Stupid garage door opener

thevolvoguy · 08-22-02, 06:27

Well, the door seemed to be a little off track. It wasnt going down all the way, went up too far, etc... So I followed the instructions to adjust it properly. (Its a '88 model Genie 850, best of the best 14 years ago...) I adjusted it, tried it out a few times and it worked great. I said a I tested a few times... lets say 2, and it was open. So I hit the button again to close it and poof... a giant cloud of smoke. lol the POS blew up. I guess it had served served its time.

So, now my question is... What is a good opener for the price? Will I need to buy the tracks and all that, or is that included?

Thanks!

~Cody Julian

clint · 08-22-02, 07:27

I don't know what the best is now, but I'm just saying look at the box and see what kind of stupid saftey rube-goldberg thing they have on them for detection of obstructions.

I got whatever the cheapest ones home depot had and they are chain drive- work fine- the bulk of it is easy to install- but the stupid optical things that are required I guess in the us so some baby won't get trapped by a closing door are a pain to get to work. It's the genie chainglide..

I had to wire a light to one side bottom of each door and another wire to the detector on the other side. They won't work without the detectors.
I think they can't be sold in the us if they don't have such a detector setup..

Once installed though, works fine.. good for the cheapest ones. I lubed the chain once in two years, sounds fine. Mine came with one track thing that goes in the middle coming out of the motorhead, if that's what you meant by tracks..

grimmster · 08-23-02, 06:49

Well, it will depend a lot on what type of door you have. An un-insulated door wont need as much hp as a solid wooden door, so that is the first thing to look for.

You should be able to reuse almost everything from the old door setup. Only thing that should change is the opener itself and the middle track with the chain/wire, and those safety eyes.

Frederf · 08-24-02, 10:15

Man, we just replaced our motor for ours... and we got a great tip on this super quiet model... can't remember what it was... but it is a worm drive.

DrewD · 10-16-02, 02:47

This is totally not safe (and probably illegal), but can't you just install the "safety beam eyes" on the roof or in a corner, etc. so that they're always lined up and out of the way? As long as they're lined up, does it matter if they're at the bottom of the door opening?

Brad B. · 10-16-02, 02:52

Chamberlain is a good brand. They offer upgrades and have a good website, customer service, parts for older models, etc. I have stuck with them for years. Sears sells them among others. Reasonably priced, too.

73GRAND · 10-17-02, 09:27

Most of the openers are made by Chamberlin, including the Sears Craftsman model. Do not try to out wit (jury rig) the sensors. I 'm actually glad I wired mine up, I tried to beat the door down and slipped on the wet garage floor one winter and the door stopped as soon as I broke the beam. Also if someone was visiting and got injured under the door, there goes your house, they'll own it. If you have ever installed a door you will know that they are heavy and the downward force of a door opener is incredible, they will squish your insides. Put it this way, if say, your door ways 300lbs, the opener needs to be strong enough to lift this weight and lower it , so if you get trapped you will have all the door weight on you.

Iconoclast · 10-17-02, 10:51

I agree with 73grand that you should install the sensors for liability purposes. With my luck I would bypass the sensors, someone would get hurt and I would have to tell the insurance company when they asked about the sensors "Uh, I bypassed them" That said, many openers have sensitivity adjusters that you can use to adjust the downward force before the opener opens the door back up. Generally people can use a cardboard box to set the sensitivity so it won't crush a person. Get the belt driving one from Sears ..very quiet.

Even though the door weight is a couple hundred pounds, it is counter balanced by springs so that a person can lift it with one hand. The openers are only 1/4 to 1/2 hp.

2wheelsx2 · 10-17-02, 10:58

My Craftsman model has a torque sensor type thing (technical term.

) that stops the door and reverses it if it bumps into something. The force is adjustable too. So it seems redundant to have the sensor beam too.

Frederf · 10-17-02, 04:09

I hate the beam too. It's ok if it reverses due to beam that can be annoying. If I press the button then run under the door (because I can't close it from the outside) I have to duck under the door and hop over the beam.

Taxlady · 10-17-02, 07:30

I live in a condo association with a thirty or so car garage. I'm really glad we have that "magic eye" sensor thingee. I would hate to have the garage door stop at a certain amount of force on my car. :scared

Apparently it did that to a few cars and that's why the "magic eye" was installed.

thevolvoguy · 10-17-02, 08:33

First let me thank everyone for their great suggestions! You all really gave me some good ideas.

I ended up buying the new Genie Excelerator.

http://www.geniecompany.com/Products/excelerator.htm

It opens in about 6 secconds, and is completely silent thanks to the new Screw Drive. Another nice feature is its ability to be flush mounted, so it only extends about 8-10 inches down from the celing. It also came with a wireless keypad that I mounted about 50 feet away inside the house.

I have had it for about a month now and have been more than satisfied with its performance. Also, on top of all the great features, it has a lifetime warranty on anything that could go wrong.

Again, thanks to everyone that replied!