Conference 7.286::home_work

I was wondering if anyone else has experienced the following problem
with their garage door opener (ours is a Sears) :
 
    Our remote control unit started working intermittently, so figuring
    it was the battery, I replaced it. 

    No change. 

    I then took the unit apart and checked the PC board for any loose 
    connections (ie battery connection). 

    Still no change. (The wall unit inside the garage works
    fine - no problem.) 

    Sometimes if you press real hard or wiggle your figure while you're 
    pressing, it opens, but this doesn't always work. I checked the
    switch contacts. They're fine.

    My guess is that the output frequency of the remote unit may no
    longer be matching the opener all of the time.


     Do remote control units just wear out over time (the system is
    only 3 years old) ? or could there be a problem in the sending
    circuit of the remote unit, maybe something has causes a shift
    in the output frequency and if so can this be reset ?



    - mike g.

I consider myself an expert on my 3 year old Sears garage door opener
(AKA Chamberlin) after having had many problems and worked these problems
directly with Chamberlin.  I totally bypassed Sears - all they wanted
to do was sell me new parts and charge for service.

As for your problem.  The remote control portion of the system is totally
in the box which contains the two buttons used to manually move the door.
The remote system contains a receiver (very simple) with one chip which
is used to decode the signal from the transmitter (here again, very simple
rf circuit with one ic to encode the digital code).  The remote receiver
acts in parallel with the buttons on the panel.  If the buttons work
consistently then the problem could be a flaky receiver or transmitter.

Now for what the problem really is?


>    I then took the unit apart and checked the PC board for any loose 
>    connections (ie battery connection). 

If the red led comes on when the button is pushed then the pc board is
getting power.  Assuming no bad components or bad connection then the
transmitter should be operating properly.


>    Sometimes if you press real hard or wiggle your figure while you're 
>    pressing, it opens, but this doesn't always work. I checked the
>    switch contacts. They're fine.

Are you referring to the button on the remote?  If so maybe you have flaky
contacts on the pcb.  The way the button works (at least on mine) is it pushes
on two metal tabs which touch pads on the pcb.  (they use two to better insure
the thing will work, only one is required to touch)  Maybe yours are screwed
up from years of pressing.  It's a VERY cheap design which most definitely
can get screwed up from use.  See if that's it.

>    My guess is that the output frequency of the remote unit may no
>    longer be matching the opener all of the time.

This is doubtful.  Output frequency is controlled by a couple of chokes.
If these were screwed up it probably would not work ever.

Any other questions you can shoot me mail if you would like



peter 

Just to be sure that the contacts are worin', clean them with
WD40.

>Just to be sure that the contacts are worin', clean them with
>WD40.

I am not sure WD-40 is a good choice for cleaning electrical contacts
You must remember you are looking for low electrical resistance when done.
(I assume you were referring to electrical contacts).  Use TCE or some
other sort of commercial solvent, isopropyl alcohol if you can't get the
former.  

  I have had a SEARS "BEST" (yuk,yuk) 1/2 hp opener for almost
  3 years. I am also beginning to experience intermittent problems
  with the opener. Sometimes the wall switch (the one with the
  two lights (receiver) will not open the door, but the remote
  switch will. The light will come on and the motor will buzz but
  the door won't open. If you go away, have a beer or two, then
  come back later, everything works fine. Does the problem sound
  like something is jamming? 
  
  Comments please...
  

re: wd40

The reason that I suggest this is that it *is* mostly solvent
(read: de-gunker).  It cleans up dust, rust, greese, goo, slime
and dried on coke-a-cola.  When the solvent goes away, it leaves
behind a coating which keeps away rust (read: high resistance
oxides which cause intermitant contacts) and lubricant
(primarily MgCl) which makes pot et.al. turn/slide smoothly.

... or then again you can buy Cramolin and also use it on your
audio stuff ...

R.

It seems WD40 is aok for electrical contacts.  I got this from a friend
who used to work on big relay panels and used it all the time.

    One more comment.
    
    I had thought at first that it would go out along with the timed
    4 minute light bulb on the opener itself but that doesn't happen
    and it def. is to indicate the door is 'open'
    
    

    I installed a Sears garage door recently but must have had a different
    model as mine had no light on the remote.  On my model all the controls
    for the remote were inside the overhead unit (we were able to open and 
    close the door with the remote without any wiring) - The wiring
    to the wall just operates a simple switch.  

    While I can't be certain what's causing your light not to function,
    I would check the door close stop adjustment.
    My door will stop when it either reaches the set stop point,
    or runs into an obstacle.   Your light would stay on if the unit
    thought the door was still open as would be the case when the stop
    point is set below the floor.  The door would stop but the unit
    would still think the door was open.

    My neighbor, an orthopedic surgeon, had this door opener that would
    turn on the light but would not otherwise work.  He had already
    paid an electrician who could do nothing before he told me his problem.
    I looked it over for about 10 minutes and determined that one of
    the relays was stuck, so I planned to swap relays so that the door
    would work and the light would not.  I got on a ladder with a
    screwdriver and turned the first screw a half turn when the putton
    popped up!!!  I got down and said "try that!"  It worked and the
    Doctor was mightily impressed.
    
    	RMM
    

    Are you talking about the red light in the center of the wall
    switch?  If you are, it's always supposed to be on to indicate
    where the switch is in the dark (pilot light).
    
    -al

    If I remember my stuff, the Red/Wht connectors are used to wire
    the door-open button to the opener logic board.  If so, the red
    light that you refer to is indeed just a "pilot" light (or power
    light).  As .-1 said, it's on all the time.
    
    The red light on the transmitter only turns on when you are actually
    pushing the button on the transmitter, and the light on the door
    will turn on for 4 1/2 minutes after the door has moved in either
    direction (open or closed).
    
    I can't think of any other lights ...

     If your wired remote has the red pilot light (as does mine), then 
to get the door-open function, you must buy the Remote Door Open 
Indicator, as described in the owners manual.  It uses a fifth wire
(orange, I think) which is not used by the wired remote.  Make sure to
order the part number given in the owners manual, as the Remote Open
Indicator in the big catalog is battery-operated and uses a magnetic
switch you must install. 

    I installed a SEAR garage door opener last year and remeber this
    thing well. They charge something like 10-20 dollars for the
    remote OPEN indicator, and in actuallity all it is, is an LED
    light and a resistor. I made it no problem. I then read the directions
    and as I remember it, connected it to TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
    screw terminals then the BUTTON was connected. It worked just fine.
    IT was lit ANY TIME the door was open and turned off ANY TIME the
    door was FULLY closed.
    
    Mark

    Thanks to Coffer, Sung, Merrill, Braver, Koch and Harris.
    
    After re-reading the manual I guess the light does belong on all
    the time (maybe to help find it in the dark)...sure wish they
    had mentioned that in the documentation.
    
    There is another REMOTE switch that does show an 'open door'
    situation but not on the one I have. Still might be worth it
    to get a remote......built or bought !
    
    Again, thanks to one and all who responded to this note.
    
    Lloyd

I want to buy a garage door opener (a must for a new domicile).  Went 
down to Sears to get their $99 1/4 HP basic model, and discovered that 
their base model is now $139.99 (a bit less on sale?) is somewhat 
frill laden, and (I think) is cable drive instead of chain drive.
Can anyone recommend a good 1/4 HP chain drive no-frills Garage Door 
opener?

POSTED: CONSUMER, HOME_WORK

    Once a year, Sears has a big sale on its garage door openers,
    something like 40% off (just goes to show their huge margin).  It
    should be coming up soon due to the warmer weather.  I bought
    their 1/2 hp model last year for about $169 (regularly $269).
    
    The chain installation is very simple, nowhere as difficult as what
    the Genie Trac-drive ads show.
    
    -al

    Right!
    
    Wait for a Sears sale and get their BEST 1/2 horse opener.  I've
    got two and have installed them before and have had no problems.
    
    I've looked at alot of them and found none stronger.  I paid $159.00
    for them on sale last year.  No plastic or aluminum on these.
    
    Mr. Overkill
    

    BTW, what is the smallest door opener available? 
    
    I used to have
    a walk-in cellar which I opened up to ~5'8" wide and had an insulted
    garage door put in. One of the best things I've done to my home.
    Now I don't have to juggle the motorcycle handle bars from side
    to side and the lawn tractor is protected from the elements!
    
    The garage door is very light and presently locks from the inside
    only....When I arrive home from a bike ride I always have to park
    outside the door, run around the back door and down stairs to
    open the garage door.   A remote door opener would be the answer.
     I probably could get away w/ the smallest model.
    

i havent seen smaller than 1/4hp

    I know somebody whose garage is equipped with an opener made
    from a washing machine motor.
    
    I always wondered what will happen to his house when it hits
    the spin cycle...

    While on the subject of garage door openers, can anyone suggest where I
    can buy just a new electronic receiver box which is attached to the two
    screws on the opener itself (the same two screws where you attach the
    wires for any other doorbell type switches you add to the circuit).  I
    suppose that means one or two more additional transmitters which you
    keep in your car.  The model is called Chamberlain. 

    The antenna broke off mine and I have unsuccessfully tried to reattach
    it.  The transmitters still work, but at a total distance of about
    5 feet!                                          
                                                     
    Thanks,
    
    Tom
    

    Sears sells the control box separately for about $50
    

    Somewhere buried in this file, I asked about replacing the transmitters
    and receiver on an existing garage door opener.  Someone kindly
    suggested a generic transmitter/receiver kit from Sears.  I bought
    it and installed it.  My problem is that the receiver only works
    from a maximum distance of 30 feet.  The next step, of course, was
    to change the 9 volt battery which I did...to no avail.
    
    The Sears receiver is set to mount by the doorway entrance of the
    garage and includes a push button switch.  It also includes a 6
    inch antenna.  Rather than mounting this by the door, I mounted
    it on the garage door opener itself.  Any reason this would cause
    a problem?  My next plan is to somehow lengthen the antenna or attach
    it to another wire acting like a larger antenna.  Any other
    suggestions?  I can't believe the maximum range is 30 feet since
    most of these transmitter/receivers work at greater than 100 feet.
    
    Thanks for any help in advance.
    
    Tom
    

                If there is room, you should mount it out at the front
        of the garage. You should definitely NOT mount it on something
        metal! You may be either detuning the reciever, or attenuating
        its reception. Adding a bigger antenna won't hurt the unit, but
        it might not help. The antenna on them is a 1/4 wave, and
        lengthening without matching frequently doesn't help.
                
                /s/     Bob

     If the installation manual does not say so, the antenna should be 
STRAIGHT and pointing DOWN.  This will increase your range.  Also, 
make sure the remote opener is in the upper half of the car ... it 
doesn't transmit through the metal car doors nearly as well as through 
the glass.  I used to keep it on the seat.  Mounting it on the visor 
improved the range.

    Thanks for the input.  Re .1's response of placing the receiver on the
    front of the garage, I was concerned about the reception there since it
    would be up against the wood and not in any direct line of reception. I
    was trying to place the antenna somewhere in the open.  Is this bad
    logic? 
    
    Re .2's response, I suppose it would be a good idea to dig up the
    installation manual and read it.  I only read instruction manuals as a
    measure of last resort.                                         
                                                                    
    Thanks again,
    
    Tom
    

                Don't forget that wood is pretty transparent to Radio
        waves. (Dry wood, not wet)
                
                /s/     Bob

    I have a Sears 1/3 hp garage door opener which is in need of repair. I
    have located the problem, the worm gear attached to the motor shaft.
    The owners' manual and the Sears parts people tell me that I can't just
    buy the gear, I must buy the motor with gear attached, $88.00, even
    though it appears that the gear can be removed from the shaft. The gear
    is attached with a pin through a collar on the gear through the shaft.
    Has anyone else had to replace just the gear? Can anyone who has
    purchased a motor tell me if the gear does in fact come attached to the
    shaft? 

    Also, does anyone know if there's any department I can contact within
    Sears which can give me more detailed information about parts than the
    local parts people can? 

    Thanks for any help, 
    Gaitan

    I assume (possibly a bad thing to do with Sears parts) that the
    gear is a stock item.  If you don't have any luck with Sears, try
    looking in the yellow pages under "Gears and Gear Cutting".  Take
    the gear off, take it with you, and go visit some of the places
    listed.  If it is indeed a standard part they ought to either have
    it in stock or be able to order it for you.  Buying the motor just
    to get the gear is a bit much.  You might need to drill the hole
    for the pin, maybe not.

    I was in buying some parts yesterday at the Sears Parts Dept in
    Manchester, NH, and the guy in front of me had a similar problem.
    The parts person said she would contact the manufacturer and see
    if they had the part that was requested.  Whatever the answer, the
    parts person would then let the customer know what the story was.
    It seemed this was a SOP and that quite often the manufacturer had
    the right parts.
    
    There are some not too honest ways of getting part, but I'm sure
    you've already discounted them.
    
    I agree with the previous reply.  It should be a standard part
    available locally.
    
    BC
    

    Well, its been about ten years, but I've ordered parts from a Sears
    store.  They had a microfiche machine at the customer service desk,
    you just give them the number off of the unit and they put an exploded
    parts diagram on the screen, with part numbers for each peice. 
    If you just called the parts place, you may want to go in and actually
    look at the microfiche yourself to see if it shows a part number for
    the gear.
    
    Jim D.

    re .3,.4:
    wood is pretty much transparent to radio waves (or else your stereo
    in the house would have more problems), but metal is NOT. (so mounting
    the receiver on the metal box of the opener may well be sheilding
    it from the signals that it is trying to receive.)
    also, re. a longer antenna, if you still don't have the range you
    want and decide to try a longer antenna, try to increase the length
    by an EXACT multiple of its current length.  As a previous reply
    stated, most such antennas are tuned to the wavelength of the signal
    being received (i.e. 1/4 wave, etc.) so it will be much more effective
    if you are as close to being tuned with the longer antenna as possible.
    
    Kevin

There is no reason why you can't call the manufacturer of the
gararge open yourself and get the part direct.  I don't know
how old yours is but Chamberlin (Tuscon, Az) makes them for
sears and has for several years.

When the IC brain in mine went out a few years ago all sears
could offer was the entire control board - $50.  I called
chamberlin and got the chip.

-peter

    Re: All of the above: Thanks for the quick replies. 

    RE: .1 
    I removed the gear from the shaft with surprisingly little
    effort. There aren't many "Gears and Gear Cutting" businesses near
    where I work and live, so I'll have to wait to I visit the big city to
    try to locate a replacement. 

    RE: .2 & .4 
    I'll try the parts people again to see if they can contact the
    manufacturer. If I don't have any luck there I'll try Chamberlain
    myself. 
    
    RE: .3 
    The microfiche at the Sears store is a copy of the parts diagram and
    parts list contained in the manual. The gear is not listed as a
    separate item. 
    
    I'll post a reply here when I get this resolved. Again, thanks for
    the replies.
    
    Gaitan

    Once again, the NOTES file saves the day!  As suggested, I moved
    the receiver off of the unit, onto the wood of the front wall. 
    To noone's apparent surprise (except mine), the reception has increased
    5 fold.  The unit now works from at leat 100 feet (I haven't finished
    testing distances, yet).
    
    Thanks for the GOOD ADVICE!!
    
    Tom

    I just got a Sears Ad in the mail yesterday. In it was their 'Best'
    garage door opener for 1/2 price ($149). The sale is for this Sat.
    only.

    Re .4
    I called long-distance directory assistance for Tuscon and the only
    Chamberlin listing they have is for a Chamberlin Building Systems
    which isn't the right Chamberlin. Do you still have their number?
    
    Thanks,
    Gaitan

    In the sears "MD" Sale Catalog, valid until August 31st 1987:
    
    	1/4 HP Garage Door Opener $99  (Reg 135)
    	1/3 HP	 "      "     "  $125  (Reg 175)
    	1/2 Hp Premium GDO       $160  (Reg 225)
    
    The 1/3 HP should handle a double door, if it's adjusted and not
    warped.  If it is either of those, then fix it!
    
    Of course, you have to add shipping to the cataloge prices.  But
    the $149 price doesn't seem worth altering my weekend's plan's for.
    

re: 6

Here is the address and number I have

Chamberlin Consumer Prod
2106 North Forbes Rd
Tuscon Az. 85705

phone 602-792-0511
800-528-9131 (I think this is their 800 number)

Hope this helps

-peter

    The opener works again!!! I called Chamberlin on Wednesday and the
    parts arrived on Saturday, even before I paid for them! Thanks again
    to all for the help and especially Peter in .7 for the quick response.
    
    By the way, the parts (two gears, pins, grease, and assorted hardware)
    cost $8.00 plus $2.00 for shipping. A lot better than $88.00.
    
    Thanks again,
    Gaitan

    Sears Garage door openers are made by Chamberlain.  Spag's carries
    Chamberlain openers, at reasonable prices, all year round.
    
    Look in tools, at the top of the ramp, after the paint.
    
