the door and use bolts or large wood screws to secure the door opening arm bracket on.
The instructions go through all the door types and how you would install it so if you are wondering about this I would download and read the manual and instructions available from the website before purchasing the opener. One thing to note is the door size and extra extensions you may need; for some reason the instructions say for 8 foot garage doors the extension kit is needed but I installed it without the kit and it worked fine.
I think this is for doors and setups that would need the extra 18 inches that the kit gives you for having the opener motor further back from the front of the garage and the door. If you are unsure if you need the kit I would purchase the Garage Door opener and assemble the rails and motor and actually hang it up to see if the extension kit would be required.