garage door adjustments

[supadart]

Hello all,

One of 2 garage doors got stuck in the open position the other day. No big problem there. Time to get the ladder out. Fixed it in a jiffy. Also took the time to grease/oil chain, tracks, rollers and hinges on both units and adjust chain tension a wee bit to take up some slack that was causing a bit of chain slap.

Today I noticed one of the doors hits the track "Stop" very hard when it opens fully. I have adjusted opening pressure knob throughout the entire range and nothing seems to keep the door from doing this. The chain tension seems about right (it rests neatly on the center track as the door opens/closes and it doesn't jump around or hang off the side like it used to).

The assembly that holds the unit up seems ok and all the bolts are tight and the other unit seems to be adjusted just right.

Any ideas? Maybe go back and re-adjust chain tension again?

Thanks -Gary

[HayZee518]

Yeah, could be. Count the number of turns on the device on both chains. If the door is out of plumb on one side could be more tension is needed on this side.

[leone184]

Some openers have 2 adjustment knobs, or screws on them. One is for the pressure or force, the other is for travel. It sounds like the door is traveling too far. I don't know what brand of opener you have, but mine has 2 nylon screw heads on the back of the motor housing. (one for each) If you took the slack out of the chain, it makes sense that this is whats happening. The door is probably going up just a little farther than it did before.

By the way, once you solve the problem, make sure you turn the pressure knob back down. It should be at the lowest setting possible to close the door properly. If the door should come down on something (like someone's foot) it will press harder before it reverses. It also puts a lot more wear and tear on the opener and the door.

leone184

[gdoorpro]

Garage door operator chain tension

Chain tension on a operator is very critical to get proper life out of the operator and ensure that the operator is not excessively noisey.

It is rather simple to do. Somewhere along the chain their is some type of screw that allows you to either tighten or loosen the chain. On Chamberlain operators (also known as Liftmaster, craftsman, or accessmaster) the chain is attached to the screw that tightens or loosens the chain slack. On Genie (aka Overhead Door Co.) there is a screw that moves the pulley just above the door that you can adjust with an open ended 1/2" wrench.

It is important to note that the door should be disconnected during this procedure. The chain should be tight enough that it is not hanging more than say 1/2" (should be above bottom of trolley rail).

This is not to say the chain will not or should not slack when the door is run to the closed position. Certain manufacturers garage doors require more force to get the door to seal the floor. If you are having to max out the sensitivity settings to get the door to seal the floor (assuming door is already level) than you will probably will have some chain slack and maybe even some trolley arch.

need further assistance email me at rreeson@tconl.com

ryan