    Elaine

    What does Spag's get for their Chamberlain models????

    re: .11
    
    Don't know off the top of my head, but I'll be there tomorrow, and
    I'll check
    

    Re: Spag's prices for Chamberlain

    Chamberlain 1/3 horse = $159
    Chamberlain 1/2 horse = $179
    
    $10 rebate offer just ended June 21 (Sorry) and both units were on
    sale June 19th and June 20th, (1/2 horse went for $159).
    
    Charly

Sears has their 1/4 hp model (Sufficient for most normal doors) on 
sall all summer thru catalog for $99 + $8 shipping

    I was about to order the Sears 1/3 HP opener, and also the code
    keypad that allows you to open the door from outside the garage
    without a key (you enter a 4 digit pass number on the keypad)
                                      
    Then I noticed that the 1/2 hp opener was on a sale special (different
    sale catalogue) with the code keypad and a spare transmitter, all for
    less money. (~$159). 
    
    So, I bought the 1/2 hp.  WOrks just fine, easy to fix up.  It's
    great to be able to ride my bike up to the door and open it from
    the outside.   Sounds like the guy with the motor bike could use
    this.
    
    The only compilcation for me was my desire to be able to open either
    of two doors using the same keypad: I ended up with a couple of
    push buttons and a relay from Radio Shack.

    I recently got a flyer from Sears and the 1/2 hp garage door
    opener is on sale for $148.88. Lowest price I've seen yet. 
    It has the Craftsman name on it, but the ad said it was
    imported. Is this a new model? Sears changed Mfgr?
    
    If some one recommends a Sears 1/2 hp. which one is it,
    Chamberlin or the import?
                                                           
    I don't know if I should run out and buy one, or what.
    I really need to buy two, but I am now totally confused.
    (and don't want to make the same mistake twice)
    
    Steve
    

    It would not appear that Sears has changed vendors on garage door
    openers. Their appearance hasn't changed in the last 3 or 4 years. I
    susupect it was either a misprint in the flyer or Chamberlain has an
    offshore manufacturing facility. I'd check the box. It is required to
    state country of origin if not US made. 

I put up the sears 1/2 hp opener (on catalog sale at that time for
$159) last week.  Except for a few minor design improvements, it went
up identically to how my 1/4hp did a few years ago, except it is
noiser - (does anyone else notice this - mine rumbles).

How do you tell if the chain is too tight?  

PS - Spags is a good source of the 'not included' support bracket if 
your rail is parallel to your joists so that the opener has to hang 
between two of them - but you don't want to cut holes in your ceiling.
I.E...

                                         joist
                                           |        
                                           V
ceiling                ----------+---------+--------
Not-included bracket:           *************
included brackets:                 \   /
opener                             XXXXX

Chamberlin is in Tucson.  Imported probably means that the whole
shooting match is built in their facilities in Mexico.  

My advice has been to purchase from the company who makes it.  Sears
adds a level of indirect for products that I have come to hate.
Get  some Stanleys on sale.  You'll get a similar product and when
it breaks you can talk easily with the people who make it.

-peter

>My advice has been to purchase from the company who makes it.  Sears
>adds a level of indirect for products that I have come to hate.
>Get  some Stanleys on sale.  You'll get a similar product and when
>it breaks you can talk easily with the people who make it.

Yes, but where else but Sears can you get a perfectly adaquate opener 
(1/4 hp) for only $99 (catalog sale thru 8/31)?

    I purchases my Stanley (1/4 hp) on sale for $89.
    

    
    I found out that one of the 1/2 horse also has the 'SEARS BEST'
    printed in the case. This one is now selling for $169.  The other
    1/2 hp opener, the imported one, is not 'SEARS BEST' and is selling
    for $149.
    
    The 'Best' model has up to 19000 combinations and the other has
    up to 2000 combinations.
    
    I don't know of the other differences but there must be more for
    the extra $20.
    
    Does anybody have any experience with a Sears Best 1/2 hp ?
    vs experience with the Sears regular 1/2 hp?

	Don't by a GENIE door opener.  My brother had one and was making
	adjustments every 1 to 3 weeks.  They are belt driven and the belts
	stretch.

	Randy

    re: .15
    
    I just installed 2 of the Sears $169 1/2 horsepower openers in the
    last month.  These are the ones with the extra transmitter included.
    I have never installed a garage door opener before, so I don't have
    any experience to compare it to, but so far I have had no problems
    with installation or operation of these units.
    
    Marc

    re: .15
    
    I believe that most of the sears openers are basically the same
    (a 1/2 hp is a 1/2 hp is a ...).  The big differences are in the
    transmitters and wall units.  The lower priced models usually come
    with transmitters with relatively few code possibilities, and usually
    just an on/off switch for the garage wall.  The higher priced
    models come with transmitters with lots of combinations, and a
    wall control panel with "vacation" settings and a manual light
    on/off switch.  I believe the newest Sears Best comes with a 3-way
    transmitter, to turn the lights on separately from the opener
    (I could be wrong).
    
    I've got a bare-bones 1/3 HP opener from 4 years ago - that's identical
    to the new 1/3 HP opener of today - except the transmitter isn't
    as fancy, and the light switch isn't illuminated.
    
    andy
    

the 3-channel transmitter is for Sears' (avail. in November) 'home 
control system' (catalog in box).  Basically its kind of like an X-10 
system - a plug in remote-controllable wall socket is available, along
with a thingamigger (big) you screw into your light socket, and then
screw the bulb into the gadget.  THe gadgets are like $20 apiece (as 
well as $20 for an extra transmitter - the wired one in the garage is 
not 3-channel).   All-in-all - it looks like about 10years behind X-10 
for 2x the price.


Oh, and they didn't think of a separate control for the light on the 
opener (guess we'll all have to keep opening the garage door an inch 
when we want light).

I checked notes 409, 942, and 1092.  Everyone talks about Sears/Chamberlain
door openers.  Anyone had experience with other brands, ie., the infamous
Stanley?

I realize that 1/3 HP motors are probably powerful enough for single garage
doors, but are there any reasons I shouldn't get 1/2 HP motors?

Thanks,
 Chris (son of Mr. Overkill)

    I just installed a Stanley 1/2 hp opener, but I have a 16 foot door.
    I thought you only need a 1/3 hp opener for an 8 foot door.  The
    important thing is to make sure the door opens and closes very easily
    before you expect the opener to work correctly.  More hp is not
    necessarily better.  You don't want the door to be able to crack
    open coconuts on it's downward travel.  The test of safe operation
    is that it should stop and reverse when it encounters more than
    usual resistance - gentle pressure of your hand pushing the door
    open.  Mine reverses when it touches my shoulder.  The springs should
    counterbalance the weight of the door and the force needed to open
    and close should be just enough to overcome friction of the rollers.

    Oh yes, the Stanley works fine.  The reason I choose it was because
    they (Channel) were having a sale and Stanley was offering a free
    extra transmitter and free keypad (well, they really charged $3.00
    shipping) all for about $150.  Consumer Reports did a rating on
    them July '85.  The differences were not great, mostly convenience.
    I bought mine before I read the report.

1/4 hp is fine for a single, spring loaded door (the sears $99
special) - also - the sears models have a good adjustment screw for
the amount of pressure it needs to reverse direction - can set it from
feather touch to 'cocoanut crush' 

    I bought my first Stanley 1/4 hp opener in 1986 when I got my first
    house.  I'm on my second house now and my second opener.  (1/4 hp
    also).  I haven't had a problem with it yet and as far as I know
    the first one is still going strong.  I caught them both on sale
    at Channel's for about $89.00.

    
    I am currently in the market for a garage door opener...
    
    Can some of you relate to me some of your experience/luck with specific
    brands...ie Sears vs. Genie vs. Stanley vs. etc....
                                             
    In other words, what brand should I buy?
    
    
                  				-thanks
    
    							ray

Hi Ray - there's quite of a discussion of this, either in this file 
(Check 1111.1) or in ALIEN::CONSUMER.  Lots of good words about Sears, not 
quite so fine for Stanley.  

    It must be which part of the country you live in, because in this area
    Stanley is number 1 and Sears and Geni only if you can't afford a Stanley.
    I've had 4 or 5 Stanleys now (because of house changes) and they are
    number one in my book. I had a geni one time and got so frustrated with
    trying to make it work properly, I threw it out and bought a Stanley.
    When you get mixed messages like .1 and this one it really makes
    your decision easier, doesn't it. 
                                                               

    I'll confuse you more..... I like Sears. I have a two car garage
    so I have two of them. They are the 1/2 horsepower models. I like
    the way you adjust them by turning scrwes right on the unit not
    by sliding brackets up and down the drive section. I also like the
    looks of the Sears unit best. They are made by Chamberlain out of
    Arizona.
    
    Sears gets my vote.

    I have had both Sears and Stanley.
    
    Sears is eaiser to install and maintain. Go for Sears.
    
    David.
    

    I've also been using a Sears for about 4 years with no problems.
    The only complaint is that its fairly slow, but the autoreverse
    adj. are very straight foward; and the digital remote control code
    is easily changable for security.
    
    Eric
    

    I also have two sears 1/2 HP.  I found them easy to install and
    to adjust.  I had a stanly and I vote for the sears.  Sears usually
    has them on sale either through the catalog or in the store.
    
    
    Don
    

    Best buy is the SEARS unit . They come with 2 transmitters ,that
    have three buttons . This allows the one unit to open three garage
    doors . I installed one on each of our garage doors (simple
    installation).You match switch settings on the receiver and transmitter
    and then set a switch in the receiver to be activated by either
    switch #1 ,#2, or #3 of the transmitter . So by pressing switch #1
    on your transmitter you will open your door , by pressing switch
    #2 you will open your spouses door (both from 'one' transmitter.
    	Since I installed two , I ended up with two extra transmitters.
    They come in handy when 'muddy/wet' kids try to come in the front
    door (They say they forgot to unlock the basement door...kids!!!)
    Well , just pull the spare transmitter on the close shelf and open
    the garage door . No more running downstarirs to open the door.
    	The units also have internal switch panels . These have three
    switches which allow you to open the door , turn on the light ,
    and a vacation switch which disables the remote receiver from opening
    the door .

    I've had two Stanley's (house change), and have no complaints. 
    Both were 1/4 hp models and I found that sufficient.  This topic
    is also touched upon somewhere else in this file.
    
    Mike

    We have a Genie that came with the house. The is 15 years old and
    the unit still works great; even when the temperature gets below
    freezing in the garage.
    
    The 1/2 HP opener seems to be the spiral drive variety pulling a
    16' span garage door.
    
    /cal

    I just did a long involved scan at what is avaialable. It appears
    that majority of ALL residential brands found have a common problem:
    The sprocket on the track (opposite from  motor end of track)
     is plastic or nylon! This is a very critical   part for good
    operation.
    The ONLY brand I found which had a SINGLE PIECE track and an ALL-METAL
    construction was the Chamberlain Brand, commercial line.
    
    (funny, but the SEARS openers are made by Chamberlain but have the
    inferior construction!)
    
    Mark
    

    hey there.....
    
    
    thanks for all of the responses......I really appreciate it......
    
    
    ....from what I can tell looks like Sears is the way to go.....
    A friend of mine told me that they were on sale now....so I'll go
    down and check them out....        
    
    
    
    						-ray
    

    
    My Dad has an older Genie opener. It's been running fine for at
    least 10 years. It's just now developing a problem.
    
    The transmitter has become heat sensitive. His type of transmitter
    has an internal adjustment for the frequency which is tuned so that
    is coresponds to the frequency of the reciever. These are variable
    adjustments unlike the toggle switches that the Sears openers have.
    After tuning the reciever and the transmitter and placing the
    transmitter back in the car as the instructions state; The door
    doesn't always seem to work. He's traced this to the temperature
    of the transmitter and reciever at the particular time it's tried.
    Noticeable expecially now with the variable temperature.
    
    Has anyone ever heard of this?
    
    Does anyone know where to send for replacement parts for a Genie?
    
    Mike Boucher

    Re .13
    
    We're experiencing the same temperature sensitivity with our 15-year
    old Genie.  The door-closed-light-out relay won't trigger reliably
    below about 35F.  The local Genie person (there are two in New
    Hampshire; onelives within two miles of me!) will take a look at
    it; I'll let you know what happens.
    
    pbm
    

    Has anyone ever heard of Allistar Garage Door Openers?
    
    Our condo development is offering it as an option for $325
    installed.  After looking thru this notes file that seems
    AWFULLY steep in price.  Is it supposed to be extra good?

    	That seem real high even for installed. Does it include wiring
    up the outlet. I had a chamberland installed last year as a Christmas
    present for the wife for about 250-275.
    
    ...Dave
    

    Hmmmmm, let's see.  You can get a Chamberlain 1/2 HP on sale at
    Spag's for $167 (includes tax).  You mean they are willing to install
    it for a *mere* $158!!  Sounds good to me.  I'll do it for $158!!!
    I did one a few months ago.  It's not that hard and they come with
    pretty good directions and an 800 number to call.
    
    Yes, that's high.  I'm available for $100!!  Which is about $25/hour.
    
    Phil

    Keyless Entry System to Automatic garage door openers. I have a
    Genie Model KEP1. The trouble that I have with it is that the keypad
    laminations become seperated. Genie will replace it under warranty.
    
    They suggested that I install a cover over the keypad since it's
    in direct sunlight for the better part of the afternoon or exposed
    to the winter snow as our house is at the top of a hill. Is there
    a clear rubber pad that you might recommend?
    
    BTW, 1-800-654-3643 is Genie's number to call for warranty replacement
    parts.
    
    cal hoe

I received the replacement key pad, new module and parts kit.
Anyways, I installed the new keypad and took the old one apart.
The problem was the silver plated three fold mylar-printed
circuit got unglued with the summer heat, letting air in to
oxydize the silver plating.

SOLUTION, run a bede of silicon caulk around the mounting plate
of the keypad and the unit will never get unglued.

cal hoe

     I know there are many notes regarding Garage Door Openers...
    
     I have read most of them and was unable to find anyone with a problem
    similar to the one I have.  If this has already been discussed,
    please delete.
    
     My situation is as follows :
    
     I have a split level here in Nashua, with a one car garage, the
    garage is a 'finished' one... here is the problem...
    
     When the garage door is open (in the up position)... I only have
    about 2" (maybe 3") inches of space between the garage door and
    the ceiling.
    
     I have not yet bought, but wish to do so before winter sets in,
    a garage door opener... is/are there any types of garage door openers
    that are made for situations such as mine (barely any clearance
    between garage door and ceiling when opened), or will I have to
    modify etc..
    
     ANyone ever been in this situation, what did you do?
    
                      Much thanks for any advice/suggestions.
    
                                                   Perry F.
                                                  ----------

    
    Sears sells "Quick Turn" door tracks that supposedly increase the
    clearance enough to allow you to use some of their openers in tight
    spots.
    
    I went with Fimbel Door Co., Nashua, 882-9786. They came out and
    measured to make sure everything would fit before appearing with
    all the hardware.
    
    						Trace

    	I had the same problem. solution was as described in reply .1
    I called a local garage door company , had them come out and replace
    the tracks with what they call "low hung" or "low clearance" tracks.
    I think it was about $75 or $100 per door. 
    	Sorry the solution is to spend money but it is the right way
    to fix it.
    
    			...Dave
    
    

    I have installed three models 2 in my house and one in a friends.
    In my house I have a Stanley 1/3 hp and a Fimbel 1/2 hp. Both of
    My doors have a 2 to 3" at the high point of the turn in the door,
    and also have a finished ceiling in the garage. I have also installed
    the sears 1/2 hp model in a freinds house. Between the three If
    I had to buy another I would buy a SEARSs brand. Mainly beacause
    SEARS sells them on sale cheaper than others, and they had a much
    better set of installation instructions and better built unit itself.
    I was given the Fimbel opener from my DAD who had it for 10 years
    its well built and always does the job. The stanley on the other
    hand I've had problems with. I had to get a new one under the warranty
    and now after the last storm I have to replace the circuit board.
    Some things to note aboust the construction of the openers. Both
    the FIMBEL and the SEARS brands have a "t" type track, and can operate
    installed close to or right at the ceiling, which I have done.
    The stanly has a round tube type track that is in sections that
    need to be put together to form the track that the puilly runs on.
    When I install openers I get a length of "L" type metal bracket
    at the harware store and use that to hold the opener to the ceiling 
    I haven't trusted the metal strapping supplied by any of the
    manufactures. Also be carefull when you bolt the arm that pulls
    the door to the door, if you have a very light door ( like the ones
    that have 8 to 12 masonite type panels and 4 windows), you should
    bolt a 2 x 4 acccross the door and let the door opener arm pull
    on that so it will create an even pull on the door. I saw  the
    top of a friends door get ripped off because he didn't. Also a key
    type lock outside the house that opens the doors is real handy.
                                                              

I've installed 4 sears openers over the last few years.

