Garage door opener Light

Old Sears 1/3 hp garage door opener works fine. Only trouble is the light went out and replacing the bubs did not work. Any ideas?

-------------------------------------

Reply to
turbolk1
Loading thread data ...

Hi, Light is controlled by a relay(mechanical or SS, probably mechanical being old) Start from bulb socket backward.. It could be even a cracked solder joint on the circuit board or loose contact inside the socket, etc.

>
Reply to
Tony Hwang

The fix could be as simple as reaching into the socket with something like a popsicle stick and bending the center tab contact out a bit so it makes contact with the base contact of the light bulb.

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas

...with the opener unplugged, of course.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

Why do you think I recommended a wooden stick? :-)

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas

Under the proper (improper?) conditions, even using a wooden stick on a live circuit could light up more than the bulb. ;-)

Reply to
DerbyDad03

I was installing high voltage transformers from the underground power service at the missile range where I was working as an electrician and the electrical superintendent and I had borrowed an old wooden hot stick from the island power plant. The super was wearing leather gloves under high voltage insulated gloves and when he grabbed the 4,160 volt connection to plug it in, his hair stood on end and he felt that uncomfortable tingling all over his body. Even though the hot stick felt dry, there was enough moisture in the wood to conduct an irritating jolt through it and the insulating gloves. Our own fiberglass hot sticks arrived in the next shipping container a few days later and we were very glad to see them. :-)

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas

re: "wooden hot stick"

Are you referring to what we called a "Dead Man Stick" back when I was in the USCG?

A wooden rod with a metal hook screwed into the end and a braided ground strap with a spring loaded clamp on the end?

This doc refers to them as a "Pull Away Cane (Dead Man Stick)" on page

1-6.

formatting link

It's been over 30 years since I was in the USCG but it looks like the term is still in use - even officially.

We used them to teach the non-technical personnel why they should stay out of the transmitter building when we weren't around.

We'd charge up a big oil filled capacitor with a hi-pot and then turn out the lights and short it out with the dead man stick. One group of newbies (as well as few old timers) were really convinced when we charged the cap up too much and it blew the threaded rod right out of the wooden handle. The journeyman tech that was holding the stick almost sh*t his pants!

Reply to
DerbyDad03

You'll have to check with HeyBub about the bubs.

Did you verify that the new bubs worked in another lamp?

Because it's hard to work on something up high, I myself would get into the socket with some meter probes and see if there is 110 v AC there, or what if anything is there.

Otherwise, I guess there is a relay that could break inside the box -- I seem to have a broken relay in a microwave, but since it's not fixed yet, I'm not sure.

But there woudl be other parts in the circuit, to do the timing. I gues with a ladder you can be as high as the opener, but don't let the garage door knock your head off when you're testing the light.

Reply to
mm

In broadcast engineering we called that a Jesus stick. We used it to dissipate residual high voltage in the transmitters and power supplies so you weren't sent to meet Jesus. A hot stick on the other hand is an insulated pole of varying lengths with a metal hook on the end with no grounding strap. It is meant to grab fittings in order to change fuses, operate switches and disconnect plugs on energized high voltage gear. You will often see power company linemen use a long hot stick to change fuses on power poles while standing on the ground or shorter sticks from an elevated bucket on a bucket truck. :-)

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas

If it is similar to my old Sears opener, the light timing is determined by a small coil of heater wire around a bi-metallic strip. When the door opens the strip's contacts are closed to turn on the light with the motor power, the heater also turns on and after an approximate amount of time bends the strip with the heat and opens the contact which turns the light off. Pretty crude. The strip gets soft and tired and does not always return to the "normal" position, which means the contacts don't close and the light doesn't come on. Mine works intermittently and more in winter than in summer, probably because the cold helps the weak strip to sometimes return to its "normal" position. I cannot see how it would be repairable without replacement timer strip, and I do not think Sears would have repair parts for my 34 year old opener.

Reply to
EXT

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.