Garage Door Opener

DIY project; ordered the upgraded spring you recommended via Amazon and the guy has still not shipped it. Needless to say; it's driving me absolutely insane bc in order to shut the door you have to hold down the button. As if that wasn't bad enough, it has to be the button on the wall the clicker won't work. I'm just gonna really take my time to avoid injuring myself
Holding down the button is NOT a broken spring problem. You have a problem with the safety sensors. They are either knocked out of alignment or one has gone bad. They look like the image below. One should be green (receiver) the other yellow or orange (sender). Make sure they are looking at one another and you have a steady green light on the receiver.

If the yellow one is lit but you still can't get the green one to lite the sender (yellow) may be lying to you. Take an IR TV remote control and point it at the receiver (green) and see if it will light up. If it lights then the sender has gone bad. If the green one won't light then it has gone bad.

By the way, it is not a good idea to continue using the door with a broken spring. The springs are what balances the door. They actually do the lifting. With a broken spring you are putting heavier forces on both the door and opener. The opener is not build to do that much lifting even though in some cases it still will operate the door. Just a friendly FYI.
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Ok so I'm gonna take a stab at replacing the springs this evening when my wife gets home from work hopefully it'll go smoothly

Then the next project is figuring out what's wrong with the sensors
 
I didn't think that the motor would lift the door without the springs, there simply is no reason for them to overbuild the motor assembly to accommodate that situation.

I'm just curious, if a sensor is bad can you just disconnect them at the motor assembly?
 
I didn't think that the motor would lift the door without the springs, there simply is no reason for them to overbuild the motor assembly to accommodate that situation.

I'm just curious, if a sensor is bad can you just disconnect them at the motor assembly?
Yeah idk what's going on with this thing. From all I've read with a broken spring the door shouldn't open level but the spring is in 2 pieces and the door looks near level and opens with no issues

With all that said, I checked the wing nuts to make sure they're tight I need to trace the wires to make sure they're good but who knows maybe when I unplug it to do the spring it'll reset itself or whatever
 
Update: got the springs on and tightened, BUT the door is not level. there was about a 2inch gap on the left side (looking out towards the street)

I tried to turn the door on to see if it would self adjust, that did not work at all. the right side sits about 3 inches up & the left side is about a foot up

Tried to pull the red lever to manually lower and it didn't work.

any advice?
 
I didn't think that the motor would lift the door without the springs, there simply is no reason for them to overbuild the motor assembly to accommodate that situation.

I'm just curious, if a sensor is bad can you just disconnect them at the motor assembly?
The sensors have to be part of the system. They cannot be bypassed. However, you can take them and mount them up by the opener motor aimed at one another so that they are less likely to be knocked out of alignment. As an installer I cannot do that for you. I am obligated to mount them where code requires. But the homeowner does not have to follow those codes. Unplugging and plugging the opener back in does not reset the sensors.

I've seen cases where there is a spider web buildup thick enough to block the sensors. Or a leaf is stuck to the door and comes down between the sensors and reverses the door. Just make sure they are pointed directly at one another and all wire connections are tight. It may also be an intermittent broken wire (inside the plastic coating). If the door will come down at all, start it down and wiggle the wires. It may help identify where the break is.

In most cases, the opener is not strong enough to lift a door with a broken spring. Since you have two springs, only one is doing the lifting. It will still lift level in a torsion spring system. I'm guessing the lift pressure sensitivity is maxed out in order to lift the door with a broken spring.
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Use your winding bars and get control of the tension. Get the door back down level on the ground. Make sure both cable drums are tight. Start with the left (red) one and tighten the set screws and that the cable is taught. Then go to the right one (black) and tighten the cable and then tighten the set screws. The release the tension.

The reason you go red then black is due to the way you tighten the set screws. Tightening the set screws on the black drum tensions the cable instead of the red drum which slacks the cable.
 
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If you can't get to the winding cones on the springs, you can go to the high side of the door and with your weight, pull it down to the floor and lock it off with a pair of vice grips. Then get control of the spring tension.

Do me a favor, take a picture of the new springs and post it. How many turns did you put on each spring?
 
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I'm starting to sense a "hey ya'll watch this" moment...
 