I think a regular sears opener will work in your situation, as the 
rail is only about 1.5", and i don't think it needs much cleasance to
the ceiling (better ask sears).

Also - for any normal (i.e, tracks & springs) single door, you realyl 
don't need more than 1/4HP - the lower HP ones are quieter, too
/j

    You definetely DON'T have to replace the door tracks.  A pair of
    drop down brackets for the door (the installer charged me an extra
    $25 for them) solved the problem.
    
    Bob who has a split with a finished ceiling in the garage

                The part that gets tricky is the clearance (or lack
        thereof) between the top edge of the door and the ceiling when
        the door reaches its highest point of travel which occurs in
        most doors at about 20% open. Watch the top edge of the door as
        it comes up and note that it describes an arc that levels out
        closer to the floor than its highest point. (Sure wish I could
        draw it here - makes the explanation much easier!)
                
                I have installed doors in such situations twice now with
        little problem after a significant amount of study to see what
        was needed. What I ended up doing on both occasions was to notch
        the top of the door just enough to clear the track. Study your
        door carefully and you will usually find that the top of the
        door is never visible from the outside. It is this distance that
        controls how much you can notch the door without causing a
        problem. In both cases, the notch was only on one edge of the
        top (watch that highest point and see what kind of an arc it
        describes).
                
                One trick in choosing the opener is to find one that
        will fit in the space between the door and the ceiling and use
        that to determine how much notch will be needed (if any). Don't
        forget that the moving part of the mechanism is beyond the top
        of the door and not between the door and the ceiling. The motor
        part is also beyond the door's furthest travel point, so that
        these don't need to fit between the door and the ceiling.

                
                /s/     Bob

    re: .0
    
    Oh my, this brings up memories ...
    
    When installing a garage door opener with a friend (at his place),
    we ran into SERIOUS clearance problems with a Sears opener (the
    used Stanley opener he had simply wouldn't fit, period).
    
    We went out and purchased the quick turn brackets, but they didn't
    help.  It turns out that, due to the angle that the door turned
    at, the quick turn brackets actually made things a little worse.
    
    So, what we finally did:  The Sears opener is mounted VERY close
    to the ceiling (the T-rail is a fraction of an inch away from the
    ceiling).  This was the first step.
    
    Next, the door itself had a bracket on the wheel that looked like
    this:
    
    	   |----|
    	   |  d	|
    	   |  o	|--w
    	   |  o	|
    	   |  r |
    
    where the "w" indicates the wheel that rode on the track.  The wheel
    was mounted on the door such that the door was an inch or so on
    top of the wheel.  By turning the backet OVER on the top section
    of the door, we were able to effectively lower the top portion of
    the door enough so it didn't ram into the track when first opening
    (the other sections weren't a problem).  This change didn't affect
    the visual appearance of the door when it was closed.  This was
    necessary because his door had a dual-track system, where the very
    top section ran in one track and the other sections ran in the lower
    track.
    
    After that, the opener fit.  Clearance was still tight - if my friend
    greased the T-rail too much, the door would pick up the extra grease
    on the top edge.  Other than that, no problem.
    
    I'd suggest one of the Sears openers on sale.  Definitely do NOT go
    with Stanley (I used to have three of them - and a $70.00 bill to
    replace the circuit board every year or so on each one - they are very
    sensitive to lightening storms) - Sears does seem to be much more
    reliable. 
    
    If your clearance is really tight, get the quick turn brackets and see
    if they help.  If you don't need them, Sears will take them back and
    give you a refund.  For that matter, if you can't get the door opener
    to fit due to clearance, Sears will take everything back.  They have a
    very good return policy.

    I had this problem too.  The door already had low-clearance tracks,
    and the minimum clearance was around 2 inches.  I installed a
    Chamberlain opener, which worked ok, but you probably have to remove
    the turn-knob from the door if there is one.  I also had to have
    the end of the track lowered about half an inch.
    
    			Steve

     Thanks again folks... I will wait another day or so, and then make
    some notes, wait for a sale, and see what I can come up with.
    
     I really thought for sure that I would have to have all new tracks
    put in.
    
                                               Perry F.
                                              ----------
    
    
    

    I have a similar problem to .0, so I will post this problem here...
    
    I inherited a Stanley opener (2, in fact).  It has worked for the
    last 3 years without a problem, presumably longer.  The problem opener will
    open/close without a problem using the manual button.  However,
    it will not work at all using the remote.
    
    I have tried the remote with the other door and it works like a
    champ.  
    
    So, it appears to be the receiver portion of the logic board.  
    Stanley wants over $50 for a new logic board!!!  I 
    
    Does anyone know of someone that would be willing to try to figure
    out what is wrong with it??  Or have suggestions on what I can do
    to fix it???
    
    If not, I guess it is time to just replace the unit and save the
    working parts for other uses...
    
    thanks,
    jeff
    

After all the problems with Stanley and Genies reported in this file, 
(as opposed to sears, and chamberlins),
it surprised me that CU's report on gd openers this month favored the 
stanleys, and rated the genies' highly

(guess they haven't been using them that long)

    Re .8
    
    Successful garage door opener installation is highly dependent on
    the quality of the individual installation: mounting, cable/chain
    tension, door spring tension, track rigidity and linearity.  Given
    that all those conditions were constants in the CU test, I'm not
    surprised that they concluded that all openers were pretty much
    the same, with a slight edge to the 1/2 hp Stanley.
    
    I bought a Stanley to replace a cantankerous Genie only after 
    wasting several days trying to find parts for the Genie.  The
    Stanley is very easy to adjust - even if it does drift out - and
    parts can be obtained easily.
    
    pbm
    

    I have two Nutone openers that came with the house.  They worked
    fine until recently.  Problem is they don't know when to shut off
    on the opening cycle (one failed, my side and I resorted to manual,
    then severhs lr the other failed the same way, her side
    and nuff said).  I took one apart and believe I figured out th
    cause; Nutone uses a wheel with holes and a sensor with LED
    presumably to count the revs on opening.  Now the problem.  Parts.
    
    Everyone in the Nashua
    area says "nope, we don't touch Nutones."  Presumably, that's
    because you can't get parts.  I've called everywhere in the book.
    
    Anyone know of a place to get Nutone door opener repair parts?
    

    
    I have some problems with intallation of "Chamberlain 550" garage
    door opener.    See note 2718...
    
    Thanks.
    
    The problem I think, is the garage door we have, not the opener!
    
    
    Jeanne

            <<< JOET::DUA1:[000000.NOTES$LIBRARY]HOME_WORK.NOTE;2 >>>
                         -< Better living through DIY >-
================================================================================
Note 2718.0         installation of chamberlain 550 to an old            1 reply
AQUA::SON                                            22 lines  17-OCT-1988 12:48
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    
    We have installed "Chamberlain  Model 550 " garage door opener
    and it is not quite working...I need help!
    
    The opener is mounted correct but when we tried with trasmitter,
    the following problem exist.
    
    The "straight door arm section " which pulls the garage door up
    run into "tension bar" at it's half way of opening.
    The tension bar has the spring to control the garage door and it
    is the width of the door, mounted just below the height of the 
    garage door.  
    
    We have an old garage door.  Did anyone run into the same type 
    of problems?  Do we need to install new spring and dismount that
    tension bar altogether or is there any better solution...ajustment
    of some kind?
    
    Thank you for your help.
    
    
    

            <<< JOET::DUA1:[000000.NOTES$LIBRARY]HOME_WORK.NOTE;2 >>>
                         -< Better living through DIY >-
================================================================================
Note 2718.0         installation of chamberlain 550 to an old            1 reply
AQUA::SON                                            22 lines  17-OCT-1988 12:48
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    
    We have installed "Chamberlain  Model 550 " garage door opener
    and it is not quite working...I need help!
    
    The opener is mounted correct but when we tried with trasmitter,
    the following problem exist.
    
    The "straight door arm section " which pulls the garage door up
    run into "tension bar" at it's half way of opening.
    The tension bar has the spring to control the garage door and it
    is the width of the door, mounted just below the height of the 
    garage door.  
    
    We have an old garage door.  Did anyone run into the same type 
    of problems?  Do we need to install new spring and dismount that
    tension bar altogether or is there any better solution...ajustment
    of some kind?
    
    Thank you for your help.
    
    
    

I have a Sears 1/2 hp garage door opener and would like to install
a simple switch to de-activate the unit for security reasons.  

Often one or both cars are left in the driveway with the transmitter inside.
I'd like to be able to simply de-activate the unit at night or if we're
away from home.

Anyone know of a simple way to do this?  I don't want to go to the trouble
 of re-wiring the outlet or dealing with a 110v switch. Any ideas?
 
There are four terminals on the back but they don't seem to give me this
functionality:

	1. wall or key switch 
	2. infra-red sensor for safety - reverses or keeps door open
	3. door open light - tells you if the door is open
	4. ground(?)

    A simple way to deactivate the remotes would be to make the receiver
    antenna switchable, that is, when its off, the antenna is not
    electrically attached to the receiver. Depending on the vintage
    of your opener, the antenna could be either on the motor asmy itself,
    or on the wall mounted switch asmy.
    
    Eric

I have two Sears 1/2hp openers.  Both have a deactivate switch on the 
hardwired control box/button that goes on the wall.  The older, less fancy
one, is a simple slide switch labeled deactivate; the newer one has a 
button labeled "vacation".  In either case they disable the radio 
controlled function but not the button on the wall.

If you have a doorbell button instead of the wall box from sears you could 
get a poor man's remote control switch which is nothing more than a plug 
which goes in between the garage door plug and the outlet with a switch at 
the end of a long cord.  It would cut power to whole unit.

Craig

    Re .21
    
    Excuse me if this seems like a dumb question, but if you habitually
    leave the car(s) in the driveway, why leave the transmitter(s) in
    the car(s)?
    
    pbm
      

                           -< Lowest cost solution >-

>    Re .21
>    
>    Excuse me if this seems like a dumb question, but if you habitually
>    leave the car(s) in the driveway, why leave the transmitter(s) in
>    the car(s)?
>    
>    pbm
>      
100% percent pure laziness!  But I know that there is *NO* way that
I'm going to remove the t-mitter from my car every night!
But its those little quirks that makes everyone different, isn't it!

But from previous response guess I'm not the only one with this request.

Re .22-23

No, Unit is only 2 years old, has a square wall switch with a little
orange light in it but definitely no de-activate or vacation switch.  Any
idea how this works? Maybe I could rig it the same way?

The antenna comes right off the radio board which attaches to the back
of the motor/light housing.
 
If I put a switch on the antenna wire wouldn't it change the receiver
characteristics (ie. aren't antennas supposed to be a certain length
depending upon the wave-length(?) of the signal they are receiving)?

    Two solutions and a comment.  First the comment:
    
    The VACATION switch is *NOT* suitable for a vacation.  If there is a
    power failure longer than about 30 seconds (or so), the Sears openers
    will "forget" that VACATION was selected (it will power back on without
    the VACATION mode selected).  This pretty much invalidates that feature
    in many areas (depending on frequency of power failures).
    
    Two solutions:
    
    (1)	Most outlits in the ceiling have room for two plugs.  You could
    	easily replace the outlit with a one-plug, one-switch variety.
    	Then you could use the end of a broom handle or shovel to flip
    	the switch (unless you are very tall).
    
    (2)	The cheaper solution, and just as effective, is to simply unplug
    	your garage door opener.  This permanently disables it until you
    	plug it in again ...
    
    		-- Jeff

    Why not install a cheap, low-power switch in series with the wire
    that connects the receiver with the opener?  This will prevent the
    transmitted signal from activating the opener.  (It will also prevent
    the button on the receiver from working, but a separate doorbell-type
    switch across the wires can be hooked up as an alternate.)
    
    			Steve

>                            -< Low-power solution >-
>
>    Why not install a cheap, low-power switch in series with the wire
>    that connects the receiver with the opener?  This will prevent the
>    transmitted signal from activating the opener.  (It will also prevent
>    the button on the receiver from working, but a separate doorbell-type
>    switch across the wires can be hooked up as an alternate.)
>    
>    			Steve

I'd like to do something like this but am unsure where to tie it in.
There is 110v which goes from the outlet to a transformer on the board.
I suppose I could put it on the output side (low voltage) of the transformer if
I can figure out which wire that is.

The motor itself is also 110v but is activated by a relay which is also
on the board.  There are actually two or more relays (I think four in all), 
for example, one controls "door up", one for "door down", one for door
"sensitivity down", etc.

    What I was thinking of was that most openers I have seen have a
    separate wall-mounted box for the receiver that is connected to the
    opener by two-conductor bell wire.  Shorting the two leads together
    starts the open/close cycle.  I was suggesting putting a cheap
    toggle switch in line with one of these wires, thus disabling the
    receiver.  I also suggested wiring a doorbell button across the
    wires as a manual alternative.
    
    However, if the radio receiver is integrated with the opener, this
    won't work.
    
    					Steve

    
    	I am in the process of installing a Sears automatic garage door
    opener and need some help, hints or tips around the AC wiring.
    I would like to put in a grounded two plug outlet and just plug
    the opener into it.  My problem is deciding on the best way of 
    tapping into my AC sources.  I am working in a garage with a finished
    swirl ceiling, the fuse boxes on the wall and an over head light
    tied into a 20 Amp circuit breaker.  The over head light is 
    switched from two points, so there are three sets of wires entering
    its junction box, all with wire nuts on them.  
    I believe my options are;
    
    1.  Tap off of overhead light AC feed.  It's closest to the opener,
        I have to deal with another wire in the wire nuts.
    
    2.  Take the AC feed to the overhead and bring it into a junction
        box.  Then tap off this for both the opener and the over head
        light.
    
    3.  Run another AC run from the fuse box.  Problems here are, is
        there room for another set of wires in the fuse box terminal?
        The electrical code for number and gauge or wires off of a 15
        or 20 Amp circuit breaker?  
    
    4.  The existing fuse box AC wires are Romex and go up into the
        finished ceiling.  If I were to tap off the fuse box would
        it be best to use EMT conduit on the surface of the ceiling
        or try to run another romex between two rafters?
    
    
    Don't suggest an Electrician, because I'm low on cash and have the
    patience and skill to do it myself.  I was just hoping that somebody
    here with similiar experience could give me some tips on the best
    and easiest way to do such a job.
    
    
    Thanks,
    Paul
      

    Assuming that the feed for the garage lights is in one of the light
    boxes near where you want the receptacle for the opening, my first
    thought would be the following:
    
    I would drop the light, probably a porcelain socket, down on a
    extension ring.  This will give you accessible knockouts.  From
    there you can go with EMT or whatever you wish to the new box. 
    Be sure you get a live (unswitched) feed or you will be in the same
    pickle someone I know is, can't open the door without the lights
    on.  Tough to turn on the lights from outside with the doors locked.
    
    If you have never worked with EMT, it may not be the way to go.
    I remember making a lot spaghetti during my first attempts at bending
    EMT.  Once you get the hang of it, you can do some pretty nice work
    with it.  Wire Mold (tm) might be an alternative.  There are several
    surface mount items similar to Wire Mold available in steel and
    plastic.  Pre made ells, etc eliminate the need for a bender as
    with EMT.
    
    If the above (light) is not a workable alternative, is there an
    existing receptacle in the garage which you can move out onto an
    extension ring and go from there.
    
    If you are in Merrimack, NH I have 1/2 and 3/4 EMT benders you are 
    welcome to borrow.  Also feel free to call if this needs clarification.
    DTN 264-5566.
    
    Regards, Peter Duke
    

Unless you feel that you need a *LOT* of light in the garage, you may elect
to scrap the light altogether, since the opener has at least one ( two on
the delux model) light in it already.  Then you could simply locate the wires
that feed the light, and wire up an outlet.  The switch wires would then be 
unused.  This assumes that your Romex has a ground.  If not, you have a whole 
different set of problems.

Bob

    RE: .2, that assumes that you can switch the garage opener's light
    on manually. Usually, the light on an opener only stays on for a
    few minutes and then automatically goes off.
    
    Eric

    

    Re .1   Peter,  Thanks very much for your EMT offer.  It's a very
                    generous offer, but I don't think I'll need to go
                    with EMT.
    
    
    	I think I have a game plan that will work now.  My main worry
    was putting 3 or 4 wires in one wire nut, but a handy man friend
    last night said that wire nutting 4 wires would be ok.  What I think I'll do
    now is to use 12 or 14 AWG wire to tap into the AC feed going to
    my over head light.  It's a plate version, with an imbedded circular
    electrical box.  Then I'll feed it into a metal flex cable and run
    it about 4 feet on the ceiling surface.  I'll tie the other end
    to a dual 3 prong outlet box and just plug my door opener into
    it.
    	A couple of misc questions about color codes and outlets.  Most
    AC outlets have two different slot sizes for line and neutral. 
    Which is which, i.e. Does the larger slot connect to line or neutral?
    All I have is a volt meter at my service, so I don't want to reverse
    the poles.  About the feed color code;  Is it black for line and
    white for neutral?  Also if you don't have any black is there any
    rule against using Red for line and white for neutral?
    
