General garage door operator problems
1. No response from remote or local buttons. Test power to both the motor unit and control box (they may be separate) outlets. The operator or some other device might have blown a fuse or tripped a circuit breaker. Verify that the connection between the wall box and the motor unit is in tact - check the screw terminals on the motor unit - a wire may have fallen off. Check the circuit breaker (red button) on the motor unit - an overload or an undetected cycling condition (an obstruction causing the door to keep going up and down continuously) may have tripped it. Warning: pressing this button may result in the door starting to move immediately.
2. Local (inside) buttons work but remote unit is dead. Check and/or replace batteries in the remote unit, confirm that the the code settings have not accidentally changed (unit dropped, for example), go through the set up procedure outlined in your users manual. Find a cooperative neighbor with the same model and try their remote unit (after writing down their settings and reprogramming it for your door). If this works, your remote unit is bad. If this does not work, you have a receiver problem.
3. Motor operates (you can hear it) but door does not move. This can be caused by a broken or loose belt, snapped door counterbalance spring, locked door, disconnected or broken trolley, logic problems causing the motor be turning in the wrong direction, and other mechanical problems. If the motor runs for about the normal time, then the trolley is probably moving but not attached to the door. If it runs until forever or the overload pops, then a broken belt is likely.
4. Door opens or closes part way and reverses, stops, or twitches back and forth: * The tracks may need lubrication, there may be an obstruction like a broom that fell over into the vertical rails. * The gear timing may be messed up. The upper and lower limits may be determined by switches operated from a cam separate from the trolley that moves the door. If you just reassembled the mechanism, this is a likely possibility. * The safety stop sensors may be set to be too sensitive. * In extremely cold weather, the grease may simply be too viscous or just gummed up.
5. Door opens and closes at random. There can be several possible causes: * A neighbor has a similar model and has selected the same code (probably the factory default - did you actually ever pick your own code?). * Interference from nearby high power amateur, CB, or military or commercial radio transmitters may be confusing the receiver. Suggest to them that they relocate :-). Are there such things as IR remote controls for garage door openers instead of the usual radio frequency variety? * The push button switch on your one of your remotes or receiver module is defective - a weak or broken spring - and it is activating the door due to vibration or just because it feels like it. Test the switches. On the hand units, you can just remove the batteries for a day and see if the door stops misbehaving.
Garage door operator light does not work correctly Assuming the unit otherwise operates normally and you have tried replacing the light bulb(s): For many types (Sears, Genie, etc.), there is a thermally operated time delay consisting of a coil of resistance wire, a bimetal strip, and a set of contacts. When the operator is activated, power is applied to the heater which causes the bimetal strip to bend and close the contacts turning on the light. Due to the mass of the bimetal strip, it takes a couple of minutes to cool down and this keeps the light on. The most common failure is for the fine wire in the heater to break at some point. If you can locate the break, it may be repairable at least as a temporary solution. You cannot solder it, however, so a tiny nut and bolt or crimp will be needed. However, sticking contacts resulting in a light that does not always go off are also possible. Cleaning the contacts may help. This part is very easily accessed once the sheetmetal cover is removed. It is probably somewhere in the middle of the unit fastened with three screws. Just remember to unplug the operator first! Depending on the manufacturer, the original part may be available. I know that it is for Sears models. You could also use a time delay relay or a solid state circuit (RC delay controlling a triac, for example) but an exact replacement should be just a whole lot less hassle.
Garage door operator loses track of where it is You press the button to close the door and it works fine. However, next time you press the button to make the door go up and it tries to go down into the ground. When it gets to the end of the track - be it at the top or bottom, there must be something that it trips to shut down the motor. At the same time, this is supposed to set things up so that the next activation will reverse the door. Does the door stop and shut off when it reaches the end or does it eventually just give up and trip on the safety? When it trips the switch to stop at the end of its travel, some mechanism is toggled to change the 'state' of the door logic so that it knows to go up the next time it is activated. It is probably this device - be it a latching relay, mechanical two position switch, or a logic flip flop - that is not being properly toggled. I would recommend attempting to determine what device that switch is actually supposed to toggle - it probably is in the operator unit itself (not the control box).
