I can't tell you how many people have said; "Fifty bucks just for you to do that". And to make matters worse some are senior citizens on tight budgets. If any of the following things ever happen to you, you'll be glad you read this information. The following sentences are usually what people will call and say.

First check the chain or screw to see if it's moving. If the drive is moving someone may have pulled the emergency disconnect. To many people pay for service calls just to reengage the traveler lock. (See Emer. disc.) If the drive is not moving it could be any number of things. You'll need to call a repairman.

Here's another simple problem. The down limit on the opener is slightly off. The limits are how far the door will open and close. Most limits are visible from outside the unit. All you need to do is turn the down limit in the opposite direction of the arrow, which will decrease its down travel.

Yet another simple problem. First check the safety beams. What may be happening is when the door closes the eyes may be vibrating. That will cause the door to open again if eye to eye contact is broken. Also check and make sure they're clean. Second, check to make sure the door is not hitting or jamming on anything. You should check the door manually (by hand) to see if its jamming. (See door balance) If all is well there, check the openers down force. As years go by the opener does get "tired". You may need to make a small sensitivity or force adjustment. (See safety reverse) Sometimes when your new opener is installed someone forgets to remove the manual pull rope. Check to see if the rope is breaking the beam. No ropes should be on an automatic garage door.

This is another type of safety beam problem. What's happening here is the eyes aren't looking at each other. The door works from the pushbutton because you can bypass the eyes if you hold the button down. This feature was designed to give the homeowner the ability to close the door if an eye was broken. You need to align the safety beams. (See safety beams) Also check for any loose wiring at the eye or terminal connection on the power head.

You could pay a serviceman $50 or more for a service call for something you may want to do yourself. If you'd rather have THE DOOR MAN I'll be there in a flash. Your garage door needs to be lubricated on a regular basis. (See lubrication) First you'll need to know if the door or the opener is making the most noise. Work the door manually. With some WD-40 spray the pivot points on all the hinges. Then the ball bearings on the rollers. Then the springs. Your door should be close to noise free and work with little effort. Now check the opener. Sometimes the power head just vibrates to loud. Put your hand on the outer case cover to see if it gets any quieter. If the metal case vibrates to much you could shim it with tape, rubber or pieces of cork. If you're going to take the case off, make sure the power head is unplugged. Make sure the power head is tight and doesn't wiggle. A slight shift can make the power head quieter. Sometimes the light lens cover gets loud. You may want to just take it off. If you've tried all that and can't find the squeaker, maybe its time to call the serviceman.

"My door comes up a short distance and then stops"

You probably have a broken spring. (See door balance) Some people will adjust the open force on the opener. Then when the opener breaks, you're looking at a $400. + repair. Never attempt a spring repair yourself. Springs are dangerous. If you're sure the springs are not broken, you may need to adjust the openers up force or sensitivity.

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