Garage door opens part-way

[engwar]

Sometimes when I attempt to open the garage door using our opener it raises up about 2 feet and then stops. I can press the button again and it closes. It may take 5 or so times before the door opens up completely.

We bought our house a year ago and it was doing this on our inspection. They had the door serviced and it has worked perfectly until now.

Before I call a service-person does anyone have any input?

• Does this problem sound like a common one?

• If it needs regular maintenance to keep running is it something a homeowner with only moderate fix-it skills can handle?

• Would it make more sense to simply replace the opener?

Sorry I don't have the make/model information with me. I can follow-up with that post. It's a brand I've never heard of.

Thanks in advance.

[Ken]

Before I would call a repair person, I would do the following: Disconnect the door from the mechanism that pulls it up and pushes it down. Normally there is a lever that disengages the two. Lift the door so that it is half way open. It should be balanced enough at half open so that it stays at that point. If the door wants to shut at that point, tighten up on the springs so that it does not. (The previous sentence assumes you have two coil springs with cables that are adjustable.) It could be the motor is seeing too much weight when opening and shuts down. If this is not your problem AND the door moves freely while disconnected from the opener mechanism, call the garage door service company.

[DerbyDad03]

Is it cold where you are? Many garage doors openers require more force to move the door as it gets colder. Try adjusting the up force on the motor housing.

[Jason Roscoe]

I recently had to replace the circuit board in one of the Overhead Door/Genie operators in my garage. The behavior was similar but not quite exactly the same as what you describe. In my case, the garage door would open part way, and then stop and close again. The time spent trying to raise the door varied and sometimes the operator would shut off completely. Anyway, I replaced the circuit board and all is well.

Before I decided to replace the circuit board, I explained the symptoms to the employee at Overhead Door and he said it was actually quite common for the circuit board to have problems. He mentioned that I ought to make sure the opener was plugged into a surge protector because there really isn't any built-in protection in the opener. Anyway, for me, the circuit board was around $75 and afterwards I bought a $2.99 surge protector that will hopefully protect it from now on.

Good luck with yours.

[Meat Plow]

Unlatch the drive from the door and make sure the door itself goes up and down easily. You may need to lubricate the track or worm and the door pulleys. You may need to tweak the spring tension and up force setting. If you're not comfortable doing this stuff then call a pro.

[engwar]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

I have noticed that it seems to do this more on colder days. DerbyDad may have hit the nail on the head.

I'll see if I can find the manual in the box o' information the previous owners left us and see what's required in adjusting the up force.

While I'm at it I may clean the sensors and lubricate everything too.

Thanks again.

[DerbyDad03]

You may not need a manual. Grab a step ladder, a chair or a cooler (depending on how tall you are ;-) ) and look for either a plastic screw head or a knob or some turnable item on the motor housing. They should be labeled something like Up Force, Down Force, Up Limit and Down Limit. Good luck!

[Bob M.]

But before the OP does that, he should check the door's balance, as suggested by someone else. It may be that the counterbalance springs need adjusting.

[franz frippl]

We had the same thing happen with our door. Readjusted the force to open it and all went well. Also fiddled with the metal bar attaching the door to the drive. Ours is a Genie opener.

[Meat Plow]

I think I suggested that. You can Google for instructions on what to check for. You can also look at the transom bar (if it is a chain drive) and see how much it flexes up and down when the door is being lifted. It shouldn't move much if any if the counterbalance is proper.