Garage door remotes behave differently "I've got 2 Genie garage door remotes. One of them works from about 100 yards away; the other I almost have to be right next to receiver. I suspect that the antenna is the problem; either too short, or blocked by something." First compare the antennas on the two remotes. If they are the same and there are no broken connections, your problem lies elsewhere. The chance of the wire itself being bad is pretty slim. It could also be that the receiver and transmitter frequencies are not quite identical. If the remote units have been abused, this is more likely. I don't know about Genie but my (old) Sears has trimmers and I was able to adjust it *very* slightly to match that of the receiver and boost sensitivity. CAUTION: If you try this
(1) mark the exact position where it was originally and
(2) do it only on the transmitter that has the problem. This will minimize the possibility of shifting the frequency to where it might interfere with other devices. See the section: " Adjusting garage door operator remote unit" for more information.
Adjusting garage door operator remote unit This situation may arise if one hand unit operates normally but the other has a very short range. If you have only one hand unit, it might also be the problem though not likely to have just happened on its own - either it was improperly set up at the factory (if new) or hand unit was dropped once too often. It should not work at all if the switches are set improperly. In such a case, first test and/or replace the battery. If this does not help, check the switch settings. The tuning is done via a variable capacitor trimmer (probably). There will probably be a trimmer inside the hand unit (don't touch the one in the receiver). Position yourself at a reasonable distance and use a plastic tool to adjust it until the door operates while holding the button down. The door will respond at increasing distances as you approach the optimal setting. Note: mark the original position first in case this has no effect! This assumes there is an adjustment - if there is none, you may have an actual electronic failure, bad connections, etc.
Improving sensitivity of garage door openers receivers Where a garage is constructed with aluminum siding, the remote signal may be significantly attenuated and of insufficient strength to activate the receiver module (inside the garage) of the opener at any useful distance or at all. Assuming the system operates normally otherwise (i.e., activation is normal with the door open), two approaches (either or both together) can be taken to solve this problem:
1. Locate the receiver module (well, actually, its antenna) in an area of unsided wood, glass window, or other non-metallic area of the building. Note that construction insulation may use aluminum foil as part of its vapor barrier so there could be problems even in an area with no siding.
2. Extend the antenna on the receiver module. This may not always work but is worth a try. A 1 or 2 foot length of copper wire may help dramatically.
3. There are external antenna kits available for some door openers. The antenna goes outside, and connects to the receiver through a hole in the wall using coaxial cable. You will probably have to go directly to the manufacturer of your garage door opener or a garage door opener service company.
Universal remote/receiver units for garage door operators So you lost your garage door remote or it got run over by your 4x4 :-). Or, it just expired due to age. There are alternatives other than an entire new operator if the remote is no longer available: (From: Kirk Kerekes (redgate@tulsa.oklahoma.net)). Go to a home center, and wander over to the garage door openers. Nearby, you will find GDO accessories, and among the accessories will be a universal replacement remote kit that includes a receiver, a transmitter and possibly a power supply. For about $40, you can by and install the receiver in place of the existing receiver. If your home center carries Genie openers, you can even get an Intellicode add-on unit that uses Genie's scanner-proof code-hopping technology. Garage door operator doesn't work reliably in cold weather First, check the lubrication. The most common problem is likely to be gummed up grease in the chain drive (if used) or the bearings of the rollers. Note: the track itself generally doesn't require lubrication. Increasing the safety override force settings may help but are not a wise solution as the door will then be more of a hazard to any legitimate obstructions like people and pets. Another possibility is that the motor start/run capacitor has weakened and is not permitting the motor to provide the proper torque. You can test the capacitor if you have a DMM with a capacitance scale or LCR meter. Better yet, just replace it.
