Review on Chamberlain G8808CB-P Garage Door Opener 8 Ft Rail Extension Kit - Compatible with Whisper Drive Plus Models and Includes Replacement Belt by Josh Jeffries

I replaced a 1997 Formula 1 Liftmaster. After 20 years of service, the transmission failed. I have a heavy garage door but it is properly spring loaded to be balanced in the center so I chose this model as the manufacturer advertised it as their heavy duty opener. Regardless, the new elevator struggles with both sides of door movement. The description is very misleading when the manufacturer uses the term "11/2 HP". The motor is a small DC motor mated to a high ratio gearbox to achieve the advertised "power" of 1 1/2 horsepower and a backup battery. This combo struggles to move the heavy door and is fairly slow at any point in the movement. The main guide flexes under load causing the belt to sag and I am very concerned about the durability of all moving parts. None of the accompanying documents list the maximum lifting or closing force of the opener to check if the force to open the door is within the capabilities of the device. The 8ft extension is prohibitively expensive, likely due to the design decision to provide a replacement. Belt, not the extension of the belt included in the basic lift set. I threw away the unused strap from the base kit to use the 8ft extension. quite a waste. The backup battery is lost for me too. A lead-acid battery is likely not to be used for many years and then may not hold enough charge to be useful. If it's a required feature for your application, a budget-friendly regular replacement of a non-standard battery. Also, the external keypad remote does not accept 9 volt lithium batteries - the door will not lock with slightly larger 9 volt lithium batteries. In my cold climate, the best alkaline batteries don't last all winter. A couple of good points are that the up and down movement and power adjustment are vastly improved over the older models. The wall switch's motion sensor, LED keyboard, and menus work much better than expected. In addition, the operating instructions are clear and precise. I do not need and have not installed or tested any WLAN components. If you have a light, single-width door, that's probably fine. However, if you have a heavy double-width door, tread carefully.