OK, so that's 7.75 full turns per spring. That might be a little strong but we'll get back to that. Did you get the door back on the floor?
no, the left side (high side) wont budge and the way the door is positioned I can't release tension via the spring. the cord on the drum is very tight.

note: I release the red cord, still wont budge. the right side (low side) seems to be out of position, the top corner of the door is being pulled down
 
One other way to attack this is lock the high side off with a pair of vice grips so that it cannot come up. Then raise the low side enough to get the cable back on the drum. But at this point I have to strongly recommend getting a professional involved. If you continue to work on it. Never get your fingers between the cable and the drum. If the door should slip, your trapped or worse.
 
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no, the left side (high side) wont budge and the way the door is positioned I can't release tension via the spring. the cord on the drum is very tight.

note: I release the red cord, still wont budge. the right side (low side) seems to be out of position, the top corner of the door is being pulled down
The cable is off the drum on that side. Both springs are trying to lift the left side and the right side is dead weight. Read my previous post and see if that makes sense.
 
will it help if I raise the right side with a jack so I can get the door back to level? I think because its pulling right s
One other way to attack this is lock the high side off with a pair of vice grips so that it cannot come up. Then raise the low side enough to get the cable back on the drum. But at this point I have to strongly recommend getting a professional involved. If you continue to work on it. Never get your fingers between the cable and the drum. If the door should slip, your trapped or worse.
where would I put the vice grips, on the high side drum? I was thinking of using my jack with a piece of wood to raise the right side, and I can put the jack stands under the left side and middle
 
will it help if I raise the right side with a jack so I can get the door back to level? I think because its pulling right s

where would I put the vice grips, on the high side drum? I was thinking of using my jack with a piece of wood to raise the right side, and I can put the jack stands under the left side and middle
No, above one of the rollers. Vice grip the track above one of the rollers to keep the high side from coming up any higher.
With all the tension being on the left side, it will continue to want to come up as you're lifting the right side. You need to prevent that. Whatever you do, go slow.
 
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The door is wedged in the track. Time to call a door mechanic. Their fee is cheaper than a hospital visit.
They know where the tensions are and how to handle them. Do not take the bottom brackets off the door. There is a lot of tension there and it won't do you any good. For some reason customers always want to take the bottom brackets off.
 
The door is wedged in the track. Time to call a door mechanic. Their fee is cheaper than a hospital visit.
They know where the tensions are and how to handle them. Do not take the bottom brackets off the door. There is a lot of tension there and it won't do you any good. For some reason customers always want to take the bottom brackets off.
lol it had crossed my mind
 
Update: called a professional, he'll be out tomorrow morning. This was a good lesson that maybe some things are better left to the professionals.

I'm just thankful I didn't get injured. A major thank you to @SilvrSRT10 who really did way more than he had to in helping me diagnose the problem.

Will advise tomorrow as to how much this sets me back lol
 
I really wish it had turned out that you were able to do the replacement and got everything going again. Something screwy happened which can happen to any of us. I'm glad nobody got hurt except for maybe a bruised ego but that will heal. It appears you did everything correctly. Maybe a cable drum slipped on the torsion bar letting slack into the right cable. All it takes is a little slack and that cables coming off. Good luck with the professional. I hope he/she (equality you know) treats you fairly.

I don't know what rates are down there. My normal fee is $75 an hour/hour minimum. On a weekend call I may bump that up to $100. If he/she has any clue what they are doing they shouldn't be there a full hour. There is a franchise called Precision. They have a reputation for being very high. $300-$400 is what I've heard in the past for their service call. FYI.

Try and get a "ballpark" estimate before they come out.
 
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Will advise tomorrow as to how much this sets me back lol
My guess is a little less than an arm and a leg. :confused:
 
I really wish it had turned out that you were able to do the replacement and got everything going again. Something screwy happened which can happen to any of us. I'm glad nobody got hurt except for maybe a bruised ego but that will heal. It appears you did everything correctly. Maybe a cable drum slipped on the torsion bar letting slack into the right cable. All it takes is a little slack and that cables coming off. Good luck with the professional. I hope he/she (equality you know) treats you fairly.

I don't know what rates are down there. My normal fee is $75 an hour/hour minimum. On a weekend call I may bump that up to $100. If he/she has any clue what they are doing they shouldn't be there a full hour. There is a franchise called Precision. They have a reputation for being very high. $300-$400 is what I've heard in the past for their service call. FYI.

