Garage door won't close

[gorcorps]

Halp... I'm stuck on this repair

The house (and I assume the garage door opener) is about 15 years old. I noticed a couple weeks ago that the door was intermittently having problems closing. It would either come partially down and then back up, or not start coming down at all. I noticed that the safety sensor LED was flashing a lot (should be solid), so I figured that was the problem. I replaced them with these: http://www.amazon.com/Chamberlain-80...ge+door+sensor

The lights on the new sensor are solid, and turns off when I block the beam (as it should). HOWEVER, now the door won't close at all. It won't even try to close. If I hold the wall button it'll shut fine. I can't find any reason why this is happening, especially when it seems like the new sensors are working.

Other info:
-It's really cold (below zero at night) so I don't know if anything is freezing
-I bought and sprayed lube on the springs and all of the rollers/joints
-I haven't yet tried replacing the wire for the sensors, but I ordered some and it should be here soon.
-The "closing force" knob on the opener is maxed out, and I assume it's been that way since installation

What else should I be looking for?

 

[gorcorps]

I bought the Chamberlain sensors because I was told these type of sensors should be universal (assuming your opener is newer than 1997). I have a Genie garage door opener though... should I have bought genie branded sensors?

 

[NoTine42]

With the door closed, detach the opener from the chain (should be a handle pull, no tools needed)
Then operate the opener.

If it goes up and down then you know your photo sensor is OK. If not, your sensors might not be aligned

The other thing is the force sensor. The door has to operate OK by hand if the opener is going to work properly. Sounds like a bad door install if force is maxed out.

Does it do the same thing at night? In a previous home, winter low angle sun was more likely to trip my photo-sensors than other times of the year.

My problem is usually a cobweb grabbing a leaf that blocks the sensor on the way down

 

[gorcorps]

Thanks, forgot about running the opener with the door not attached. After it still didn't open, I realized the light on the new sensor wasn't on like it was earlier, on the same side the old one had a problem. So it looks like I'm back to thinking the wire needs to be replaced, which I should be able to replace as soon as it gets here.

 

[edro]

I had a finicky opener many years ago.
I traced it to the wire that had a nick in it under a staple.
The solid conductor copper had corroded through and was making intermittent connection.
It was tough to find and I only noticed it because the staple had a slight green tint to it, which tipped me off as it being copper corrosion.

 

[KK]

If you haven't consulted youtube yet, this is a good video regarding how the operation should work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbmufXgpl14 Not sure if your genie is laid out the same way as the chamberlain/liftmaster is.

 

[bryanl]

Most likely the new sensor's light shines steadily because it was aligned differently when installed, or a wire connection on the old one was oxidized or loose. Wiring should always be checked.

Door not closing with force sensor sensitivity maxed out indicates incorrect balance in the door or binding in the mechanism. Lubricant should be #20 oil, not a spray like WD-40. A roller may be defective and require replacement.

 

[Squeetard]

Had the same issue. Called a door guy. There was an rpm sensor inside the unit that had gotten dirty. He blew it out with air and the door has been working good for 2 years since. They also put some more tension in the spring to make it open easier, nothing to do with the problem, the springs just lose tension over time and should be periodically adjusted.

 

[richardycc]

just get a new opener, all these buying random parts hoping it would fix it is time and money waster, even if you fixed the problem, you still ended up with a 15yrs old opener. My opener was acting up and my wife won't allow an intermittently working opener, so I replaced it with a Chamberlain HD930ev from HD for $248. It comes with everything in the box. It took me about 3hrs to install and I hided some of the wiring, if I just staple them to the ceiling, it would be a lot quicker. It is so much quieter and has nicer features my old opener didn't have. (back up battery, MyQ Internet, I can open, close, and monitor my garage door on my smartphone.) and I added a switch, so I can control it from with the same app in my phone.

 

[gorcorps]

just get a new opener, all these buying random parts hoping it would fix it is time and money waster, even if you fixed the problem, you still ended up with a 15yrs old opener. My opener was acting up and my wife won't allow an intermittently working opener, so I replaced it with a Chamberlain HD930ev from HD for $248. It comes with everything in the box. It took me about 3hrs to install and I hided some of the wiring, if I just staple them to the ceiling, it would be a lot quicker. It is so much quieter and has nicer features my old opener didn't have. (back up battery, MyQ Internet, I can open, close, and monitor my garage door on my smartphone.) and I added a switch, so I can control it from with the same app in my phone.

Eh, I might eventually but these parts are cheap. I'd rather spend $25 on the sensors and wire to try and get things working vs $250 for an entire replacement system I may not really need.

 

[richardycc]

"HOWEVER, now the door won't close at all. It won't even try to close. If I hold the wall button it'll shut fine."

not sure what you mean by 'If I hold the wall button it'll shut fine', If you have to continuously hold the wall button for the door to go up or down, it's totally messed up. With a normal opener, just press it once, the door should open or close on its own.

If it is your remote that doesn't close the door, did you add any cheap LED light in your garage area, maybe it is interfering with your remote.

 

[zardthebuilder]

If it is your remote that doesn't close the door, did you add any cheap LED light in your garage area, maybe it is interfering with your remote.

if you can open and close your door with the wall button, but not the remote... maybe you pressed the "lock" button to disable opening via remote?

btw, my in-laws did that to me when they borrowed my car.

 

[gorcorps]

"HOWEVER, now the door won't close at all. It won't even try to close. If I hold the wall button it'll shut fine."

not sure what you mean by 'If I hold the wall button it'll shut fine', If you have to continuously hold the wall button for the door to go up or down, it's totally messed up. With a normal opener, just press it once, the door should open or close on its own.

If it is your remote that doesn't close the door, did you add any cheap LED light in your garage area, maybe it is interfering with your remote.

That's what I meant, it closes with the wall button. I only pointed it out to show the motor isn't dead, and the chain isn't broken.

It's been balls cold so I haven't been able to change the sensor wire, but I'm going to do that Saturday. I'm 99% sure that's my issue.

 

[tsiunltdus]

We had that problem last year in the freezing cold weather. But it was to our business. Our problem was the cable wasn't spooling on the roller correctly. Not saying this is your problem. But I feel for you. Good Luck and hopefully it is just a bad wire.

 

[bryanl]

Pressing the wall button continuously makes the opener ignore the optical sensor and the force sensor.