Screw drive openers have a aluminum rail with a long screw built inside. The screw is usually made of brass or non corrosive metal. When the opener motor turns the screw a carriage that has metal teeth moves back and forth along the rail to open and close the door. Screw drive openers need to be greased regularly to keep the noise down.

screw drive garage door opener

After time the screw will make the area that holds the screw in place bigger in diameter. This allows the screw over time to vibrate when it turns. Thus making more noise than when unit was new. Liftmaster/Craftsman brand openers use a teflon sleeve in between the screw and the aluminum casing. This keeps the friction of the spinning screw to a minimum. This decreases the noise and extends the life of the opener. Genie screw drives are notorious for loud openers that have a metal on metal friction. Screw drive openers also can make a loud screeching noise that will make you cover your ears when it is turned on. This means the bearing at the end of the motor itself is worn out.

Freezing weather? Not a problem!

Screw drive openers are not dependable in freezing weather because the internal screw freezes to to the casing that holds it in place, One or two days of freezing temp. may not affect it too much but I doubt you will find any in regions that have winters that have months of freezing temps. Screw drive garage door openers are very common so even though they have different issues than other types of openers they are a little stronger and can last longer than others. Most are engineered where there is no gearing drive inside so most of the time the motor is directly connected to the screw itself. This means less moving parts to wear out.