    
    Thanks again for all your sound advice,
    Paul Greenaway
    Topsfield, MA

    Colors:
    
    	Ground  = Green or green w/ yellow stripe
    	Neutral = White or natural grey
    	Hot     = Any color except those for Ground and Neutral
        
    		Ther are some exceptions, but they don't generally apply
    to residential situations.
    
    
    Receptacle Screws/Slots:

    	Green screw as you would expect = ground.    
    	Brass screw and narrower slot are hot.
    	Silver screw and wider slot are neutral.
    	(20 amp receptacle has T slot for neutral)
                                                
    
    Pete Duke
    

>    What I think I'll do
>    now is to use 12 or 14 AWG wire to tap into the AC feed going to
>    my over head light.  

DON'T USE 14!!!!!  If it's a 20a circuit, then ALL wire on the circuit must be 
12 gauge or greater.  14 gauge wire is only rated to 15a and is thus not 
protected by a 20a breaker.

Paul

    You should also be aware that it's against code to put too many wires,
    wire nuts, etc. in a junction box.  From your description, it sounds
    like you're already close to or at this limit, especially if you're
    working with 12 AWG wire.
    
    I recommend you spend 5 to 10 dollars on a good DIY electrical wiring
    book.  From the questions you're asking, you seem to have limited
    knowledge of the subject.  Why not approach this as an excuse to learn
    more?  A book will cover the task much better than the few questions
    you can ask here.
    
    Jim

    Ref: .6 and .7
    
    	Both good points.  Didn't catch the 12 or 14 gauge line.
    
    	If I read the base note correctly, there are presently two 12-3s
    and a 12-2 in the box for the light.  Assuming a 4 inch round/octagonal
    this is over the limit.  A 4 inch square by 1-1/2 deep is at the
    limit.  That is another good reason to add the extension ring, added
    cubic inches.
                 

Spag's sells a little green book for about $2.  I can't remember the title 
but it's about 6x8 and only a 1/4" thick.  It really has a wealth of info 
and all you'll need to understand and feel confident about what you're 
doing.  Just ask the electrical saleperson for the $2-something wiring 
book.

Craig

If you're going to surface run the wire, Romex is ok since it is
on the ceiling. Where you're going to bring it down a wall, then
you need to armor the wire. Problem is that most romex staples
are only 3/4" long; you can get 1 1/2" Romex cable staples but
they're hard to find.

cal

>< Note 2825.10 by CLOSUS::HOE "miracles begins with prayer..." >
>
>
>If you're going to surface run the wire, Romex is ok since it is
>on the ceiling. Where you're going to bring it down a wall, then
>you need to armor the wire. Problem is that most romex staples
>are only 3/4" long; you can get 1 1/2" Romex cable staples but
>they're hard to find.
>
>cal


Geez, Don't run Romex on a finished ceiling! Use EMT or Wiremold.

Ross

    
    Thanks for all your help and concerns.  I'll look into the DIY home
    wiring book.  Duke, thanks for the AC outlet definition.  I had
    thought that the smaller slot was "line", but I needed to confirm.
    
    	Patience, thought, common sense and some goods advice, and low
    and behold,    my garage door opener is up and working fine.  
    I ended up using 12 AWG for the 20 Amp circuit through metal flex, one 
    wire nut and a screw terminal connector to hook up my AC.  The circular
    junction box was a bit cramped, but no more than before.  Using
    a left over screw terminal block from Ireland I joined the 4 line
    wires together.  I continued to use one of the wire nuts since it
    fit and made good contact.  To me the wire nut connection seemed
    old and ackward compared to the screw terminal.  
    However, all is secured and well taped.  Thanks again.  Now on to
    my other trillion projects...
    
    
    Cheers,
    Paul
                                                          

I guess I'll reopen this discussion. I have a worse clearance problem 
than .0, in fact I have less than 1/2" (if that) between ceiling
(firecode) and the garage door. The outside door handle has even 
scraped most of the way through the ceiling in one spot. The tracks are
the double type (separate for the top panel). 

I've received two over-the-phone estimates already. The first one said 
he had these zero-clearance things that ride in the door track. 
Estimate: $260 installed. He also said that we could go the other route 
and shorten the existing tracks and add some brackets but as this was 
more labor intensive the estimate would be $320 installed. Ouch! 

So I called another installer, been in business for years, who told me 
that they generally could get the "regular-type" openers to fit.
Furthermore, he thought the zero-clearance types were **** (propriety
prevents me from quoting here). Anyway he said installation would
probably be $350 depending on exactly what they needed to do. Ouch plus
$30! 

My feeling on the ones that attach directly to the track is that the 
second guy may be right. The thing would be lifting the door from just
one side which (with my door anyway) doesn't seem like it would be a
good idea. 

Now I'm a pretty handy guy but I can see right away that some kind of 
mods have to be made to the existing door or track. I'm also handy 
enough to realize that I don't want to be the one who makes those mods. 
And I'm pretty darn sure that doing something like removing a portion 
of the ceiling (to groove a channel for the chain rail) would be a
major building code no-no. On the other hand, $350 is enough to make me 
wince. Let see, suppose I could get a Sears "Best" for $150, that 
leaves $200 for buying any of the tools/supplies I'd need to install this 
thing. Like a saws-all for cutting through the ceiling ;-). 

Seriously, I'll be the first to admit when I think I'm getting in over 
my head, heck I do my own plumbing and electrical, and this may be it. 
But is it worth $200? The guy (#2) is coming by this afternoon to look 
at it and give me a firm estimate. I'll ask him what he'd charge just 
to do the door part. I can install the opener myself given enough 
clearance.

Opinions, advice? If you reply here (and I hope you do), email would be 
appreciated as well as I don't usually have the opportunity to check 
this file as much as I would like.

thanks

Chuck

    I also had this problem.  After wasting time with low clearance
    brackets (which didn't help at all), I lowered the tracks.  My tracks
    are in two pieces per side and held in place by bolts.  I cut the
    requisite amount of track from one piece (don't recall how much or
    which piece) and reinstalled the bolts.  I may have had to drill a new
    hole. 
    
    It was not difficult but it can be dangerous.  My door is spring
    loaded and those springs are strong.  I didn't have the sense to
    disconnect or disable them so ended up fighting the spring after
    disconnecting the first track.  I disconnected the spring for the
    second side which made the job easy.  My springs can be disconnected
    when the door is all the way up; then they are slack.  But be careful
    tie them in place or they will back down again REAL FAST. 

    Gary

    If lowering the track is not possible, give the low clearance brackets
    a try.  By mounting them higher on the door than the originals and
    playing with the position of the rollers, it should be possible
    to get 2 1/2 to 3" of additional clearance.  If that doesn't do
    it, cut a notch in the door.  Some additional trim on the top edge
    of the garage opening will cover the notch when the door is closed.
    My Sears unit is mounted flush up against the ceiling and works
    fine.

    I just installed our new Sears 1/2 hp garage door opener on Saturday.
    Everything went fine except I have 2 questions.
    
    1.  Where does the grease in the "rail grease packet" go?  Nowhere
    in the instructions does it say anything about greasing anything
    anywhere.
    
    2.  How do you tell if the chain is too tight?  Right now it sags
    1/8" in the middle of the T rail.
    
    Thanks for any and all replies.
    
    scott

    The grease goes on the rail assembly, where the mechanism attached
    to the door slides. Somewhere in the instructions it discusses chain
    tension, but if I remember right, the bottom edge of the tightening
    asmy should be just above the bottom part of the rail T.
    
                x
                x
                x   x(adj screw asmy)
                x
           xxxxxxxxxxx (bottom of T rail)
    
    Eric

    There's a note about chain tension very early on in the manual.
    The tension should be checked when the door is in the closed position
    and the manual release rope is pulled.  Tension should be checked
    whenever other adjustmenst have been made, and in the different
    seasons to adjust for chain stretching from use and temperature
    differences.
    
    	Ted

    I have a friend that wants to install a garage door opener in her
    garage- The garage is POURED CEMENT walls and ceiling!
    
    Any suggestions how to make it stay put?
    
    Mark

    There are lead anchors that can go into concrete after you drill
    holes with a carbide bit. Just make sure the anchors are strong
    enough to support the weight and the running load. This is making
    the assumption that the ceiling is in fact solid concrete and not
    a thin layer on some kind of support mesh.
    
    Eric

    OK, I give you that approach. But I am still somewhat leary since
    the openers on the market always rattle and shake. Seems like this
    constant movement would tend to loosen the lead anchors- especially
    when you $25K car is parked underneath it.
    
    Does anyone have REAL LIFE EXPERIENCE doing something exactly like
    this?
    
    Mark

    
      All right I can't resist. What kind of garage is this that has
    a cement ceiling. Is the house above the garage. Is this garage by
    itself . A cement ceiling is not exactly cheap. Can you give us
    a better description of the garage ? Is it under a freeway. I wouldn't
    attempt to install a garage door open into a cememt ceiling. I'd
    call a few contractors and get a few estimates and ideas first.
    
    
    

Run a 2"x6" flat across the ceiling, support it with 2"x6" 
from ceiling to floor at the wall ends.  If the run across causes the flat 2x6
to sag, "joist" it with a 2x4.  Hang the opener from the 2x6.
The place where the rail meets the wall over the door is the real load point.
All the thrust of "lifting" the door is horizontal, so make sure the anchors 
that hold that bracket in are strong too.  Here too you may want to 
lag (with concrete anchors) a stretch of 2x4 onto the wall and mount the
bracket to the 2x4.

- tom]

    There are several types of pressure fittings like lead anchors.  Others
    do not involve lead, which is soft, but they can still pull out on
    occasion.  Temperature changes make them work loose, and cement can
    vary considerable in consistency from one spot to another in the same
    piece of cement.
    
    If it were my car sitting under this Damoclean sword, I would use some
    of those bolts with the spring-loaded legs on the end that open up like
    an umbrella after you push them through the hole.  There's no way they
    would come back out again.  The only problem is that you would have to
    put a hole all the way through the cement.  Hopefully there is enough
    space on the other side to make room for the legs to open up.
    
    You could make a hole in the cement that is wider inside than at the
    surface, then use patching cement to embed a bolt or bracket or
    something similar in the hole.
    
    You could put up a wood beam on the ceiling right across the whole
    garage, and support it with cement nails or lead anchor bolts in the
    middle and with vertical wood beams at each end.
    
    Get a cheap car that already has dents in the top and forget about it.
    
    Hire a doorman.
    
    Good luck.

         0         *        *
     *        *          o          *
       *            *            o         *  --- concrete
    +----------------------------------
    |       _____________________      |   o
    |     /   -----------------  |     |
    |__/    /                  | |   <-|--------- fixed portion
          /                    | |     |
       /                       | |     |  o
    +/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\    <-|-|-----|--------- movable portion
                         |     | |     |
                         |     | |     |    *
    +\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\      | |     |
       \                       | |     |   .
          \                    | |     |
     --     \                  | |     |    o
    |  \      -----------------  |     |
    |     \                      |     |
    |       ---------------------      | *
    +----------------------------------      o
             *   o            o
    *                  *           0     *
          o     *
                               *
    My dad used to build elevators for a living.  They all used this type of
    anchor.  It's the strongest of all the ones I've ever seen on the market.
    I think this is a test of vibration if there ever was one.  The rails also
    need to be kept parallel and straight.

    I still don't like the idea of putting these in vertically.  The above
    are used where there is shear forces (sideways) as opposed to tension
    being installed in ceiling.  I'd be tempted to put in a rail that bolted
    to the sides of the garage and the motor and track bolted to the rail.
    I'd used the above anchor to bolt the rail.

    The problem is the concrete itself.  If it crumbles at all, or there is
    some non-perfect drilling done (easy to do when drilling concrete) then
    the anchor doen't seat well.  Diameter and smoothness of sides in the
    hole are critical for holding power.

    Yes, it's got a Cement cieling! Crazy I know. It seems this builder
    poured almost the entire Garage and 1st floor in CEMENT! The whole
    garage, the first floor walls, the stairs, everything!!!  Its crazy
    but I have seen it with my own eyes!
    
    I think I'll pursue the method in .4 (?) Using the 2x6 and 2x4
    to hold the whole thing up.
    
    Thanks,
    
    M
    

    My father in-law has a cement ceiling also, it's a 4 car garage,
    2 cars top, 2 cars below, next time I'm over his house I'll look
    at how his doors and openers are attached.
    
    
    
    
    Royce

Speaking of very expensive cars sitting under garage doors, here is another
risk: breaking springs.  Mine break all the time; maybe the're cheap, maybe
it's the installation.  But when they do, a hell of a lot of energy is let
loose and things go flying!  I have seen a recommendation for safety cables,
strung through the spring, and fastened to allow normal extension, but
constrain it when it breaks.  Cable is expensive, so I use one of the plastic
ropes.  It works, but frays and needs to be replaced after a while.

    I had forgotten all about this until I read .-1, but here's a story to
    make you think about your garage door fastenings.
    
    Years ago, I moved into a home with a wood garage with its own roof and
    an open ceiling.   The garage door hardware was attached
    to a framework of 2x4's.  To hold the springs there was a long
    2x8 nailed to something at each end, with the garage door springs
    hooked onto open hooks in the 2x8 a few inches in from each end.
    
    One day I was standing inside the empty garage facing the door and
    looking out the windows after just having pulled the door down, when there
    was a loud noise accompanied by something striking me across my back
    hard enough to knock me toward the closed door.
    
    The thing that hit me was still pushing on my back, so I turned around 
    and grabbed it, anger having replaced the initial shock.  My anger
    turned to fear when I saw that what had hit me was the 2x8, and that had
    I been standing a few inches further to the right I would have had a
    hook or several 3" nails buried in my back instead of just being
    slapped by the board.
    
    One of the springs had chosen that precise moment to break at the end
    opposite the 2x8.  The momentum of the rapidly contracting spring when
    it struck the 2x8 was sufficient to pull the end of the 2x8 along with
    all its nails clear away from the frame to which it was fastened.
    
    The spring then flew off the open hook, while the unfettered end of the
    2x8 started to fall down, assisted by the slight downward angle of the
    remaining door spring at the other end.  That spring, being fully
    extended by the closed door, proceeded to pull the opposite free end of
    the 2x8 down past its former fastening brace and into my back.
    
    You probably wouldn't encounter that exact configuration of
    circumstances and sequence of events a second time, but I always check
    out garage door framework very carefully whenever I move into a new
    place now.
    
    Come to think of it, that's the second piece of bad luck I have had
    with garage doors.  When I was a kid I couldn't reach the handle of my
    parents' garage door to close it when it was all the way up, so I
    cleverly tied a rope to the handle and tied a handy little loop in the
    end of the rope so I could close the door.  My dad came home from work
    in his 1949 Chevy and headed into the open garage, neatly hooking the 
    loop in the end of the rope over the bullet-shaped forward-facing hood
    ornament, and pulled the garage door right on down through his windshield 
    before he managed to stop the car.

    Decent garage door mechanisms have a secondary backup spring running
    through the inside of the primary.  Not only does this help confine
    any wild gyrations of the main spring should it let go, but also
    keeps the door from closing at a high rate of speed in the same
    circumstance.  

>                                                       ...  but also
>    keeps the door from closing at a high rate of speed in the same
>    circumstance.  

I have never had a spring break except when the door was already closed.  I
would think that a spring would _never_ break except at that time, since that
is the point of maximum stress.  I've never seen an "decent" opener, one with
concentric springs.

    Reading all of these last few makes me very happy that I went with
    the other type of spring.  I think they're called torsion springs.
    Instead of pulling on both ends of a slinky, you wrap the spring
    around a rod attach one end of the spring to a roller.  Sorta like
    winding and unwinding a mainsring of a clock.

    I did have a spring break.  The door was in the process of going
    up.  The spring was quite rusted.  Luckily no one got hurt as we
    were all in the garage at the time.  Let me tell you there was some
    force behind it.  However, when the the guy came and replaced all
    our spings he didn't tnink it was to necessary to put the metal
    bar in the middle.  Maybe I should have pushed the issue.
    
    I'll tell you one thing though, we do check our spings!
    
    Julie
    

My 1/2hp Sears garage door opener is giving me some problems.
The door will frequently stop or stop and reverse during travel.
This is, of course, the normal procedure when the door jams,
but mine is doing it all the time.  (It has done it occasionally
since I installed the opener (brand new) about a year and a half ago, 
but now it's up to all the time.)

It's not the door that's binding, because I can disconnect the door 
from the trolley and the trolley will jam by itself.

I have the up and down force adjustments set all the way up, and the 
door will work, but this essentially disables the safety aspect 
of stopping the door when it hits something.  (Which further argues that
there is no real binding, or else the safety force would just be added to
the binding force and I'd be able to stop the door by standing under it 
and pushing.)

