 fcislerPremium
join:2004-06-14
Riverhead, NY | Garage door not kicking into higher speed This is a confusing one. The garage door opener is a genie belt.
Recently it's started having this issue. Normally when I open or close the door it starts very slowly and then kicks into a higher speed. Recently it is not doing this. It stays EXTREMELY slow.
If I power cycle the opener it seems ok for a cycle or two. I think mainly it's just after it's been powered on for a while.
Anyone have any ideas? I've adjusted the force for opening/closing to no avail. The only thing that fixes this is power cycling.
Any ideas? |
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robbinPremium,MVM
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX
kudos:1 | Is the door well lubricated? |
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fcislerPremium
join:2004-06-14
Riverhead, NY | Yes, friction is not the problem. The door and associated sprints/hardware are fine. |
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lutful... of ideasPremium
join:2005-06-16
Ottawa, ON Reviews:
 ·TekSavvy DSL
| reply to fcisler
said by fcisler:I've adjusted the force for opening/closing to no avail. The only thing that fixes this is power cycling. Power cycling could be resetting some fault in the control circuit. It could also be discharging some faulty capacitor that starts the motor.
If power cycling did not fix it temporarily, I would have guessed door was out of balance and/or force setting was too low.
FYI increasing the closing force may compromise safety. Put a 2x4 lumber flat on its side on the floor and check if the door goes right back up. If it does not, you have to decrease the force setting. |
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| said by lutful:said by fcisler:I've adjusted the force for opening/closing to no avail. The only thing that fixes this is power cycling. Power cycling could be resetting some fault in the control circuit. It could also be discharging some faulty capacitor that starts the motor. If power cycling did not fix it temporarily, I would have guessed door was out of balance and/or force setting was too low. FYI increasing the closing force may compromise safety. Put a 2x4 lumber flat on its side on the floor and check if the door goes right back up. If it does not, you have to decrease the force setting. A home inspector did that to my sisters garage door. The inspector had to pay for the tech to come out and replace the bottom panel. Those aluminium panels are very soft and the block of wood isn't. |
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lutful... of ideasPremium
join:2005-06-16
Ottawa, ON Reviews:
·TekSavvy DSL
| said by averagedude:said by lutful:said by fcisler:I've adjusted the force for opening/closing to no avail. ... FYI increasing the closing force may compromise safety. Put a 2x4 lumber flat on its side on the floor and check if the door goes right back up. If it does not, you have to decrease the force setting. A home inspector did that to my sisters garage door. The inspector had to pay for the tech to come out and replace the bottom panel. Those aluminium panels are very soft and the block of wood isn't. If some neighbor's child or pet got crushed, will their insurance have to pay up? Don't argue that garage door panels are too soft to do any harm. You made up that story as an April Fools joke. 
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robbinPremium,MVM
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX
kudos:1 | reply to averagedude
It should work with the 2x4 on it's edge, but with it flat on it's side it may not. A garage door opener is supposed to reverse if it hits an object such as a kid or a cat. However at the very end of travel that safety mechanism may be disengaged so the door closes solidly. In other words, the door should reverse with just light pressure on the obstruction a foot off of the ground but may close with force and not reverse if hitting an object only 1 1/2" thick. |
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lutful... of ideasPremium
join:2005-06-16
Ottawa, ON Reviews:
·TekSavvy DSL
1 edit | said by robbin:It should work with the 2x4 on it's edge, but with it flat on it's side it may not ... but may close with force and not reverse if hitting an object only 1 1/2" thick. I am usually quite certain about a subject matter before I provide a clear warning or suggestion. The closing force test is usually done using a 2x4 lumber on its side - check your garage door manual. 
*** This is direct from a Genie manual. Earlier Liftmaster manual said 1-1/2 inch board or 2x4 on its side. |
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1 edit | reply to lutful
said by lutful:If some neighbor's child or pet got crushed, will their insurance have to pay up? Don't argue that garage door panels are too soft to do any harm. You made up that story as an April Fools joke.
ok, you want the long story... (please keep your hands and arms inside the roller coaster at all times....off topic we go..weeeee!)
My sister was the original owner.
The house was a track home, one of literally hundreds.
The garage door opener came with the house.
She had no reason to suspect there was a problem with the garage door opener as it had worked properly for years - why would she, as if it ain't broke why try and break it I mean fix it.
She decides to sell the house.
The purchaser hired a house inspector - not my sister.
He did what you showed in the previous post - put down a 2x4.
What he failed to do first was any preliminary visual checks.
He did not check the garage door opener force settings.
He also failed to do a simple hand hold check to get a rough idea of where the force setting were set - basically using your hands to provide some resistance to get a feel as to where the force setting were set.
Those are what I can remember from the insurance companies report on the matter.
The cost of the repair fell on the home inspector.
The cost was also below the inspectors deductible.
The inspector tried to wiggle out by saying that he was acting on the behalf of the purchaser and the purchaser should pay.
The purchaser's insurance company said it was solely the responsibility of the inspector.
