I have a Genie Series II screw-drive garage door opener. It is attached to a four-panel, metal, two-car door. The door travels on rollers that move through a track on either side of the door. We have had this set-up for many years.
Lately, we’ve had problems. When using the remote to open the door, the door will rise a few inches and stop. Pressing the button again causes the door to close. This process can be repeated many times with the door stopping at different places each time. Sometimes, the door will rise several feet before stopping. Other times, it’s just a few inches. Eventually, the door is opened fully.
When using the button inside to close the door, the door will usually close only partway before stopping. It does not return to fully open, which is what is supposed to happen if the door detects a blockage.
Steps I have taken to correct the situation:
Lubricated the heck out of the rollers, hinges, tracks, and drive screw.
Replaced the “Safe-T-Beam” devices at the bottom of the door.
Replaced the pushbutton control on the wall.
Inspected the runners for dents or other alignment issues.
I could get an overhead door company out to take a look, but I’d really rather not. I have the strong suspicion that this is really a simple problem and I just haven’t been successful in diagnosing it.
There is a calibration routine with most door openers that determines the force necessary to open/close the door. Page 7 here (https://www.geniecompany.com/data/products/retail/lowes_directlift-2060-3060-install.pdf) is probably the correct procedure.
Maybe this is the wrong manual for your Genie, but you should be able to easily find the correct manual and procedure.
I also disconnected the door from the opener and moved it by hand to check the balance spring. The spring holds the door pretty well in place except at the very bottom of the travel. That could be the issue. I will NOT mess with the balance spring. Those things can kill a guy.
Recalibrating the force needed is a good first step. But if it used to be fine and isn’t now, and you confirmed that the alignment and lubrication is all good, it might be an indication that the spring(s) is getting old. If you know what you’re doing, you can try to tighten it. But those things are under a lot of tension and can be dangerous, so don’t do it if you are unsure.
ETA: just saw your last post. If it’s only at the bottom it isn’t holding in place, then calibrating the force might be enough and you won’t have to touch the coiled death.
There should be screws/knobs you can turn on the opener to control the sensors which check the opening and closing strength. If it’s set too weak, they can get triggered and will stop the door. You can try changing the strength higher and see if that helps.
You guys are awesome! This is one of the many reasons I keep coming back here. Y’all just saved me at least a hundred bucks to have a guy come out and turn two tiny knobs. Your next round of beers is on me!
I have found the adjustment screws and readjusted them. I suspect that I am really masking a growing problem with the balance spring. But, for now, it seems to be working. If it continues to get worse, I’ll have a professional come out and adjust the spring.
Great to hear! The one you need to be more safety conscious of is the amount of closing strength, since that will affect how hard the door will press down on anything caught underneath it. You should have it set just high enough so that the door closes but will stop if there’s any obstruction. Opening strength doesn’t necessarily have the same safety risk.
If the door is heavy (> ~20#) at the bottom that’s dangerous. If the door is simply not quite in balance that’s close enough.
Yes, you’re doing exactly that. Which, as you say, will be good enough until it isn’t.
If you have little kids you want to be much more conservative about these settings. Something safe enough for a grown-up vs. something safe enough for an inquisitive 5yo & his 2yo sister are very different things.
Lube attracts dust & sand & such. And gets gummy. Both of which will result in wheels that drag and catch on the track. Which is the opposite of your goal: smooth drag-free operation.
Best to get some paint thinner or gasoline and get all the lube off the track and as much off the perimeter of the door’s wheels as you can. Without wrecking the lube of the wheel bearings.
Another issue that happens sometimes is the house settles a bit or the door panel(s) warp and so there’s intermittent binding as the door runs up or down. Or somebody backed the car into the track once & forgot to mention it. If you’ve disconnected the traveler & manually moved the door through its range you’ll have found any of that if it was happening.
A different issue I had with a screw type once is the fitting above the garage door where the carrier attaches to the wall had come partly loose. So the whole machine was bucking a little as the opener pushed and pulled on the door. Which bucking sometimes was big enough to trigger the safety force sensors & stop the motion.
Last of all the grease or lube on the screw-drive itself can get gummy & nasty. Or it can get too dry. Either of which can lead to it grabbing. You can test for that by disconnecting the traveler car and running the opener up & down a couple times listening and looking for anything other than smooth even operation. Follow the manual’s suggested maintenance action(s).
Bottom line: these things are trouble free until they aren’t. You can make them last a lot longer with correct adjustment and maintenance. Just gotta look up what that is.
I made the mistake 35 years ago of lubing my Genie, screw drive, with regular grease. when winter arrived, door no workie because grease too thick and stiff. So now it’s me and a friend taking it down and flushing the screw drive track with kerosene to get all the old grease out. Re-greased with the correct stuff and no problems again.
We had an issue with ours, a couple years back, where it would basically quit responding to the remote openers. We’d have to try 2, 3, 4 times to get it to finally work. We replaced the batteries in the remotes, several times, and no luck. We had the company out to take a look and they suggested it was time to purchase a whole new opener at 400 dollars plus.
Er, no thanks, for that we’ll live with it.
Then we thought to check the light bulbs in the opener. My husband had put in LED bulbs a couple months earlier - and somehow those were interfering with the signal from the remote (the door worked fine when we use the in-garage button). Problem solved, for 10 bucks instead of 400.
I had a similar problem once and traced it to the rollers on my garage door. They have ball bearings and had dried out. They weren’t expensive and it wasn’t hard to do luckily. I have a door with side springs. Safety first, don’t work near the springs if they are under tension. IIRC I just replaced the rollers one at a time.
I had to re-balance the springs on my double garage door and I spent a LOT of time researching online and talking to installers before I even attempted it. I had rods made from ChroMoly steel round stock and milled them down until they exactly fit the adjustment wheel. Even then I took my time and stayed completely clear of anything that might fly out. Nerve wracking only just covers it. By the time I was done, the door sits neutral at about 2 ft from the floor, which is what was specified.
If you have to do it and have any doubts whatsoever, get a pro.
@Drum_God: Have you tested the autoreverse settings? Place a block of wood or something semi hard in the path of the door and close it. If it’s set up properly it should close on it then open back up.
Echo the no lube on track or wheels advice. Silicone spray on the other hand…
I ran into a harder to move than normal on my shed when the weather stripping on the sides started failing. Moved with the shed settling.
In the garage I’ve replaced both side cables in the past 10 years. I’ve figured out the spring of death without harm except for one pinched hand.