What's the sensor mechanism that the force adjustment controls?
What can I look for to solve the problem?

- tom powers]

    
    When I first installed my Sears opener(s) I had the same problem.
    I went back over the instructions and found I had forgotten to
    apply the grease that was supplied. I greased the track  and
    the problem went away. The only other thing I can think of is
    that there is a bend in the track causing it to bind when moving.
    
    ace
    

    Although it probably isn't your problem (because the force adjustment
    wouldn't affect it) I've repaired a couple of these beasts where
    the photo-interrupter (that senses whether the motor is turning) has
    gotten full of dust and "gone blind". 

    Apply a liberal amount of grease, but first...
        
    Seriously, I have a sears and about every 3-6 months it would  act up
    a little.  I tried the grease, but that only worked for a short
    time.  The real problem is the dust and dirt and whatever else is
    in the air.  It'll cake up and turn that nice slippery grease into
    a hard glob.  My solution was to take a wad of paper towels and
    clean off all of the acumulated grease and grime and then regrease
    the track.  That seems to have worked for me, now I clean and 
    regrease it every 9-12 months.  
    
    Ken

I suspect it's not lack of or too much grease on the track.
The problem has shown up off and on during the past year, but now 
has become a constant.  I fully expect that the problem will
recur when the machine "gets used to" running at full up/down force.
When it catches, it catches over the range of travel, several inches
at a time.  I see no undue flexing of the track during this problem
as I do, for example, when I do block the door travel and the force-based
blocking kicks in.

Could the cable/chain be too tight or too loose?  The directions
are pretty vague about how tight to get these.

What is the motion sensor, and how do I clean it?  Is it really optical?

What is the force sensing mechanism?  Motor current rise?  Motor slow down?

- tom]

    The directions with the unit specify how much free play should be in
    the chain. If you don't have the book, I can look it up over the
    weekend on mine.
    
    If you disconnect the door from the opener, will the opener cycle with
    no load on it? Though the door opens manually, is it balanced properly
    (i.e. when you open it say half way, will it stay there or does it
    drop).
    
    Eric

    	Do modern door openers still have a clutch in them?  My old
    Sears unit detects jams by relative motion in the clutch mechanism.
    Occasionally I have to tighten down the spring that puts pressure
    on the clutch disk.  And, every few years, I have to take the clutch
    apart and resurface the disk (it glazes).  This is on about a 15
    year old unit.  If you have a clutch adjustment, give it a try.
      - Chris

    
       I bought a Stanley 1/2 HP garae door opener on sale
        sometime last year, and am just getting around to
        installing it (before winter hits!). Unfortunately,
        I seem to have lost the installation booklet (seems
        like I looked them over when I bought the device, and
        the installation booklet never made it back into the
         box).
    
        Does anyone out there happen to have the installation
        guide for the 1/2 HP Stanley unit I could borrow & 
         copy?
    
        Your replies appreciated (I'm taking a lot of heat
        from my spouse on this one!)
    
        Mac
    

    I have an installation guide at home, I'll check tonight to see if it's
    the 1/2 hp model and let you know.... Jim Frazer dtn 282-1151

    
     Jim,
       If you don't have one let me know. I have one in a file at home I'll
    dig out and put in my briefcase for tommorrow.
     
      Ed
    

    
    
         Thanks, guys. Tom Chappel was good enough to bring in
         his copy of the Stanley Install Guide for me today!
    
         Now to tackle the installation.....
    
         Mac
    

    Our problem is slightly different, but this seems like the most
    appropriate note.
    
    The first opener went in with no problem.  We fastened the rail to the
    underside of the top plate over the garaged door.  This causes the rail
    to tilt up somewhat from the opener to the door, but it seems to work.
    
    For the second door, this won't work, because the rail would then be
    crossing the area where we eventually expect to have drain pipes
    running from the upstairs.  This means we need to mount the rail lower
    down, in the vicinity of the short vertical studs (cripple studs?) that
    run between the header for the garage door and the top plate.  Mounting
    it directly to the header would be too low.
    
    The first question is, should we mount it the easy way (same as the
    first) for now, and wait until we have the exact plans for the plumbing
    before doing anything fancy? 
    
    The second question is, if and when we do decide to mount it lower,
    what's the best way to secure a nailing surface?  We've considered
    fastening a 2 by 4 running horizontally between the cripple studs, and
    holding it in place either with joist hangars (we have a couple of
    spares) or by nailing in the ends from the other side of the studs. 
    Will either of these work safely, or do we need to fasten it to the
    header or top plate for it to be secure?
    
       Gary

    I used a short piece of 2 by 4 resting on the header between two
    cripple studs.  This was secured by nailing into both the header
    and studs on both sides.  Works fine.
    
    - gene

I'm about to install a couple of electric garage door openers.  

The normal part is old hat to me since I've installed a few of these before
in other places.

The part that's a bit different this time is that the roof in the garage this
time is "cathedral-like" and the nearest point to attach the drive mechanism
is the rafters, about 6 feet above.  This is a 3-car garage and a long expanse
so I'd also like to conserve the weight of whatever it is that I use to hang
these openers.  So, I thought I'd use the same material that was used to install
the garage doors, angle iron.

Given this situation, I have a few questions:

	a) Where does one get a good deal on this material? 

	   I live in the greater Lowell, MA area and am having a hard enough
	   time finding places that sell the stuff (angle iron) so haven't
	   really been able to "shop around" for a deal.

	b) I thought that I saw something like "angle aluminum" once, which
	   logically would be even lighter.  Is there such material?  Any
	   guesses as to where one would find it (pre-drilled and in 6 foot
	   lengths)?

	c) Anyone got a better idea of how to provide for a light-weight hanger
	   for a garage door opener?  I think the whole mechanism weighs only
	   about 35 lbs, so less than 20 lbs would need to be supported.
	   However, I haven't really considered what minimal bracing would
	   be necessary (I usually go over-board re-inforcing things, but, in
	   this case, I must also consider the weight trade-off.)

Any advice on any of this topics would be appreciated.

John

    
    Angle aluminum, can be found at K-MART, they stock a wide variety
    of aluminum stock. Look near flooring/hardware/lighting area. Also
    the local lumer supply yard (MAKI's, in Lunenburg) carries aluminum
    as well as iron stock, flat angle and otherwise.
    Of course you could always call Ryerson Steel in Alston/Brighton.

    I would recommend you use the preferated steel "angle iron". It
    is about 2" by 2" "L" shaped.  It costs about $6 to $9 an eight
    foot length in most industrial hardware stores.
    
    As far as hanging the opener is concerned, I would place two
    rails from the ceiling to the opener vertically, with two short
    braces at 45 degrees at least 1/3 the way down to the opener 
    running at 90 degrees to the opener track.  This will attenuate
    the side to side vibrations.
    
    good luck,
               Ron

    The stuff mentioned in .2 is probably Dexion (trade name). It comes in
    steel or  aluminum.  I suggest you stick with steel, because aluminum
    will doubtless be more expensive and also it will be less stiff for the
    same cross-section, thus your  openers  will  wobble  more.  Call metal
    scrap dealers in your area  to  find some metal cheap.  Bring cash, and
    haggle.
    
    

    I need to buy a new remote system(transmitter and receiver) for a garage
    door opener.  I replaced a 15 year old garage door opener a few years
    back and kept the old nu-tone remote.  It has finally stop working and
    I need to replace it.  I'd try to fix it again but even when it worked
    it didn't work very well. The only place I seen that sells the remote
    system by itself is Sears.  They have it for $59.95 but never seem to 
    have them in stock.  I was also wondering if this was a good price, it
    seems like a lot of money for something so simple.  

    Any help would be appreciated.
    
    Thanks,
    -Bruce

If $59.95 includes a transmitter and a receiver, I'd say that was a good
deal.

			Steve

    If its out of stock in the retail store, just order it from catalog and
    in a week or so, you'll have it (it comes in to the catalog dept. in
    the store).
    
    Eric

    
    Watch for sales- I got a transmitter and a receiver on sale thru sears
    catalog for 39.95 this summer.
    

    I have Stanley chain driven GDO.  It seems that it needs lubrication.
    Any suggestions on what should I be using?  Using wrong kind of
    lubrication will gunk up the mechanism, so I would like to use the
    proper one to avoid the dust build-up.
    
    WD-40, Silicone Spray, Motor oil, sewing machine oil, White Lithium
    grease, wheel bearing grease are currently in my staple.
    
    Thanks,
    - Vikas

I just installed a Stanley, and it didn't indicate any sort of lubrication
for the chain.  Why not call Stanley's 800 number (I don't have it here but
can get it if you don't have it) and ask them?

To be honest, I probably wouldn't install another Stanley.  It works ok, but
seems flimsier than competing models from other companies.

				Steve

    The Sears opener I installed came with a tube of grease for the chain
    system (track).  If I relube, it will be with some bearing grease.
    
    The tracks for the door were old (like the rest of this "Money Pit) and
    rusty and a spray of WD-40 on them, the rollers and the springs did
    wonders!
    
    	-Barry-
    

    I am looking at the instructions for my Stanley model 3500
    (1/2 HP "Premier") opener, and the chart for "Periodic Inspections"
    does not suggest lubricating the chain, only checking its tension.
    
    Call Stanley at 800-521-5262 (in Michigan, 800-482-1043) and ask.
    
    						Steve

                The first thing you should do is check that the door
        operates correctly WITHOUT the opener! Pull that release and see
        if the door operates as it is supposed to. 
                
                Things on a door that will impede its operation...
                
                unlubricated wheels in the tracks
                
                unlubricated hinges (yes - ALL of them)
                
                weak springs (they do weaken over time)
                
                track misalignement (did you bump one with the car?)
                
                
                Once you have the door opening correctly (you should be
        able do it with one hand under normal conditions); then start
        looking at the opener. The places that need oil or grease should
        be obvious. Be careful you don't get either on the
        flywheel/clutch that makes up the saftey stop!
                
                /s/     Bob
                
p.s. Be CAREFUL around those springs!!!!!!!

    All the thing in .11 are very important and definitely do them.
    One addition is to grease the rail that the door opener carrier 
    rides on.
    
    	Dave

    I used motorcycle chain oil on my Stanley garage door opener.
    
    I agree that you've got to make sure that the door operate manually
    very easily.  You don't want to be able to crack coconuts with the door
    because you desensistized the protection.
    
    Peter

The current Stanley openers use a plastic traveler that rides on a metal
tube.  There seems to be no reason to grease this.  The chain does not come
greased nor is there any suggestion in the manual that this is necessary.
I would not recommend oiling or greasing unless recommended by the 
manufacturer.

			Steve

    re.14 I'm not familiar with Stanley openers, but anyone that has a 
    Sears or Chamberlain should grease the beam that the traveler rides on.
    
    I also agree that you should lubricate only that which is recommended.
    
    	Dave

    I recently noticed that as garage door closed the metal tube along
    which the plastic carrier (I have a Stanley) ran would bow excessively. 
    I called the Stanley 800 number and the service rep. suggested applying
    some silicon or lithium grease along the tube.  I did so and the bowing
    has been reduced.  
    
    Also,  I always thought that it wasn't a good idea to grease the tracks
    for the door rollers.  You want friction there so the rollers will turn.
    
    mb

    The reason that I used anything on the chain is to keep it from
    rusting and to make sure that the chain is supple.  I don't agree that
    you shouldn't put anything on it because the owner's manual doesn't
    specifically say not to.
    
    I didn't put anything on the pipe for lubrication.  
    
    Peter

    I gather from all the replies that WD-40 or silicone spray on the door
    mechanism is safe to use.  The GDO itself had very thin coat of
    lubricant (light mahcine oil?) right out from the box.  My hands did
    get black when I installed the GDO due to handling of cable and the
    pipe.
    
    The last time it jammed, I tried to raise the door manually and I could
    not feel any obstruction.  I could open and close the door with one
    hand.  I finally sparayed WD-40 on the tracks, hinges, wheels etc of the
    garage door and on the plastic wheel on which the cable rides for the
    GDO (at the end of the pipe).  This seems to have fixed the problem, at
    least for now.
    
    I would like to avoid using wrong kind of lubricant, as it would gather
    more dust and or freeze during cold snap.
    
    Thanks,
    - Vikas

>    I recently noticed that as garage door closed the metal tube along
>    which the plastic carrier (I have a Stanley) ran would bow excessively. 
>    I called the Stanley 800 number and the service rep. suggested applying
>    some silicon or lithium grease along the tube.  I did so and the bowing
>    has been reduced.  
    
    Did you use silicon or white lithium grease along the tube?
    
    - Vikas

>    Did you use silicon or white lithium grease along the tube?
    
    I used some leftover clear lubricant that came with an
    assemble-yourself dresser I bought.  The factory packed it for use on
    the plastic railings on the dresser drawers.  The Stanley factory rep.
    suggested silicon;  he said lithium grease tends to collect dirt and
    dust.
    
    mb

I perused some back issues of Consumer Reports, and the last time they rated 
Garage door openers, they rated the Stanley 3500(?) as a best buy.

Anyone know who carries Stanley?  Does Channel still carry them?  Also, any 
pricing info would be appreciated.

RE: .21

	I bought one a few years back at Caldor. Not the 3500 model, but,
the cheapo model 2100? I think I saw the 3500 at about $150.00, but, that
was 2 years ago too.

		Bill

I have the 3500 - bought at Builder's Square.  I would suggest another
brand - I don't like the flimsy construction of the current Stanley
openers.  Pick one that has a solid rail rather than a wobbly tube.  Genie
looks to be pretty good, and I've liked Chamberlain in the past.

				Steve

    KMart in Leominster had 4 styles of Stanley openers.  I brought the 1/2
    hp for about $155 (the model # is 3200, I don't know why Consumers says
    the 1/2 hp is 3500) on sale there in Nov.  Rich's regularly has the
    3200 on sale for $144.
    
    My only comment on the quality is that the Stanley was very sensitive
    to ice build-up on the floor of the garage.  It would hit the ice and
    then back-up.  I believe that my husband adjusted this.  We brought the
    Stanley opener on basis of the consumer report article.
    
    Bonnie

    Re: .24
    
    Stanley has several models of 1/2 HP openers.  The 3500 is the
    "Premier" that includes the "Signal Block" feature.  There is also
    the "Lightmaker" model.  They also have several screw-drive models.
    
    My chief complaint about the Stanley is that the flexible tube
    causes the door to jerk while it's going up or down - I've tried
    lubricating the tube and the rollers to no effect.  If I had to do
    it again, I'd buy a model with a steel rail.
    
    				Steve

    My complaint with Stanley is that when the circuit board went belly-up
    during a ligtening storm and I tried to get a replacement chip that I
    was pretty sure was bad, they told me that I would have to buy a whole
    new board @$65!  The chips are unfortunately custom and not your garden
    variety RS parts.  They wouldn't sell me the chips because they claimed
    that they would be liable if something went wrong and someone was hurt! 
    What BS!  A friend of mine was able to replace the chips on his Sears,
    when he found the OEM.
    
    Peter

    Unlubricated, the chains on GDOs stretch to the point where they
    can run really rough.  I used a chain parrafin/grease called linklife
    after mine had stretched ... you put the chain in a pan, coat it with
    Linklife, and warm it till it runs.  The paraffin helps it penetrate.
    The stuff is really black, so I presume it contains moly.  The chain
    didn't stretch anymore.
    
    Stuart

I have a fairly new (1 1/2 yrs) 2 car garage with a room on top.  We didn't
think about door openers when it was built, BUT now my wife (and I, too) would
like that convenience.  

The contractor told me that I'd need a special door opener, due to spacing (the
beam across the middle of garage would be in the way).  Is this true?  

Also, we didn't bother to have electric boxes put in for openers.  Can I tap off
another one "easily"?

What's an average price for the Non-DIY'er for these things?  Anyone know?

Steve

>>The contractor told me that I'd need a special door opener, due to spacing (the
>>beam across the middle of garage would be in the way).  Is this true?

My house is a split entry, with the garage under.  The garage is approx 26' 
deep.  Thus, the beam is at the 13' point.  My 2 openers - 1/3 hp stanley's, fit
with a few feet to spare.  I'll measure it and see how much room the opener's 
took up and let you know how much extra room I have before the beam.  I have
plenty of room, though.

>>Also, we didn't bother to have electric boxes put in for openers.  Can I tap 
>>off another one "easily"?

My garage had 1 15 amp outlet that is shared with the family room and a den. I
added a box to the outside of it, then ran conduit horizontally to just in
front of the beam, up to the ceiling, then across the ceiling and down.  I added
three outlets - 1 for each door opener, plus 1 wall outlet on the other side of
the garage (btw. I also later added a 20 amp circuit in the garage, and 2 20 amp
circuits in the playroom - the 15 amp only has a few lights on it).  This works
fine, even if both doors are opening at once.