Try and get a "ballpark" estimate before they come out.
we spoke to 2 places, I explained to the first place what happened she told me $69.99 to come out and wouldn't give me any idea as to what it would cost then the second place was a (what I assume) was a small business as it was a local number and the guy seemed cool on the phone, he was about to come tonight until I btold him tomorrow was more than fine. But he said based on what I explained probably around $100 (which would be awesome!) but needless to say we chose the latter of the two

It does suck that something went wrong, but I think overall I did pretty well. Next time when something goes wrong I'll try to diagnose the problem which is where I went wrong this time.
 
My guess is a little less than an arm and a leg. :confused:
lol I'm more annoyed that I got the spring on which was the hardest part. Now I'm gonna pay someone the same amount to fix it as I would have if I just paid them to fix the spring lol. But, crap happens. I'm sure I'll have to replace another one in my lifetime which will hopefully go without a hitch
 
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It does suck that something went wrong, but I think overall I did pretty well. Next time when something goes wrong I'll try to diagnose the problem which is where I went wrong this time.
Glad you're going with the local small businessman. Like I said, from your pictures it looks like you got all the parts in the right places. Something just happened that put slack in the cable. Sometimes "things" just happen. For a guy to take on such a repair with no knowledge is admirable. Keep us posted on what the door guy finds.

lol I'm more annoyed that I got the spring on which was the hardest part. Now I'm gonna pay someone the same amount to fix it as I would have if I just paid them to fix the spring lol. But, crap happens. I'm sure I'll have to replace another one in my lifetime which will hopefully go without a hitch
You've probably got the springs cheaper than if you had gotten them through a door company. And you know you got some uprated springs which a door company may not have offered. And you've gained some knowledge of how it's done. Once the door guy explains what he's found then you know what to look for next time (in about 15 to 20 years). I still think you'll break even or come out ahead.
 
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Glad you're going with the local small businessman. Like I said, from your pictures it looks like you got all the parts in the right places. Something just happened that put slack in the cable. Sometimes "things" just happen. For a guy to take on such a repair with no knowledge is admirable. Keep us posted on what the door guy finds.


You've probably got the springs cheaper than if you had gotten them through a door company. And you know you got some uprated springs which a door company may not have offered. And you've gained some knowledge of how it's done. Once the door guy explains what he's found then you know what to look for next time (in about 15 to 20 years). I still think you'll break even or come out ahead.
That was I was thinking, so far I'm in $70 for the springs and the places I called wanted like $100-$300 + a $60 fee to come out so even if I pay a little more than $100 tomorrow I'm about even.

Plus the experience was invaluable, luckily with the small business he'd probably be more willing to explain what he's doing to fix it. Plus, it was a good time, I enjoyed doing it.
 
Have him check the safety sensor problem while he's there. Might as well get everything working and he might know some tricks to figure out what the problem is.
 
Have him check the safety sensor problem while he's there. Might as well get everything working and he might know some tricks to figure out what the problem is.
Now the sensor is waaaay out of line lol. I have no idea how the track bent, but it's way out of line now lol but hopefully he'll be able to get it up and running again pretty quickly. I actually forgot about the sensors with everything else going on so thanks for the reminder lol.
 
Update: $145 later the door is fixed! Super cool dude, he was in his 20's with his own business so I'm glad I gave him the business.

Im also pleased to announce the sensors are level again and the door opens and closes without issue.

Thanks again to @SilvrSRT10 who really helped through the process
 
You are more than welcome. I only wish I lived closer so I could have come and work on it for you. But I think you've found a good contact in case anything else happens.
 
Update: $145 later the door is fixed! Super cool dude, he was in his 20's with his own business so I'm glad I gave him the business.

Im also pleased to announce the sensors are level again and the door opens and closes without issue.

Make damned sure to save his name and number. Have him come out on an annual basis and do a "check up" and you'll be worry free. I have mine done annually and have had no issues for almost 20 years. My guy lubes everything, makes sure all alignments are correct and even checks my remotes. He was the one that finally got the remote buttons in my truck to work correctly. A good service guy (plumber, electrician, etc. etc.) that you can call is a priceless commodity...
 
Saw this pic today and it reminded me of this thread. :D

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