garage door opener crapped out

[full foot notch]

well i was doing one thing on the list that i been meaning to do, which was to reset the open and close tab on the garage door opener so it would close correctly (all stems back from when i had to replace the plastic drive wheel for the chain and all since it had worn out). well i didnt have a physical load on the arm so that it would be less stress since it was opening and closing a lot. well i got the close tab installed and the motor and everything back up. well i was running it and all of a sudden i hear a hiss like a soda being slowly opened, and i saw the magic blue smoke come out. well i instantly knew that it was a capacitor or a transformer. took off the cover and saw a brown thick liquid so im assuming it was an oil filled capacitor. so im gonna say F it and get a new garage door opener setup that ill just retrofit to the old door and brackets

the one i have right now is a 1/3hp Challenger 1000 , most likely ill go up to a 1/2hp for the hell of it, it does not have the breakbeam setup but is the crush resistance setup, ie it hits something and feels resistance it reverses direction.

anyone recomend good brands and brands to stay away from

[Sillyoldman]

Is it a Genie opener? Ask for three wishes when the smoke clears...... Haar.
Anyway. That sucks. I had to replace my grandmothers opener. The first two new ones were defective. Third time was a charm.

[j hannah]

check out the local sears service center. they sell remanufactured openers alot cheaper than the new ones,and they carry a new warranty

[Select]

I put in a Genie Elcelerator(sp) on my garage several years back. That thing yanks the 200lb+ wood door up so fast it'll make your head spin. My logic board is on the fritz right now so I just plug it in as needed. The garage is so full of crap right now I don't open it unless I need to. At the time I put mine in it was around $289 purchase price. I can get a new logic board for around 65 bucks. The wife's uncle installed garage doors and such until recently. I figured out it was the logic board by accident. One time late at night around 11:30 or so I hear the door open and the wife and I are in the livingroom watching tv. I told her to go in the bedroom with the dogs and I'll go out with the gun. I circle the house the back way and no one was to be found. We keep openers in the work trucks and I thought someone had gotten into them and opened the garage door. I called the uncle the next day and he said to get a logic board and it'll be good to go. He said it's the easiest money he's ever made on the Genies......Mikey

[Mickey_D]

I have a Chamberlain 1/2hp chain drive in my garage. I had two, gave one to the next door neighbor.

Works great, every time.

[Shane]

Genie screw drive here after lightning got my Chamberlain chain drive. The Genie is sooooo much quieter and smoother.

[6772fan]

Select- I have a Genie Excelerator as well. It's been in place for several years and the only problem I've had is the logic board went out on it. I called Genie, described the problem, and they sent me a new one and I only had to pay about 8.00 for shipping and handling. Basically it has a lifetime warranty and you just need to provide a copy of your original receipt.

[N2TRUX]

I shopped all the local stores and the best deal was at Sams Club. I went with a Chamberlain 1/2hp set that had extra remotes, and a wall mount opener too....

[full foot notch]

is chain drive or screw drive better as far as reliability, long term use, service-ability, IE overall?

[N2TRUX]

I have never had a screw drive, so I can't attest to relability. I noticed in my shopping that almost all of the larger HP units were chain drive. Honestly, I think that is more of a packaging concern, but I have no facts to back that up.

[full foot notch]

well the screw drive may be better for wear and quiet, since all it does is follow the thread pattern, its just probably a B to install compared to running a chain back and forth

[Shane]

The screw drive is actually not any harder to install. I love both of mine since switching from chain to screw drive.

[byrd]

Mine went out a few months ago, was a 1/2 HP chamberlain and made it about 15 yrs(not bad). I had The Overhead Door Co.(They own Genie and manufactor Genie's opener's) come out and put a new opener with 2 remotes, wall opener, and a keypad and breakbeam set up for $335 and didn't even get my hands dirty.
The thing is that I have a taller door that the average garage, 5 panels vrs 4. So finding the right opener was a tad harder, at least for me it was.
My issue was by the time I purchased the same opener they were using(one piece design, no crappy 2,3, or 4 piece design to wear out, chain driven special order only, this thing is LONG!!) keypad and all I would have been out about $275.00, so for the $75 more I let them do the work and have the headaches, and it is better for warranty work as well
Now I am able and could have put up the opener, but for their price, I could spend the same 3-4 hrs doing electrical work and still come out ahead. You have to remeber what YOUR time is worth to you and make the call.Just my .02.....Randy


BTW I am fairly certain that any new opener installed IS required by National building codes to have the breakbeam set up. Just food for thought...

[LUV2XCLR8]

My lights quit working on mine

[byrd]

Originally Posted by LUV2XCLR8

My lights quit working on mine

Most likly just need to unplug it and bend the little tab back up in the middle of the socket(where the bulbs go). You or the PO"s most likly have overtightened the light bulbs( very common) and have bent that center tab down to far and it can't make good contact. I don't know if this is your problem, but it is a easy thing to check.
FYI when installing a light bulb you only turn it until it snugs, then a 1/4 turn more and that is perfect, no need to try and bury is as far as it will go/ that only leads to problems.

[full foot notch]

well i finally got around to purchasing a garage door opener, put it together tonight and going to mount it tomorrow, with tax tag title, came out to damn near $200. but its a belt drive, and if ya look at the link from lowes where i got it, its a somewhat nice unit, i figured spend the little extra over the chain drive for a quieter one and a hell of a lot better warranty.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...739&lpage=none

[old Rusty C10]

i used the genie screw drive one on my garage and it works great for like five years now its the home depot one mid range 1/2 hp one

[IAFF2407]

A tip for your garage door. I used to instal these years ago when I was a kid and the number one reason for the opener to crap out was water. The bottom door panel will absorb all the ground water if it's not sealed properly, and over time adds a considerable amount of weight to the door. If the springs are not readjusted then the opener has to work harder. Best way to check the torsion spring adjustment is to open the door to waist high, it should balance there.

merry christmas all.

[fastwillie 696969]

what ever happen to the old fashion door opener ---the wife

[bobthecop]

I just bought the Chamberlain 3/4 hp belt drive at Lowes, now I get to figure out how to install it, hope the directions are understandable, been too cold to mess with it yet.

[full foot notch]

well i just got done installing the thing by myself (its fun trying to dismount the old one and moving it by yourself while also trying to lift up and install the other one.

bob it is real simple to do as far as construction, careful of the orientation of the front rail and the rear rail, pretty much all snaps together, took me maybe an hour to assemble while reading the instructions.

wow what a difference this belt drive is, its really friggen quiet, i didnt know it could be that quiet, i dont know how i lived with that chain drive for such a long time, the only noise i hear now is the whir of the motor and some of the rollers rolling, thats it, no squeaks, no clacks, no loud chain noise. i am glad i bought this one.

[barn9]

I'm a little late to help you full foot, but as a head's up to others, I had a similar situation a couple years ago, and knowing a guy in the garage door business, I called him to see if mine could be repaired. It couldn't (electronic malfunction), but he happened to have a used one in the back of his truck that he had just taken down at another garage somewhere because that homeowner had put in a new garage door and screw-drive unit. He said he rarely ever had anyone wanting a used opener, and just gave it to me. It had a larger hp motor than my old one, but everything else was exactly the same, so I also have some spare parts for my unit since it was complete. Point being, it might be worth a call to garage door installers, they might just have a deal laying around!

[bpmcgee]

These openers are the new hot setup:

http://www.liftmaster.com/consumerwe...px?modelId=834

I need to use these because the old type would interfere with my chain hoists. I just got one for $290 on eBay -- I'll provide pics when it's installed.

B