Don't know what the installed price would be, as I did it all myself 4 years
ago.

>>My house is a split entry, with the garage under.  The garage is approx 26' 
>>deep.  Thus, the beam is at the 13' point.  My 2 openers - 1/3 hp stanley's, fit
>>with a few feet to spare.  I'll measure it and see how much room the opener's 
>>took up and let you know how much extra room I have before the beam.  I have
>>plenty of room, though.

I measured mine and there's 9' 7"  between door and beam.  Is that enough space
for your Stanley?

    
    I need the little triger units that attach to the chain 
    and shut down the motor when the door reaches the open
    or close position. The opener is a Genie brand. 
    Mine keep breaking.
    
    thanks 
    steve

My opener requires 10'8" of space to install.  However, there must be others 
that would fit in your space.

    I have another GDO problem.  My opener , Genie, does not stop on the
    down cycle.  Instead, when it hits the concrete it acts as if it hit an
    obstruction and bounces back up to its starting position.
    
    		Any Ideas???     thanks Paul T

It needs the down-limit adjusted.  See the owner's manual.  If you
don't have one, there's usually a knob of some sort on the opener which
adjusts this.

				Steve

    2 years have gone by since the last note. I have the same problem with
    low clearance. I have had 2 people give me an estimate. One type of
    door opener (lift master) gave me a price of $270 which includes extra
    remote ($20) 2 new springs ($20 each) 1/3 hp. unit. He sees no problem.
    But I have a frost problem and in the winter the door rises in the
    middle. He says this can be controlled up to an inch or so. Also may
    have to cut a notch in the door. The other is an Allister (sp?) unit
    but he tells me I have other problems with the house wires stapled on
    the ceiling right where the door clears and will have to install
    "turn around" track (?) He is sending me an estimate.
    
    Questions:
    Are either one of these units any good?
    How does the price sound?
    The frost heave in the winter is the biggest concern. Will these units
    malfunction in the winter?
    

"Lift Master" is a line made by Chamberlain for the installer industry.  
In my opinion, Chamberlain is the best brand of opener available.  I happen
to have an Allister on one of my doors, installed by the previous owner.  It
seems like a reliable, well-built unit.  Certainly it's never given me any
trouble, and looks to be at least 10 years old.

The price you were given, if it includes installation, seems quite reasonable
to me.

A "turn around track" is, I think, the special track one uses for low-clearance
applications, where the top and bottom rollers run in separate tracks.

For your frost problem, I'd recommend having a thick, neoprene seal installed
on the bottom of the door.  This should accomodate most of the movement
due to frost.

				Steve

    Well I went with the Lift Master for $270 I got the extra remote and
    two new springs. The guy worked hard to fit it in. Had to cut a hunk out
    of the middle of the door. We had to take off the door handle on the 
    outside and the door just nips two places at the bends on the outside.
    Maybe I can rasp off a little. The grease from the rail also stains the
    door in those spots. Oh well my wife is happy she does not have to lift
    that heavy door in the morning and at night. Now all I have to do is
    block up a little space where he cut out the middle of the door so it 
    won't freeze in there this winter.

    I need a garage door opener for a 2 car garage.

    What is the latest wisdom on brand, style and size?
    Chain or screw? 1/4, 1/2 or 1/3 HP? Stanley, Sears, etc?

    Any input would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!

    --- Paul

If you're going to buy a chain opener, buy one made by Chamberlain (this
includes Sears).  I have a Stanley opener and regret ever buying it; it
leaks oil onto my car and the track tube jumps up and down when it runs.

The Genie screw drive openers look good, though I've never owned one.

I'd recommend a 1/2HP opener, if only because they tend to be the upper end of
the line.

			Steve

    I recently installed 1/3 hp Genie screw drive opener for my two doors.
    The doors were very light (re: cheap) so the 1/4HP may have been enough
    but maybe one of these years, I'll replace them...
    
    These are *extremely* easy to install... No leaking oil (unless you 
    go overboard adding lube, but it's not necessary).
    
    Two openers took about 5-6 hours of installation. Would have taken less
    but on my first shot I installed one of them too low.
    
    Very quiet and easy to install... Can't tell you how long they'll last
    though, only had them for 2 months...
    
    _Gary

    So is "screw drive" now the preferred means of moving the door?

    Or is chain drive still considered "old reliable."

    -=- Paul

Depends on which company you ask.  I've had no problems with chain drives,
but screw drives look appealing.

		Steve

    Another consideration is clearance. A friend just bought a new home in
    a new development, and we were going to install a couple of Genie
    screw-drive openers. However, we didn't have enough clearance to do
    so. A quick survey of some of the other homes in his neighborhood
    showed that none of the houses in the development had enough clearance
    for anything but a Stanley chain-drive.
    
    FWIW...

My garage door opener has stopped working via the remote control (manual use of
the wall-mounted button is fine). I've tried a new battery and when I had the
remote open I verified that the switch was mechanically okay. All the DIP
switches on the remote match those on the receiver. But no go.

The transmitter/receiver pair is from Sears; the opener itself is an
All--o-Matic (?!). The opener is probably 16 years old; the remote looks about
as old but may be a replacement. (I'm not the original owner.)

Am I in the market for a new remote and receiver, or is this repairable? are
these remote/receiver tandems pretty much universal; that is, can I use any
brand with my All-o-Matic opener? 

Who sells good remote/receivers and what do they cost?

Thanks,
Brian

Most of the remotes are universal; you can certainly buy a replacement at
Sears.   You should be able to buy any receiver for your opener as well.

			Steve

    
    	I had a similar problem with my setup... I have two separate
    	openers but only one receiver (two button remote).  One of
    	them stopped working from the remote.  When I took a close look
    	at the receiver circuit board, I found that one of the power
    	leads going to the inoperative opener had come unsoldered 
    	(probably from all the vibration).  After resoldering... it
    	works fine.
    
    	Ed

    I too had a similar problem.  The door opened from the button but not
    from the transmitter.  The problem turned to be broken solder
    connections on the receiver.  In my case, the receiver was mounted
    to the door opener by a 3 lug terminal strip.  Vibration caused the
    terminal strip to break free of the solder joint on the printed circuit
    board inside the receiver.  The break was NOT easily noticed.  Someone
    was pushing the transmitter opener button when I tapped on the receiver 
    module and the opener suddenly worked.   Hmmmm I thought..Somethings
    loose in here.    I believe this problem is fairly common.

    I had the same thing happen to my Sear's opener (receiver did not work
    but wall switch did....)

    	Sears sells a total kit (receiver and 2 transmitters) for about
    $60, so I purchased it but looking at the parts list, they also sell
    just the receiver (Special Order) for about $29 - since I did not need
    any more transmitters, I took the total kit back and just order the
    receiver... 

    	The receiver just connects to the wall switch (AC connect required
    for connecting the new receiver) and works with the standard Sears 
    transmitters....

    	But if your system is 16 years old, the older transmitter may not
    be compatible with the new style... may want to check out first.

    	I will add a note over the weekend to include the receiver order
    number....

    Good Luck...

    Sears Universal Radio Control kits:
    
    	Universal Receiver   -	41A3562 (app: $29) (This is a special order)
    	
    	Universal Receiver & Transmitter Control (Complete):
    
    		Model 139.53765 SR  (with 1 Transmitter) (app: $59)
    		Model 139.53766 SR  (with 2 Transmitter) (app: $??)

    Is there a such thing as a universal garage door remote
    control unit. The one I keep buying from the supplier that 
    installed my garage door opener breaks after one or two years.
    
    He charges an arm and a leg for replacements. Unfortunately
    the garage door opener is not one like sears, genie, or stanly.
    
    
    
    

There are many topics listed for garage door openers in note 1111.45.  Your
question is answered in at least one of them.

				Steve

    Didn't want to start a new note so I'm borrowing this one...
    
    I need some advice on a garage door opener keypad.
    This is a small (appox. 4"x6") pad that attaches somewhere
    outside of the garage and instead of using a remote to
    open the garage door, you punch in a combination of
    words or numbers.
    
    For the last 7-8 years we've been using a Genie brand.
    The first one went bad in about a year. The second one
    was bad when we bought it as was the third. I finally
    called Genie and they replaced it. Now it's been about
    two years and again it needs to be replaced.
    
    Now you're probably wondering why we have stuck with
    Genie. Basically because it is the only one we can find
    that doesn't come with a protective cover/door. 
    
    The Sears model has this door and because of where the
    pad has to be mounted, it would take some quick action 
    to punch in the code and shut the door/cover before the
    garage door opens. Otherwise, the cover would be ripped 
    off by the close proximity.
    
    The basic problem with the Genie is that it uses a 
    membrane pad design and the embedded wires/circuits
    give out. They are laminated and are difficult to
    repair (I've tried).
    
    Are there any other brands out there that I haven't
    seen?  Sears and Genie are the only ones I've come
    across.
    
    Thanks,
    Jodi-
    

    I think Stanley offers one.  The Sears is the same as Chamberlain,
    I'd imagine.
    
    				Steve

    Thanks Steve.

If necessary, you could probably just remove the cover from the Sears.  The 
whole case is plastic, and I don't think it's a particularly elaborate 
hinge.  Whether that's a good idea, or not, I don't know; the cover 
provides some protection from the elements.

I have a difficult time imagining how it could be mounted in such
a way that the door would damage it.  I can't think of any way of mounting 
with our garage doors that would result in the cover being damaged.  
The only protusion on the door is the handle, which is in the center, far 
from any potential mounting points.  Just out of curiosity, could you 
explain your situation.  (Think of it as a brain teaser, on which I'm 
stumped.)

   Gary

    
    
    
    
    	|  |								|
    	|  |<------------------------Garage Door----------------------->|
    Pad	|  |								|
    --->|[]|	      When the garage door opens, it passes very	|
    	|  |	      close to the wall where the pad is mounted        |
    	|  |								|
    	|  |								|
    	|  |				|___| Handle is not an issue    |
    	|  |____________________________________________________________|__
    	|  /
    	| /
    ____|/                              Driveway
    
    The garage door opens within two inches of the protruding wall
    where the pad is located. If the code is punched in while the 
    pad door is raised, the garage is close enough that it would hit
    the pad door before you have a chance to close it. Our kids use
    the pad alot and I can't count on them being fast enough to 
    pull this off correctly.
    
    Since all of the previous pads were mounted at the location shown,
    we want to locate any new pad in the same location. This is because
    moving the pad to a safer spot will leave unsightly holes in the stucco
    where the old pad was and will make the new pad more visable and
    vulnerable. 
    
    Our stucco is the kind that is permeated with color (as opposed
    to painting the surface) past attempts to match the color have
    been futile, and paint durability is lessened.
    
    I wouldn't remove the door on the Sears model. Two of our neighbors
    have this model and the buttons are rubber and raised. I think
    exposure to the elements would not benefit them.  The Genie that
    we have has a flat 'membrane' surface.  Rain, dirt, etc. cannot
    get into the pad itself.   
    
    Hope this helps...
    Jodi-

I live in Maynard, MA and am looking for some place "local" where I can purchase
an extra transmitter for my Stanley Garage Door Opener.  I seem to be unable to
find someplace that sells either extra transmitters or the Stanley Garage Door
opener itself.

Any suggestions?

    Several years ago, I noticed that Caldors carried them.
    
    -Peter
    

It's hard to find a store that DOESN'T carry Stanley!  Try any of the larger
home building center stores, such as HQ, Home Depot, Grossman's, etc.  I
know that HQ, Home Depot and Builder's Square all have the transmitters.
I also think that Sears sells "universal" transmitters that will work with
Stanley openers.

				Steve

So far I have tried HQ, Somerville Lumber, and Grossmans.  All they seem to
carry is the "Genie" brand of openers.  The transmitters do not say that they
work with a Stanley brand opener and no one at the stores seemed knowledgeable
enough to know if they would or would not work.

I will try Caldor's in Framingham to see if they carry them

    I believe that Stanley mfr's many of Sears Brand garage door openers.
    
    Open up your existing opener, and if it has a 9 or 10 switch 
    rocker switch assembly to set up your code, the Sears one ought 
    to work if you set the code accordingly.
    
    Ron

Re: .4

Sears openers are all made by Chamberlain.  But most of the modern openers
use compatible transmitters.

				Steve

    
    Nice drawing .9   :-).. 
    
    Unfortunately, we have a similar problem.   We are considering the 
    stanley keyed switch inside of a weatherproof electrical box (for
    the element protection).   How difficult would it be to make a new
    hole in the wall, install a new entry system (keyed or pad), then
    cover up the old hole with a brass plaque or something similar ?
    
    Anyone have information on the stanley keyed entry - do they last ?
    Do they corrode and deteriorate ? Does the key hole ice up (and hence
    not work because you can't get the key in) ?
    

    re: Sears Keypad
    
    This weekend I was doing some stuff outside the house, and  used
    the keypad to get in (it's a sears keypad) to the garage.  When
    I opened the door to the keypad, I remembered this notes stream.
    On our keypad, when you open the door, it hinges up 180 degrees
    and locks in that position.  At that point, the protrusion is
    about 1 1/4" out from the wall.  If you were to use that keypad,
    it would work with the door in the fully-opened position or in
    the closed position (same overall protrusion).  Only problem would
    be if the door was left in a position somewhere inbetween.
    
    We've had a sears opener for 11 years, and are on our 2nd keypad.
    The first pad stopped working after a major electrical storm
    came and blew out the circuit board (it's a separate module just 
    inside the garage door).  But that's been the only glitch - the
    keypad seems to work just fine.
    
    So I'd guess the sears keypad would work with the garage door
    described earlier (w/ 2" clearance) given the door was left 
    closed OR open all the way.
    
    andy
    

    I called Stanley last week and spoke to a customer engineer.
    He said that all the Stanley keypad openers were now remote,
    not hardwired, so you have to have a compatible garage door
    opener to use it. It's called a LightMaker, it doesn't have
    a door.  It broadcasts at 310 frequency. 
    If you have any other questions call:
    (800) 521-5262.
    
    As far as using the Sears model with door. Two of our neighbors
    have it. We have access to our next door neighbors home via the
    Sears. We use it quite a bit to feed their pets, etc. Neither
    neighbor have the same house facade we do so the cover isn't an
    issue for them. I wouldn't trust my kids with the Sears. They 
    are barely tall enough to hit the keys, let alone push the cover
    all the way up. 
    
    A brass or other kind of plate is not an option. There really is
    very little house showing on the front and the plate would be
    considered an 'eyesore' by either us, the neighbors or the very
    strict association.
    
    As soon as I remember to check what kind of opener we have, I 
    may go check out the Stanley.  By the way, if you call the 800#
    above, they will tell you all the stores in your area that carry
    their product.
    
    And .10, thanks for the compliment on my drawing...it's how I
    make a living. Seventeen years as a designer for Digital! Of
    course I do much better with the proper drawing applications. :^)
    
    Jodi-  

Why not just leave the existing, non-functional pad in place, and
put the new one in a more convenient location?  It can even go in the
back.

Is it really that difficult to patch the stucco?

   Gary

    No, it's not difficult to patch stucco, but the house we own 
    has stucco with the paint imbedded in the stucco. The advantage
    is that it will not need painting for a very long time since
    it won't peel or flake off. We did have to patch some stucco this
    summer after a new courtyard and wrought iron gate was installed.
    The gate required a doorbell so the stucco from the existing 
    doorbell to the porch floor had to be cut for access to the wires.
    Finding just the right color to match was quite a chore and we
    never did find a good match. Since this is away from the street,
    not in plain view, I didn't push the issue. The city we live in is
    a 'planned' community and everything has to be approved before 
    doing it. A front door cannot be replaced without approval even if
    it is not visable from the street. Same goes for house colors. You
    are allowed to select your colors only from a limited palette approved
    by the association board. You can have dark brown, light brown or tan.
    ;^)  The association is getting pretty wild in it's old age though
    and recently actually approved various shades of gray. No kidding :*)
     
    Anyhow back to the keypad...I would still prefer to just find
    another coverless keypad opener that would cover the old location.
    Life would be a lot simpler that way.  
    
    Jodi-

    I was in a similar boat with my garage transmitter/reciever.
    The opener was old (~1971) but in perfect working order when
    operated via the wall button.  I was able to buy a new
    transmitter/reciever set at Sears for around $50.  It's a no
    brainer installation (plug in the reciever, connect two wires
    to the opener, and you're done)  I believe most remote door openers
    use a similar two wire hookup from the reciever to the opener.
    
    Tom
    

    Does anybody know of a authorized Genie garage door opener dealer
    in the greater Maynard area.  The house I recently bought has a 
    Genie Track-Drive door opener that is need of repair.
    
    If someone could post Genie's phone number and address that would
    be great too.
    
    Thanks,
    
    Mark 

    re -.1
    Look up a dealer that sells Chamberlain Garage Door Openers.

