garage door binding/sticking, but where ?

[Rein]

I have a garage door that is about 6 years old. Attached to a genie opener and it's been working pretty good (2car). Last couple of months it has been as if it is binding/sticking somewhere 1/3 of the way down. Sometimes the opener thinks something is blocking it and reverses the door to open it again. I press the remote again and it then closes but I do see it has a problem about 1/3 of the way down (like something is blocking, then releases it at a certain point). I disconnected the opener from the door and manually moved the door up and down to see where it is sticking/rubbing/binding/?? For the life of me I can't seem to find WHERE it is sticking on or rubbing on. All the hinges seem fine, I lubes them to make sure. so far no luck. It's driving me crazy, It seems like it such a small little thing that is blocking it but I can't find where. Any tips to check ?

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[B]

If the track seems clear, just adjust the sensitivity on the motor housing!

-B

[frank roarty]

Sticking is commonly cause by improper mounting of door track to surface not flush with jamb. test for this in down position and see if any points along mating surface refuse to move in and out under moderate hand presure. door trim is installed to bind slightly near bottom to prevent damage if door is closed rapidly so ignore this if visibly caused by trim. If builder uses 2x4 jamb the mounting leg for vertical track may end up laged into a "sister" stud that is not flush with jamb. this will cause distance between mating door surface and jamb to vary along the travel. proper solution is to use 2x6 jambs but this will not be feasible after construction therefore use 8 penny nail or lg drywall screw between mounting foot and jamb to equalize distance. be sure to retighten mounting bolt after insertion of "spacer".

When you test for sticking - pull down on emergency release and then grab the attached arm and exert force from this end of door. the test you performed using the door handle is not the same resistance felt by opener. the difference is dramatic, very often the act of pulling down on the bottom section will mask a door stick caused by door bottom driving itself into door jamb if clearance is too shallow. other sticking issues are caused by track mounting not flush with jamb but you should have been able to see this visibly and correct with spacers under track feet. good troubleshooting method however is to loosen bottom 2 track feet on vertical rail and experiment with slop provided. With door almost closed and hand on handle you should be able to shift door side to side slightly if slop is set correctly- carefull though -too much and rollers can escape. final possible cause is vertical track is "stuck" on rough cement floor and is ignoring your adjustments on feet. this is actually quite common and just repaired one of these today. take a hammer and a blunt item that fits inside track then hammer object to free the stick -even an 1/8 inch will make a big difference if this is your culprit. one last item about sticking and then off my soapbox. never paint a door unless you have time and temperature to let it dry before closing- the paint will transfer to vinyl sweep on door trim and effectively become a break!

[Randy]

If you don't detect binding when you move the door by hand, then it's probably not binding. It's more likely that your opener is having a problem. Just make sure that you move the door by hand in the same direction that it's 'binding' when you use the opener.

Does the binding occur when the door opens or closes or both? If at closing, there's probably a small obstacle that's falling in front of the electric eye at the base of the door, perhaps a leaf that's dangling from a spider web. If at opening and closing, it's probably an adjustment of the sensitivity screw on the opener. If at opening only, I'd check for a possible obstruction (e.g. screw, bolt) that's sticking into the path of the wheels or a door panel as it bends or straightens.

In any case, I'd take this opportunity to do some general preventive maintenance on the doors -- lube the wheels (with oil), check the springs and tension cables (because they can be obstructed too).

Randy

[Rich]

"If at closing, there's probably a small obstacle that's falling in front of the electric eye at the base of the door, perhaps a leaf that' s dangling from a spider web."

I've been called out to hundreds of similar troublecalls that was the result of the homeowners failure to remove the pull down rope whcih blocked the electric-eye just enough to reverse the unit.

Have you checked to see if the door is coming down level? Unbalanced doors might "bind" when operated electrically but act fine when pulled down manually.

Rich

[Doordoc]

Is it a Genie screw drive w/ a 3-piece rail? If so I would suspect the opener carriage is binding at the splice & you would want to make sure the splice collars on the worm screw haven't dislodged or have been broken.

Doordoc

[Rein]

okay, more clarification, it only does it when going down. it also binds when disconnected from the opener. I did notice that on the reels that the metal wire goes over, on left wheel the wire is not in the little guide that guides the wire on the beginning of the reel but it is on the right side wheel. theoretically this could cause it to close uneven and somehow bind. would this little difference be enough to cause that ??? Remove NO-SPAM from email address when replying

[Kevin Ricks]

My door was doing something similar to that. I was binding and revering on the way down but not going up- worse in colder temps. My door opening is not square it jogs down 45 deg. at the tops down to the sides.

/''''\ |__|

I found that my door was binding on the outside of door against the stucco on the 45 deg sections. I fixed it by loosening bolts on the tracks and making adjustments. Kevin

[Rich]

[Rein]

Thanks to all who replied. I took an even closer look to the door and fixed it ! I first put the entire steel wire back on the spool on one side. It was partially off the spool (only a little bit). This did not fix it. Then I looked at the 2 wheels that the wires are wound up on. It turned out one of the wheels was rubbing against the side of the metal plate the axle is mounted in !! I opened the garage door all the way up as far as possible. This way there was no tension on the wires/spring. I loosened the two bolts that hold the wheel onto the axle and moved the wheel a tiny little bit inwards, away from he metal plate. I retightened the two bolts, closed the door and the binding is completely gone !! woohoo.

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[Michael Baugh]

Sounds like you have a torsion spring. Those can be very dangerous. Be extremely careful, don't get hurried or distracted.

[Bturk-WI]

replying to Rein, Bturk-WI wrote: I have been having similar issues with my door but it is 10 yrs old with a 1 yr old opener. The friction is not an obvious obstruction and did get better for a couple days after I re-lubed the hinges and rollers. Turns out the bearing are going bad in a couple rollers which causes enough resistance that it sets off the down pressure safety reverse . I replaced all the rollers (only about $20) my self and no more problems. Nylon rollers are a good option if you like a more quiet door operation.