Chamberland garage door opener repair? "My remote broke for my very old (defunct) chamberlain automatic garage door opener. Chamberlain tech support told me they suggest I buy a whole new unit. Is there any other way to make my door usable with a different remote, or some other arrangement?" (From: Panayiotis Panayi (panikos@mishka.win-uk.net)). Which Chamberlain operator is it, i.e. which model number. You can buy the handsets for Chamberlain operators up to 5 years old. If it is older you will have to buy a new Rx & Tx for it. Most operators have three screw terminals on the back for the attachment of Rxs. The old Chamberlain operators conformed to this. The new ones have the Rx built onto the main PCB inside the operator and have 4 screws externally for pushbuttons and infra red safety beams. If yours has 4 screws you will have to provide a separate PSU for the new Rx or solder two pieces of wire after the step down transformer on the PCB. You must do it before the rectifiers. Otherwise the current drain from the Rx will be too big for them. Besides almost all modern separate Rxs take 24 VAC.
Garage door operator security While manufacturers of garage door operators make excellent claims of security, this is of no value if you don't take advantage of whatever features are included in your unit. If there is access to your house from the garage, this security is even more critical. Once inside the garage, a burglar can work in privacy at their leisure - and a nice set of tools is probably there for their convenience in getting through your inside door! Filling up a good sized car or truck with loot - again in complete privacy - drive out and close the door behind. No one will be the wiser until you get back.
1. DIP switches. Many garage door operators use a set of 8, 12, 16, or more little switches to set the codes of the remote and base unit. If you have never set these, then your are probably still using the manufacturer's default - and all instances of the same model probably have the same code! Change it to something random - pick a number out of a random page in a telephone directory or something like that. Do not select something cute - others, perhaps with not totally honest intentions - will think the same way. You don't have to remember it so an arbitrary totally random setting is fine. However, even the types with 24 switches - that is over 16 million possible codes - can be sniffed: a relatively simple device can monitor your transmission as you open the door and program a special remote unit to duplicate it.
2. More sophisticated units incorporate a scheme whereby the codes change each time the operator is used in a pseudo-random manner which is almost impossible to duplicate. Even sniffing such a code is of no use as the next instance is not predictable.
3. Don't leave your remote unit prominently displayed in your car - it is an inviting target. Theft is not necessary - just a moment to copy down the switch settings may be enough. Lock your car! Also, leave a bogus remote unit in plain view (from your previous operator).
4. Just because the codes are secure doesn't mean that you are safe. The keylocks that are present on many operators to open the door from the outside are pretty pathetic. They can be picked in about the same time it takes to use a key - with ordinary tools - or often with any key that will fit the keyhole. My advice: replace with a high quality pick resistant keyswitch. A well designed electronic lock may be best. When going away for an extended period, use the physical lock on the garage door itself as added protection and unplug the garage door operator.
Identifying unknown transformer ratings in garage door operator In a garage door operator, the transformer likely powers the controller and receiver. If you can look at where its outputs go, you may be able to infer something about the voltage even if the transformer is a charred mass. * If there are AC relays in the box, they almost certainly run off the transformer and their coil voltage will be the same if it is the only one). * Check the capacitors in the power supplies of the controller and/or receiver. They will give an indication of the approximate secondary voltage of the transformer. Their voltage rating will typically be 1.5 to 2 times the RMS of the transformer. * Many of these transformers include a thermal fuse under the outer wrappings of insulating material. These may fail from old age or due to a fault. If the transformer works fine without overheating when replaced (or bypassed temporarily on a fused circuit), then it may be fine. However, shorted windings can cause a thermal fuse to blow and there is then no electrical test that will reveal the proper output voltage. * Disassemble the transformer and count the number of turns of the primary and secondary windings. The ratio multiplied by 115 is the output voltage. * Get a 24 V transformer (it is probably not more than this) and connect its primary to a Variac and its secondary to the opener. Slowly increase the variac until everything works. (check every volt or so from 5 to 24). Measure the output voltage of the transformer, add 10-20%, you've probably got the secondary rating. If it is near a standard value like 12 or 24, this is most likely correct. * Buy a new opener.