Re: .35

That won't help.  .34 is in the wrong topic, really, since Genie openers
are unrelated to Sears.  (Chamberlain does make Sears openers.)

Home Depot sells Genie, and there are many of those around.

			Steve

    re. last few
    
    Thanks, for the info I'll try Home Depot.
    
    I thought I post my question in this note because it was related to
    garage opener parts, rather than start a new note considering there
    are about 20 other garage related notes.
    
    Mark

    I'm new to this conference. I have a problem with my garage door
    opener, and this looks like it is the most appropriate note.
    
    Over the last few weeks, the door has stopped halfway down
    (occasionally on the way up too, but mostly on the way down).
    
    It seems to me that when the something is binding, so it maybe that I
    need new wheels (there's some graunching noises from the tracks,
    nothing horrendous, but enough to make me think that this is where the
    trouble is). I wondered whether the tracks had been knocked out of
    alignment and this was the cause, though I can't see any sign of bent
    track. I've noted the comments in other notes about how to change the
    wheels, this shouldn't be too difficult if this is the cause of the
    problem.
    
    But... something else I noticed, and the reason I'm looking for advice.
    It also seems that as the motor starts pushing the door down, that it
    starts in too much of a hurry. This makes the door whiplash slightly,
    and may be inducing the binding. When the door stops halfway, I let it
    stop bouncing back and forward then press the button again. About half
    the time, it stops again immediately, and takes two or three more
    starts before it gets completely closed. I was wondering what
    adjustments there might be. I looked at the opener box (sorry, don't
    know the make, but can find out if that makes a difference). The only
    adjustment I could see was two bolts with wingnunts holding springs.
    One says "Open". The other (on the other side of the box) says "Close".
    I love to know what these adjust!!
    
    I have no instruction manual for the opener. Installed by the builder
    before we bought the house from him five years ago. 
    
    Any comments, assistance, etc., ould be appreciated.
    
    Thanks,
    
    Richard.

If it is a chain-drive opener (likely), then one important adjustment is
chain tension.  This will usually be a bolt on the bracket that attaches
the chain drive gear to the opener.  You want the tension so that there is
just a "bit" of slack (I think no more than 1/2 inch drop in the middle of
the chain).

I'm having the same problem with my Stanley opener that I installed 3 years
ago, but I haven't quite yet figured out what's going on.

The "Open" and "Close" adjustments are likely to be adjustments of closing
force (you want it as low as possible and still have the door close) and
the closing position (how far down the door goes).  I've never seen these
implemented with spring-loaded wingnuts before, though!



				Steve

	I would first disconnect the opener and check the operation of the
	door on its own. If it sticks without the opener, then you will want
	to fix that problem before looking at the opener - otehrwise you're
	just asking for your opener to break down as it tries to overcome a
	sticky door.

	You should also try to obtain the manual for your machine. If it's a
	major brand (i.e., geneie, stanley) then you should be able to call
	their national number (try 1-800 directory assistance to see if they
	have a toll-free number) and get a new manual.

	Roy

	Another thing that could cause problems is if the springs on
	each side are not matched.  I found this out after replacing
	a broken spring but not the old now much weaker spring on the
	other side.

    I went to Home Depot, they did not carry the model 900 like I have
    so they were unable to help me order parts. I did ask them if they 
    had there phone # and address which they had.
    
    The Genie Co.
    22790 Lake Park Blvd.
    Alliance, Ohio 44601
    
    Phone (216) 821-5360

    It's also quite possible that the metal ceiling track is two pieces
    which bolt together.  That's how my Sears units are made.  Check to
    make sure the two peices of track line up exactly and that the "slide
    assembly" can travel along the entire length without binding.
    
    Chet
    
    

    thanks for all the ideas...I'll print out all this note and 
    spend some time on this at the weekend.
    
    btw, the name on the side of the motor housing is "Guardian".
    The only names I've seen in the various notes about door openers 
    in here are Sears, Genie, and Chamberlain. Any comments about 
    Guardian?
    
    Thanks again. I'll let you all know the outcome. Assumes I fix it, 
    of course. :-)
    
    - Richard.

There are a number of "private label brands" of openers, sold by installers.
They're often made by one of the "big names" (for example, "Lift-A-Door"
is made by Chamberlain), but it's often difficult to deduce the 
manufacturer.  If you're really having problems, it may be worth calling
someone who specializes in garage doors and openers (in the Nashua area,
for instance, Fimbel) and asking them to look at it.  They'd probably know
about your "Guardian" opener.

				Steve

I also have a problem with a garage door opener.  I wonder if 
anyone has an idea...

The garage door works with the remote control, but usually not
with the switch on the wall.  When you use the switch on the wall,
the door gets stuck part way.  If you hold in the button it seems to 
work better but still not perfectly.

Also, sometimes when you are playing with the button on the wall to get
the door down, the light on the button starts blinking.  Then, the 
remote controls (in the cars) need to be reprogrammed but the 
touch pad on the outside of the garage still works!!!

It is rather confusing to me, does anyone have an idea about where
I should start looking for a problem?  Again, the system works well 
when you use the remote controls, so it is not the force on the door,
right?

Amy

Oh yea, the system is a fairly new Sears 1/2hp chain system.
    

    I'll make a guess....
    
    The switch on the wall is a push-button, right? and if yo push it while
    the door is moving, it will stop, then restart when pushed a third
    time, right?
    
    If that's the case, then I would guess that the contacts inside the
    switch are too close together, too flexible, or something. I think
    you're getting bounce in some way, and gets what it thinks is a second
    pulse. 
    
    This would fit the blinking light, too, since (at least on my door)
    pressing the button will turn the light out, it's only when you release
    the button that the door starts moving and the light comes back on
    again.
    
    hth
    
    - Richard.

>    This would fit the blinking light, too, since (at least on my door)

That would fit a 'flickering' light.  But isn't a steady blinking light 
usually a sign that the opener lost power and hence lost it's programming
for the remotes.

Dan

    Well, I have an answer to my last question...
    
>>>The garage door works with the remote control, but usually not
>>>with the switch on the wall.  When you use the switch on the wall,
>>>the door gets stuck part way.  If you hold in the button it seems to 
>>>work better but still not perfectly.

>>>Also, sometimes when you are playing with the button on the wall to get
>>>the door down, the light on the button starts blinking.  Then, the 
>>>remote controls (in the cars) need to be reprogrammed but the 
>>>touch pad on the outside of the garage still works!!!
    
    This is a known problem with a specific release of the logic 
    board.  The repair man swapped the logic boards and gave me new 
    wall switches.  
    
    The problem was that (especially with the single button wall switch
    which I had) the garage door opener sometime mis-read a command to 
    lock the garage doors from the door open button.  Since I did not
    even have a holiday lock function on my button, the machine was 
    confused. :-)  The new board has software that only interprets the
    holiday lock function if it is held in for a while (about a sec). 
    Sounds like an intersting fix...
    
    Anyway, this new board only works with the new wall button that
    has a light switch and holiday lock on it so we got that too.  All
    on warrentee even though that expired months ago.  This is the first
    time that I have been pleasantly pleased with Sears repair.  Not
    the product mind you, it should not have gone out like that or 
    there should have been a recall...
    
    Live and learn,
    Amy

    Update on my problem with the door stopping halfway down....
    
    I tightened all the nuts and bolts on the door and track. Many 
    on the door were loose, none on the track.
    
    The door hasn't stuck since; however it's somewhat jerky going 
    down. It looks to me that there is too much slack in the chain 
    (as was suggested in an earlier reply). This matters more when the 
    door is going down, as there is twice as much chain to pull in the
    slack on when the motor first starts. 
    
    I plan to take up this slack (but haven't managed to do it yet). I
    think this is an adjustment at the end of the chain furthest from the
    motor, just above the door. Hopefully, this weekend....
    
    Thank you all for your help so far, I'll let you know what happens.
    
    - Richard.

	    I don't remember seeing anyone suggest oiling the bearings 
	for the garage door.

					Tim

My father-in-law had a "jerky" garage door and we tried everything we could
think of to make it smooth operating, alignment, plumb adjustments, new springs,
etc.).  Finally found the roller wheel bearings were gone

    yes, oiling the wheels was suggested somewhere. I also plan on trying 
    that.
    
    But thanks for the reminder!
    
    - Richard.

    btw, I did try disconnecting the drive, and found that I could 
    roll the door up and down without much difficulty. It didn't 
    stick at any point, so I don't think I have a track alignment 
    problem.
    
    - R.

    I've taken up the slack in the chain, as much as I dare, and 
    although it still jerks a little, it's far better than it was.
    
    I also oiled all the track wheels, and that has helped too.
    
    It's now so quiet that I keep thinking that the doot has been 
    unhitched from the chain and it's just the motor and chain that 
    are moving. Yes, really!
    
    So I'm going to consider this problem solved and not worry about 
    it any more.
    
    - Richard.

    
    My garage door opener stopped working last summer during one of those
    electrical storms. Brand is Gennie. It does not work from the xmiter or
    local switch. Can anyone offer advise as to what might have happened?
    and is it more expensive to fix than to replace?
    
    thanks in advance
    steve

It's probably a circuit board inside the opener.  Likely to be less expensive
to replace that than the entire opener.

				Steve

Anyone know if there are any other brands of Keypad entry switches that
will work with the Stanley GDOs?  I can't find anyone convenient that
sells stanley GDOs locally.

Thanks

Stuart

I think they're all pretty much interchangeable.  Try Sears.

			Steve

    
    Can anyone tell me where I might find parts for a Genie brand door
    opener? I tried to call the mfg phone number listed on the unit but
    the number has been disocnnected. I need the electronics board.
    
    thanks
    steve

    Try 800-OK-GENIE.
    
    		Steve

    I need to replace my "Allistar" brand 2 button remote garage door opener 
    with a physically smaller unit.  Are there any compatability issues
    among the various remote control units.  Can I use a Sears, Genie or 
    Stanely remote control with my existing receiver?  Which remote control 
    has the best range?  
    	As a point of interest, My Allistar remote(probably made by some 
    larger company) has an effective range of about 40ft..sometimes.  The rest
    of the time it has a max range of about 20ft.  The unit is about 3 years 
    old and I've changed the battery twice with no great improvement.
    
        

There are compatibility issues; the frequency that the transmitter uses differs
between brands.

My wife's garage door has an Allister opener (5+ years old) and she can open
it from half a block away.  Check to see if the receiver's antenna wire is
hanging down straight.  Also, where do you have the transmitter when you
use it?  Is it being blocked by metal in the car?

				Steve

    re -.1  I checked that the antenna is hanging straight down as the first 
    step in troubleshooting the remote, then I changed the battery.  The 40
    ft range is when I'm standing on the sidewalk getting the mail out of
    the mail box and the cars's still in the garage.   I Guess it doesn't have
    much range...
    	The reason I want a different transmitter is that my wife just got a
    Caravan that has an overhead console with a storage door for the
    remote.  Susposedly, after you velcro the remote to the inside ceiling
    behind the door, you just push up on the door and a post on the
    inside of the door hits the remote control button....if everything is
    correctly lined up.  The problem is that the Allistar remote is long
    enough so that I can't position it in the compartment so that I can get
    the doormounted post to hit the button.    
    	I looked at some Stanley and Genie remotes at Home Depot last nite.  
    From what I could see, they are all on a frequency of 390Mhz.  What I'm 
    not sure of is if they have different modulation techniques which would
    make them incompatable or if there is a "universal" remote, similiar to
    the remote control units available for home VCR's an TV etc. that will
    work with "any" garage door opener.
         FYI...Genie has an 800 number for question and info.  I'm going to
    call it later tonite.  The number is 1-800-OK-GENIE
    
    
                                                       

I have a similar problem and thought I would ask here before calling Sears.

I have a two car garage with two doors. I installed one Sears opener about
4 years ago. It has a remote/receiver which allows you to set a code based
on dip switches in the units.

For Christmas I received a newer Sears unit which I installed last weekend.
This one seems to have units with unique, firmware based codes which are
transmitted to the receiver. 

My question is, Is there a way I can use the new remotes to control the
older receiver? I.e. set the dip switches to the firmware code (assuming
the protocol is compatible and I could figure it out).

The reason I'd like to do this is so I only need to have one remote
in each car. Also the newer remotes are smaller and easier to use.

						Mark

    re .21
    
    You might try to see if the new unit can learn the code from the older
    transmitter. If it can, then all you have to do is try all the
    combinations of dip switches to make the old unit accept the code from
    the new transmitter !
    
    I suspect, though, that they use different coding techniques and maybe
    even a different frequency.
    
    Andrew

>    If it can, then all you have to do is try all the
>    combinations of dip switches to make the old unit accept the code from
>    the new transmitter !

	Uh, yeah. Let's see, 9 switches, three positions each (-, 0, +).
	Guess I know what I'll be doing for the next 849 weekends! :-) ;-)

	(The thought had crossed my mind but I immediately dismissed it)

>    
>    I suspect, though, that they use different coding techniques and maybe
>    even a different frequency.

	I suspect you are right. At this point I'm more curious than
	anything else. The engineer in me wants to see if I can make
	it work. I'll probably give Sears a call and see if I can find
	out any details on the protocol.

						Mark

Someone told me this idea: the new opener "head" may have a terminal block
accessible on its outside which may have terminals that are switched on/off with
the transmitter.  These terminals may be there to switch external accessories
from the transmitter.  If there are terminals like this, then you could wire up
the old opener head off of one of these, then operate the old opener with one of
the (other) buttons on the new transmitter.

    
>    even a different frequency.
    
    To debug a fault in one of my Fimbrel transmitters I tested it near a
    portable radio, scanning the frequency until I picked interference from the
    transmitter.  I wonder if this could be a way to find the frequency of
    your model?

I was just at a Sears.  It looks like you can get a little receiver that you can
program to one of the function buttons on the new transmitters.  You can then
use the little receiver to control the old opener.

                                                   
    re .21 (Sears compatibility)
    
    
    I have two Sears openers. One came with the house (installed 1987ish)
    and I installed the second one in 1991. The older model has DIP switches
    on the unit and inside the remote. The newer unit has no dip switches on
    the opener but the remote(s) still have DIP switches inside.
    
    
     To set the code on the older unit, you just match DIP switch settings
     between the remote and the opener.  On the newer unit, you set the DIP
     switches in the remote, push a button on the back of the opener, then
     push a button on the remote. Apparently this "programs" the opener for
     the proper code.
    
     I also prefered the design of the newer remotes. Two came with the newer
     unit and I wanted to use them both. The new remote has three buttons on
     it. I set the DIP switches inside to match the older opener. Then I used
     the above mentioned technique to program the new opener with one of the
     remaining two buttons.
    
    > This one seems to have units with unique, firmware based codes which
    > are transmitted to the receiver.
         
     Hmmmmmmmm.........
     This sounds like possibly a *third* type of opener, or at least the 
     remote. Have you opened the remote (screwdriver) and looked for a DIP
     switch?
    
    
    A neighbor of mine has an older Sears opener with DIP switches and needed
    a replacement remote for it. He bought the remote/receiver combo described
    in .26 and mumbled something about not being able to buy a straight
    replacement for his broken remote. I'm not sure if he tried getting a
    remote control at the "Parts" department or just tried the main retail
    store.
    
    /Charlie
            

    I don't know exactly how the "switchless" openers work, but I would
    guess that they are not compatible with the "switched" kind.
    
    				Steve

     re .28
    
            Steve, I'm not too sure what you're trying to say. Are you
        responding to my reply (.27) or possibly the idea of wiring the two
        units together as mentioned in (.24)?          
            
     Thanks,
     Charlie

reply -.26
    
    Below are the Sears kits - since my Sears receiver went bad and I
    already had a number of transmitters, you are able to buy just the
    receiver (it is a special order) and use your Sears transmitters....
    This also works with the Sears "one" function transmitter.
    
    
    Sears Universal Radio Control kits:
    
    	Universal Receiver   -	41A3562 (app: $29) (This is a special order)
    	
    	Universal Receiver & Transmitter Control (Complete):
    
    		Model 139.53765 SR  (with 1 Transmitter) (app: $59)
    		Model 139.53766 SR  (with 2 Transmitter) (app: $??)

Re: .29

I'm saying that I doubt you can use the new "automatic code setting"
transmitter with an older switch-style receiver.

				Steve

    
    re: .31
    
       I doubt it too, as I asked in .27, there appears to be a third type
       of Sears opener/remote combo (I have TWO), can someone verify this? 
    
      >> This sounds like possibly a *third* type of opener, or at least the
      >> remote. Have you opened the remote (screwdriver) and looked for a 
      >> DIP switch?
    
    /Charlie
    
     

>       I doubt it too, as I asked in .27, there appears to be a third type
>       of Sears opener/remote combo (I have TWO), can someone verify this? 
>    

	I'll check it again tonight, but I don't remember seeing any dip
	switches in the new remote. Just a circuit board.