The inspector finally had to pay.
Sorry, I never advocated crushing children.
I said:
"A home inspector did that to my sisters garage door. The inspector had to pay for the tech to come out and replace the bottom panel. Those aluminium panels are very soft and the block of wood isn't." Nothing more than that.
I have sold and bought homes.
I have asked the home inspectors why garage doors and the sprinkler systems and electrical panels were excluded from the reports - All said the high liability exposure in case the item(s) fail upon exercising. That was the main reason the inspectors gave as to switching to "visual" only inspections. They all said if you want reports on those items then we were going to have to hire an garage door firm, a landscaping company, and an electrician. |
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lutful... of ideasPremium
join:2005-06-16
Ottawa, ON Reviews:
·TekSavvy DSL
| said by averagedude:I said:
"A home inspector did that to my sisters garage door. The inspector had to pay for the tech to come out and replace the bottom panel. Those aluminium panels are very soft and the block of wood isn't." Nothing more than that. I highlighted part of your comment - just like you highlighted Put a 2x4 lumber flat on its side in my suggestion - just to show how people can infer more from less.
The garage doors MUST go back up upon hitting a 2x4 lumber laid flat under the middle of the door. The person who increased the closing force without doing that test was at fault - not the home inspector.
*** OP's scenario may actually be caused by too much closing force. After power cycling, the door smacks down a few times and a smart controller slows the door way down to prevent a potential accident. So it is wise to do all the safety tests mentioned in the manual before anything else. |
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robbinPremium,MVM
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX
kudos:1 | said by lutful:The garage doors MUST go back up upon hitting a 2x4 lumber laid flat under the middle of the door. The person who increased the closing force without doing that test was at fault - not the home inspector. Technically, in the US, only garage door openers manufactured after January 1, 1993 must have had this feature and the legal size of the block is 2". There is no federal law requiring update or replacement of the older units. |
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lutful... of ideasPremium
join:2005-06-16
Ottawa, ON Reviews:
·TekSavvy DSL
| said by robbin: Technically ... legal size of the block is 2". "When tested on the floor, the object shall be 1 inch (25.4 mm) high. In the test installation, the bottom edge of the door under the driving force of the operator is to be against the floor when the door is fully closed."
»law.justia.com/cfr/title16/16-2.···40.1.1.7
said by robbin:There is no federal law requiring update or replacement of the older units. You can verify using Google that US manufacturers will not sell any replacement parts for non-reversing garage doors. Many older doors (going back to 1980s) have the reversal feature but does not follow the new rules.
Suppose someone still has a non-compliant garage door. If they do any kind of repair or "technically" even adjust the downward force, they have to comply with the current reversal rules. Which is not possible without changing the drive mechanism. |
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robbinPremium,MVM
join:2000-09-21
Leander, TX
kudos:1 | Thanks for finding a change in the rules effective in 2008. Maybe you missed the point though. An older garage door opener doesn't follow those rules. Hence the reason the home inspector was liable. Parts are still available -- I bought parts for a 20 plus year old opener just a couple of years ago without any problem at all. They can still be serviced just like the brakes on an old car can. In fact, the FHA no longer even requires an inspection of garage door openers in a home inspection. Of course all of this is totally off-topic for this thread as a belt drive opener is fairly new. |
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fcislerPremium
join:2004-06-14
Riverhead, NY | reply to fcisler
I have tested with a 2x4 and it does release, the force isn't set too high.
As is right now anyway, half the time the unit will not even have enough power to fully open or close the unit.
It's not friction or hard closing/opening. When the unit stalled as I was testing it and started to reverse, I immediately killed the power and pulled the safety release. The door opened up very smoothly and closed with a single hand.
I'm thinking i'm going to pull the unit apart and replace any visible capacitors. I have worked on electronics for a while and I'm fairly comfortable with discharging them and safely replacing them. Unless anyone else has any ideas?
Genie 2042 |
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lutful... of ideasPremium
join:2005-06-16
Ottawa, ON Reviews:
·TekSavvy DSL
| Before replacing any capacitors, try all possible adjustments mentioned in their user manual.
When the door used to work, did it start slow, then speed up, and then slow down again? Is it still behaving like that now ... but every stage is slower?
Or is it staying at an approx. constant slow speed from start to end? |
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| reply to lutful
said by lutful:Don't argue that garage door panels are too soft to do any harm. You need to learn how to accurately read what is posted before replying and making accusations, what the poster was referring to was the lower panel of the garage door was damaged by hitting the 2 x 4 because it (the panel) was softer then the wood of the 2 x 4. |
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lutful... of ideasPremium
join:2005-06-16
Ottawa, ON Reviews:
·TekSavvy DSL
2 edits | The gasket attached under the garage door will have to absorb more than 3000 pounds to cause damage to the (aluminum) bottom panel during a 2x4 lumber test.
Someone who knowingly sets the closing force that high could even be charged with a criminal offence if some child or pet got crushed. |
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