Garage Door Problem : - Windows and Doors - DIY Chatroom - DIY ...

Old 03-28-2011, 11:51 PM ? #1

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It has an opener (not sure what brand yet) but I don't really think that is the issue, I just want to confirm. The garage door opens fully up to the motor, but then the "hitch" (no idea what it's called) that connects the door to the chain pops free at the motor and the door drops back down. I can re-engage the "hitch" and then the door will fully open to the motor, and drop back down again. Rinse and repeat until you get sick of catching the door so that it doesn't slam.

I'm confused at what is causing it to disengage, but when I looked at the overhead springs (4 of them) one seemed to be a bit looser than the other three. So, is one spring out of adjustment (or broken) causing the door to be too heavy for the "hitch" to stay engaged all the way up?

The first time I used the door it went up and down several times without a problem.


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Old Yesterday, 06:38 AM ? #2

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The springs are there to counterbalance the weight of the door. You should be able to easily open the door fully, or close it all the way, easily and without strain. If that's not the case then you risk frying the opener dragging it up, so that sounds like your first and biggest issue.

Depending on the specific opener type and design, the arm engages the track runner in various ways but it should be firm enough not to slip out. If the opener is deadlifting the whole weight of the door without springs balancing it then it can wear that attachment, so if it comes loose on its own that's a separate concern in itself.

Adjusting a garage door is not that technically difficult but you are dealing with a heavy moving object and strong springs under considerable tension. Your best bet honestly might be to get a door company to check it out rather than try and DIY and get injured or damage something. Check your area, frequently garage door companies will run spring specials to check/service/tuneup a door for minimal cost (until they sell you new parts or accessories of course). $50-$60 is a small price to pay to not hurt yourself, wreck your car or have to buy a new opener.

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Old Yesterday, 07:49 AM ? #3

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The opener should not pull the latch all the way to the motor housing, there should be a limit switch to stop it.

What he said. Disengage the door from the opener. You should be able to lift to mid travel, release it and it will stay in that postion. If it does not, the springs need to be adjusted or replace. If extension springs(are located next to the top part of the track, they are fairly easy to adjust. If torsion springs(over the top of the door opening on a shaft, these are dangerous to adjust if you are not familiar with them. If the door works as it should, the end (top) limit switch is bad, loose, or misadjusted.

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Old Yesterday, 09:24 AM ? #4

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ThatDaveGuy said it all when he suggested that you get a door company to make the adjustments. A friend of mine who was very handy and owned a small construction/excavating company decided to adjust his garage door. Something happened ( he doesn't remember) and he was hit with the wrench and was knocked off the ladder causing enough broken bones in his arm and hand to require steel pins be placed in his arm and endure a cast covering hand and arm. He was off from work for 3 months! He still has another operation to fix his hand.

But that wasn't the worse part. He was married and she never let him forget what he did.
Be safe.


Last edited by BigD9; Yesterday at 09:26 AM.
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Old Yesterday, 09:59 AM ? #5

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Often, even if you don't do anything wrong you can get ghanked. A garage door that is out of balance or adjustment can have worn, loose, weakened parts that can break, pop out or come undone if you disturb in just the right way. People tend to be rather blithe when dealing with them but they are the largest moving object around the house (depending on your relatives) and store a deceptively large amount of energy in springs under tension. I've seen residential doors run amok and ruin cars, pierce hoods and doors, break rafters and actually have parts end up outside the garage (via openings you never knew were there before), and overwhelmingly the reason was because a guy said "Oh hell, I know what I'm doing!"

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Old Yesterday, 06:17 PM ? #6

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Quote:

People tend to be rather blithe when dealing with them but they are the largest moving object around the house (depending on your relatives)...

Quote:

I've seen residential doors run amok and ruin cars, pierce hoods and doors...
You should see what happens when a tractor with a roll bar that is 3 inches taller than the 16 foot wide door, attempts to back out of the garage. Not a pretty site. Please don't ask how I know.
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Old Yesterday, 06:35 PM ? #7

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ummmm.... how did the tractor get IN the garage????

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Old Yesterday, 07:59 PM ? #8

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Well I'm told the fool lowered the ROPS (roll over protection system) bar and drove it inside to work on the tractor where it was nice and warm. The ROPS had to be raised back up to work on the 3 PT hitch area of the tractor and the fool forgot to lower the ROPS before backing out of the garage. Add insult to injury, the house and garage were only 3 months old at the time.

The fool told me when the ROPS impacted the raised garage door, the first thing he noticed were these rollers bouncing all over the place like hail, then almost immediately a loud sound and the door fell on top of the ROPS as well as the fools wife's minivan parked inside the garage. Thanks goodness I had.....I mean the fool had the ROPS raised or his head would really be smarting from that door impacting his noggin.

Now 3 years after that event, the fools wife still says "is the ROPS bar lowered?" every time I back the van out of the garage. Oh well, at my age I'll only have to listen to that for maybe 30 more years!

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Old Yesterday, 08:02 PM ? #9

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I pity da fool....

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Old Yesterday, 08:09 PM ? #10

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Elevation 3,896 at the Battle Creek Airport? You in a Hot Air Balloon? Or was the "-" a mistake and you are in China?

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Old Yesterday, 08:15 PM ? #11

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that would be close.... 3,000 ft. above the airport... circling for the last 4 years..... they won't land and let me off the plane.
They said they'd be happy to open the door and let me out, but they're fresh out of parachutes.....

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