Published on:October 1, 2018
Rounding the last bend before your driveway, your mind is on the man cave that awaits you. You have missed this place over the past weeks, seeing far too many airport terminals and hotel rooms for your liking. Turning into the inclined driveway, you feel relieved to see your home at last. You hit the garage door opener remote button and slow the car’s speed as the garage door lurches to life. In your mind you are already enjoying a beer on your favorite recliner when the garage door slows its upward progress, then stops completely. Your brow furrows as you hit the button on the remote again and again with no response.
“Great,” you think as you jump out of the car, “I should have replaced that old opener months ago when I noticed the chain skipping. Now it’s probably completely off of the pulley or something.” You enter the garage through the man door to see what could be holding the garage door up. The whir of the motor can still be heard, but the chain is hanging slack next to the carrier. In that instant you realize the sprocket probably broke altogether. With a sigh of discontentment, you pull the emergency cord to open the door manually. As the door finally floats up in front of your eyes, you get to watch helplessly as your car, which you forgot to put in “Park” when you jumped out, blasts gloriously through your neighbor’s freshly painted fence. What a welcome home this has been.
7 Steps for Ongoing Maintenance
The typical lifespan for a garage door opener is 7+ years, but some customers see 15–30 years of use from their garage door openers. The life of your garage door opener is directly related to regular, preventative maintenance. There are seven steps to regular garage door opener maintenance that can help keep your garage door opener running strong and consistent for years to come.
Step 1: Contact Reverse Test – Place a piece of standard 2”x4” wood on the floor where the garage door makes contact and attempt to close the garage door. The door should contact the 2x4 and reverse direction within 2 seconds. If the opener fails the test, the Contact Reverse feature needs adjusted.
Step 2: Lubricate Door Hardware – Inspect door rollers and hinges and lubricate as needed using a light-weight general purpose grease.
Step 3: Safe-T-Beam® System Check – Check that both the RED and GREEN LEDs are ON steady, which indicates the system is working properly. If the system appears to be working, perform a check by starting to close the door and then passing an object through the beam. The door should stop and reverse to the fully open position. If this does not occur or if the red LED is blinking, your Safe-T-Beam System requires realignment or maintenance.
Step 4: Door Balance Check – From the closed position, release the emergency lever and raise and lower the door manually—it should move freely and smoothly. Raise the door manually 3’ to 4’ and let go. The door should move very slowly or stay stationary. If the door descends quickly or ascends, it is out of balance and needs adjusted. Contact a professional dealer for door balance adjustments.
Step 5: Remote Battery Replacement – Replace the batteries in the remote on an as-needed basis or at least every 2–3 years. If you notice a decrease in the range of the remote or if the remote has an indicator light that does not illuminate, it is time to replace the batteries.
Step 6: Light Bulb Replacement – Replace any light bulbs that are burnt out, and use the correct wattage bulb, per the garage door opener manufacturer.
Step 7: Chain/Belt Tensioning – If the chain or belt is excessively loose, follow the chain/belt tensioning procedure from the Owner’s Manual for your garage door opener model.
Repair or Replace?
Many do-it-yourselfers want to simply repair their broken garage door opener rather than replacing it with a new one. In most cases, if the garage door opener has been installed for quite some time, it is more economical to replace the unit rather than repair. Service parts may not be available for units that are 10+ years old. Additionally, if the original unit was a lower cost model, replacing serviceable parts may be a large percentage of the overall unit cost. Replacing an older unit also allows you to take advantage of the new technologies and design benefits of today’s garage door openers.
Quieter – Today’s garage door units are extremely quiet. Most Genie® garage door openers now use extremely quiet and smooth DC motors compared to older units that used noisier AC motors. Additionally, screw drive units hold the screw with fasteners, are lubricated from the factory, and ensure no metal to metal contact to guard against that annoying “screech” sound.
Economical – Genie garage door openers are built to last. New designs make these garage door openers long-lasting and easily assembled. Genie has an entire line of garage door openers designed for do-it-yourself success.
Advanced Connectivity – The latest garage door opener technology allows your garage door opener to be controlled from your smart hub or device, just like your other smart home appliances. Battery backup systems also help make your garage door opener reliable, even during power outages.
Replace with Genie for Maximum Performance
Genie garage door openers integrate the latest technology and are built to ensure minimal maintenance with maximum performance. Genie offers chain drive, belt drive, and screw drive garage door opener models to meet the needs of any homeowner. Models specifically designed to meet a wide variety of capabilities include:
MachForce Connect – A screw drive that offers intelligent design for the homeowner who wants maximum power and speed with superior design and the ultimate in conveniences (speed & smartphone connectivity) to fit their busy lifestyle.
SilentMax® 1200 – A belt drive designed for quiet, fast performance and ultimate power. Incorporates additional features such as GenieSense™ Monitoring and Diagnostic Technology and HomeLink® & Car2U® compatibility. Learn more and purchase the SilentMax 1200 at our online store.
ChainMax™ 1000 – Uses a quiet and powerful DC motor with a soft start and soft stop built into the system. Minimizes maintenance issues associated with jerking door operation.
Use our Genie Product Selector tool to find the right Genie garage door opener for you!
To learn more about Genie garage door openers or routine garage door opener maintenance, contact us at Genie today.
3 comments
Blue light blinking.
What to do?
We had power interruption today and I couldn’t open my electrical garbage door well I read your instructions how to open the garage door manually and I was very impressd after watching a video how to open manually! Thank you very much! Cheers Marie 👍
I called the 1-800 number tonight, and was very impressed!! After watching a u tube video to reset my door speed, I said I can do this. I played with all day yesterday and at the end of it I could not get the door to open at all. I knew I had just confused the heck out of the memory and really didnt want to call a repair person.. I don’t know who I spoke with but she was great. We had to reset the memory on the unit and now my garage door is working great. Love having a person to talk to, to walk you through step by step!! Thank you so much!