	As to buying the kit to make the remotes compatible...for $59+ I'll
	live with the old remote. :-)

						Mark

My wife came home yesterday to find my garage door open.  We have two Sears 
1/2 HP openers installed and this is the first time this has happened.  I 
have checked with my neighbors to see if they may have tripped it (the 
"thousands" of codes is supposed to prevent this, right?).  I went over all 
the wires and validated both remote and wall switch functions.  All appears 
well.  I HATE intermittents!

My assumption is that these days there is lots that could interfere - car 
phones? cordless phones? home automation gizmos?  Could it be a low-flying 
747???

I do remember a problem with two co-located Stanley openers I had a few 
years ago - I needed to install new boards as they were interfering with 
each other.

Any wild ideas?

Chris

    This has happened to me as well. We have two of the Sears 1/2 hp
    openers, and the older one (mine) will at times be open when we get
    home (4-6 times per year). I am fairly certain that it is not another
    remote from a neighbor. They live too far away. I have speculated that
    my unit might be sensitive to power fluctuations. We lose power for
    short periods fairly frequently. Do you have power interuptions too?
    
    Chris Kellogg @MRO
    MROA::CKELLOGG

>My assumption is that these days there is lots that could interfere - car 
>phones? cordless phones? home automation gizmos?  Could it be a low-flying 
>747???

    It could have been an intermmitent (radio signal) fluke.


>Any wild ideas?

    Did it close all the way when you left it for the day? 

    After a few years and/or with weather season changes, my doors
    didn't close as easily as they did when then were first set-up.
    This caused a problem where the door would close almost all the
    way and then bind up near the bottom. The saftey reverse feature
    of the door would then kick in and open the door.

    Oh course, this happens just after you take that last look at the
    door on it's way down and start driving up the street leaving the
    garge wide open for the day!

    Charly

I've never had it happen to either of my Sears openers but the Stanley on 
one of the other doors (there are 4 altogether) used to open every time a 
C-130 flew right over the garage on the approach into Moore Field (Fort 
Devens)

I removed the remote and use the button, exclusively.  It's a nuisance at 
times,but it's the door where one of my antique cars is stored so it 
doesn't get "used" all that often anyways.

One of these days I'll replace it with a Sears but I've got one in the box 
right now that still hasn't been installed on the remaining door  :-)

Time, where does it go???????

    
    
    I vote for the door opening (auto-reversing safety feature) when you close
    it to leave for the day. As someone mentioned earlier, the door might not
    close quite as easily as it did when the opener was first installed, or the
    opener (torque) adjustments were just on the border line of adequate, and
    need readjusting. If you have the owners manual for your opener, the
    procedure for these adjustments is in there and pretty simple. If not let
    me know. Most people don't lube and adjust the openers which probably
    should be done at least one a year too (grease rail, lube and adjust chain
    tension at a minimum) BTW, I'm just as guilty as the next guy :^).
    
    /Charlie

    This is a Fimbel drive, so the design might be totally different to
    yours, but it's worth checking:
    
    I've been through the process of checking, oiling and adjusting
    thinking that it was the auto-reverse problem.  I still found the door
    open a few times on returning to the house.
    
    The problem turned out to be a toggle switch.  On the chain is a roller
    that hits a cam when the door is max open or closed.  The spoked wheel
    which drives the chain is mounted on this cam too.  When the roller
    hits the cam, it activates a toggle switch which stops the motor.
    This switch is located right inder the cam, on top of the drive box.
    
    The arm of the switch passes through a rubber grommet in the cam
    but the grommet was worn so that the switch would stand up straight.
    Just enough to stop the electrical contact and halt the door.  Then
    sometime during the day the switch would snap back and activate the
    door.
    
    Did a kludge repair by slipping a bit of plastic tube over the toggle
    switch arm and it hasn't spontaneously opened for about a a month.
    
    Colin
    

    One of the first things I checked was if the door is closing all the
    way. So I waited to confirm that it had before leaving. It closes all
    the way, and when I do find it open, it is open all the way.

    ....a wild one here,,,,,,,,it could be closing all the way but the
    motor could still be running,,and of course it can't go down anymore
    so.....................I have 2 sears 1/2's myself for 5 years and
    never had them open without pushing the remote (even then sometimes
    they don't open :^o )...... one door sticks about 3/4's of the way down
    and will reopen in the extreme cold days. 
    
                                         -Steve
    
    

    
    Has anyone seen a generic replacement for the FIMBEL Linear 2-button
    transmitter?  Home Depot has generic replacements for most brands but
    not Fimbel. 
    
    Thanks,
    
    Colin
    

Fimbel is a Nashua-local dealer which has a line of private-label openers
made by other companies.  Does your opener or its remote indicate what
frequency it uses?  You should be able to match that to remotes at the
store.  I'd guess that a generic remote SHOULD work, but you'd want to have
the ability to return it if it doesn't.

				Steve

    
    Thanks Steve,
    
    HD told me they were local.  I 'phoned them and they want $35
    for a replacement, unless the frequency is 290.  If it
    is 290 then I have to replace both transmitters and the
    receiver as that frequency is no longer used.
    
    Unfortunately, without the original documentation the only way
    to tell the frequency is to take it back to Fimbel.  maybe
    I'll try one of the $19 universal remotes first.
    
    Regards,
    
    Colin
            

Can you look at the receiver to see if it gives the frequency?  It often
does.

			Steve

    Mike Papagno
    SVCRUS::PAPAGNO
    DTN: 275-3153
    
    Does anyone know how to disable the safety reversing sensor in
    a Sears garage door opener. Mine took a power surge during a recent
    storm and I would like to use the door opener while I wait for my
    parts to arrive from Sears.
    
    Thanks,
    Mike 

    I believe if you disconnect it completely, the opener will function
    again. It's a Chamberlain opener, with some Sears mods, and they all
    work basically the same...
    
    Chris
    

    
    My Sears door opener won't operate with the safety disengaged... I 
    had to jumper the thing where the wires from the "eyes" run into the
    unit.
    
    								- Mac

    Mine opens okay with the remote opener and the wall mount opener. To
    close I have to use the wall mount and hold the button until it's
    completely closed.
    
    I ordered new sensors, but they wouldn't work. Must have also fried
    something on the circuit board.
    
    Mike

re a few back on garage door opening "by itself"

This happened to us as well.

We have a switch on the outside, for opening
of one of the garage doors from the outside, the switch
sits at the where the siding meets the concrete foundation 
about 3' From the ground. See scematic drawing below.

In late winter, sometimes the downspout fills with ice and
water runs on the outside of the wall right where the
switch is and gets inside the switch itself. (

What followed was a door that opened / closed randomly. 
It took us a while to figure out why this was happening.
We've since replaced the switch with a type for outdoor use (!),
and have not had problems lately.


	/
	/
	/	Siding
	/
	/
	/
	x|    <---- location of button, where 'x' is
	 |
	 |	Concrete foundation ~ 3' high
	 |
	 |

           This has been inactive for quite awhile!
           
           Anyhow, thought this might be the place to post this question:
           
           I have a beam running halfway across a 2-car garage running
           parallel to the doors (because of family room above).  I opted
           not to have opener installed when addition was built
           (mistake), but I remember being told I'd need a special opener,
           'cause that beam is in the way.  Anyone have a similar garage?
           If so, what did you install?  Who did it?  How much?
           
           Steve

	Measure the distance from the door wall to the beam.  If 
it's more than 8 or 9 feet, I'd say you're ok.  My garage is 22'
square, and the openers are well toward the front wall, so if you
say your beam is really in the middle, that'd be about 11 feet,
and you should clear.  Figure a 7' high door, so at full open it's
at most 7' from the wall, and the opener might at 2' more to that...
of course, I haven't measured this out, but it's close.

	I bet you're ok.  Of course, you might have height clearance
problems, not length - perhaps that's what the individual was referring
to.

    As long as the bottom of the beam does not hang lover than the top of
    the garage door,,,,, you may be able to use a low overhead bracket
    on the top panel of your door.  What this kit does is to allow the
    top panel of the door to tip horizontal quicker than it normally
    would if it were to follow the track thus allowing the door to be
    pulled open in a lower overhead space.       A1 Garage Door Co. out
    of Lunenburg installed two of these for me and I am sure they
    would tell you if they could work for you.
    
    Bruce May

Well, I found my last reply posted just about 1 year ago.  Found my door open
again on Tues and Wed.  While I don't expect any new revelations, I do want to
relay a timeline for the Tuesday event.  It's interesting...

My wife leaves the house at 4:05 to take the kids to function.  She's very
certain of the time, as she does the same routine every Tuesday.  I arrive home
about 4:30.  The door is open and the light is off (it stays on for 4.5
minutes).  My wife is certain my door was closed (I closed it in the morning)
and she did not access that door any time during the day.  Anyway, with the
light off, it tells me that it could not have opened any time after ~4:25. 
So, between 4:05 and 4:25 the door opened.  Oh yea, hers was closed, as she has
a habit of watching the door until it closes fully.

It stayed closed during the temp changes and the wet weather.  My one neighbor
with GD openers has a different brand and I cannot place him near the "crime
scene" during this time.

See you next year...

ARGGGGG!

Chris

    I'd still go with the fluke radio signal. 

    People have been known to drive around pushing their remote garage
    door openers just for kicks to see if any doors near by would
    react.

    And different brands may still conflict with each other. So don't
    ruled out a neighbor with a different brand. Although, if this
    were the case, you probably be having more problems then once a
    year.

    I just pick-up a spare remote the other day at Home Depot and
    there seem to be about three types of remotes that cover more than
    a dozen different brands of door openers. Each remote had a list
    of several to many brands that it was compatable with.

    Try changing the code and report back here in a year. ;-)

    Charly

While I will not rule out the fluke signal, I wonder why the other door has
never had this problem.  Same model.  I live 1/4 mile from the highway with two
other houses.  Only one neighbor has openers (I will try his remote tonight).

FWIW - I called Chamberlain.  The woman I spoke with acknowledged that
intermittents are hard to debug (I agree) but in her experience, there is a
break of some kind in the wire running to the wall switch.  She felt that the
probability of a break was higher than someone else having my frequency - given
my location/isolation from traffic, etc.  She suggested checking the wire and
then disconnecting it to see what happens. 

I will also clear and reprogram the unit.

Like I had nothing else to do this weekend...!

Chris

>While I will not rule out the fluke signal, I wonder why the other door has
>never had this problem.  Same model.  I live 1/4 mile from the highway with two
>other houses.  Only one neighbor has openers (I will try his remote tonight).

because the other one is on a slightly different frequency or has a code 
that's a digit or more away from the one that's opening when it's not 
supposed to.  Like another noter said, try changing the code and get back 
to us in a year.

>break of some kind in the wire running to the wall switch.  She felt that the
>probability of a break was higher than someone else having my frequency - given
>my location/isolation from traffic, etc.  

FWIW, there's a kid who lives in my s-i-l's neighborhood in New Jersey 
that's made a hobby out of figuring out everyone's garage door opener codes.  
He's managed to get quite a few into his book.

re: .-1
    
>FWIW, there's a kid who lives in my s-i-l's neighborhood in New Jersey 
>that's made a hobby out of figuring out everyone's garage door opener codes.  
>He's managed to get quite a few into his book.
    
    It seems to me it would not be difficult to electronically modify a
    transmitter to just transmit every possible code in sequence.  I don't
    know how close together you could send each signal, but even if its as
    much as 3 seconds between each try, a 10-bit code will only take 15 or
    20 minutes to crack on average.  I guess what I'm trying to say is
    don't rely on garage door codes for tight security -- lock the door
    manually if you'll be out of town for a while and you're concerned
    about someone getting in (w/o breaking windows).
    
    
    	Steve

    If I'm going to be away, I pull the plug out of the door opener.

    re: .46
    
    Yeah, I saw this on Star Trek once! After the landing party beamed
    down, Mr. Spock programmed his tricorder to transmit all the possible
    frequencies for this garage door opener on an as-yet unexplored planet.
    Bingo - within minutes, the door is open, a gaggle of scantily-clad
    women with silver skin come out to greet them, the unknown ensign in
    the landing party dies and Kirk, Spock and McCoy get captured...well,
    you know the drill.
    
    So, you might want to check with your neighbors to see if any
    pointy-eared strangers have been seen in the area lately!
    
    (hundreds of) 8-)
    Live long and prosper!

    
    I just saw a piece on Dateline (or one of those news shows) regarding
    the garage door openers.  On the back of your remote there are some
    buttons/switches and all doors come factory set to the same signal. 
    You are supposed to set a code on your remote and set the same remote
    on your unit in the garage.
    
    Alot of people don't read the full directions and they leave the
    factory codes set and wa-la - a theif comes on by w/a remote control
    factory set from sears (or any hardware store) and he goes along and
    hits the button until he finds someone who did not set their code.  The
    guy from the show - opend just about every door on the block - he
    stoped to ask the home owners if they knew about the code setting and
    they had no idea!
    
    Lkp

    We have a single car garage with a 13 yr. old Automatic Doorman opener.
    The chain recently starting coming off of the sprocket above the door
    opening. A neigbor and I managed to get it back on again only to have 
    it come right off again. I had to disconnect and remove the chain so the 
    door can now be opened freely by hand but my wife is upset because she 
    has a hard time doing this. The light that should come on when the 
    door is opened hasnt worked for a long time either(bad circuit board?).
    Im wondering if its time to give up on this and get a new one. If I do,
    am I using the existing hardware(chain, etc)and whats actually involved
    in replacing a 13yr old door opener? 
    
    thanks,
    
    Barry 
    

    Maybe the chain needs adjustment? Too much slack?
    
    ...tom

There's a tension adjustment, usually a bolt you turn on top of the opener.
However, replacing an opener is fairly simple - you would use the new
track and chain/screw (I'd recommend a screw-drive model).

					Steve

    re: .50
    
    Barry,
    
    My Craftsman has an adjustment for chain tension, I would think that most
    chain driven brands would. One mine, they basically use a bolt and metal
    bracket conncted to the chain, which serves as an adjustable link. You
    loosen the both (lengthen it) to add slack to the chain, or tighten it 
    (shorten it) to remove slack. I would think if your chain has a very
    noticeable sag over its full length, this could be your problem. I "think"
    my Sears wants about 1/4 to 1/2" or so of sag, over the full length.
    WARNING: You don't want the chain so tight that it binds (and cooks the
    opener motor.)
    
    re: the light not turning on 
    
    My first guess (without seeing a schematic) would be that a relay is the
    culprit. Electro mechanical devices are a good place to start in a circuit
    like this. I don't know if you are prepared to tear it apart and start
    desoldering/soldering components...
            
    
    I have no idea how easy it is for you to get info/parts for your
    opener (13 years is pretty old depending on use/abuse), what kind of shape
    it is in (besides mentioned problems), or your mechanical ability. I can
    say that opener safety (auto reversing) has improved greatly over the
    years (especially important with kids.) If you can/would install a new
    opener yourself (probably save $75-$100) Sears often has 1/2 hp model on
    sale in the $150 range. Chain drive models are pretty noisy, which can be a
    concern if your garage is under your house (like mine). Chains also need
    periodic adjustment, but that's no big deal for me. I haven't owned a
    screw drive, but they are quiet. I have two Sears (Chamberlain) chain drive
    models and like them fine (just noisy). The available keypads, keychain
    remotes and other goodies (usually optional, sometimes included) are
    important to some folks. Many of these items are not available for older
    openers. If these are something you want to add, you might want to go with
    a new unit.
    
    Feel free to ask any additonal questions here or via mail.
    
    Good Luck,
    Charlie
                                        

    
    I have an 8 year old 1/2 HP Sears chain drive and a 2 year old 1/2
    HP Sears chain drive. The newer one is much louder than the old and 
    (although they're both on the same circuit) has been wiped out by nearby
    lightning strikes two summers in a row (not covered by warranty).
    
    								- Mac 

If your looking for a new opener, I just purchased two Liftmaster 1/2hp screw
drives.  They go for about $180 but they are currently offering a $20 rebate
($10 on the 1/3hp model).  And if you are wondering, installation runs about
$100 per.

    -2
    
    a few years ago we were hit by lightening and the garage door opener
    was zapped.  This was replaced by my house insurance.  I made the
    mistake of replacing my stanely with a sears unit.
    
    Brian

    
    Whats so bad about the Sears models I have two and they both work
    fine.?
    
    Matt

    
    RE:  What's so bad about Sears models?
    
    	My older one keeps on working (well, the keypad option died but
        the opener still works). My newer one seems extremely susceptible
    	to power surges... and unfortunately when it dies it opens the 
    	door leaving a fortune in tools unguarded until I come home.
    
    		First time it died it cost $70 to fix (DIY).
    		This time it cost $20 to fix (DIY).
    
        Personally, I was kind of hoping that the new one had REALLY been
    	killed this time... because I'd love to justify ripping it down 
    	and putting in a screw drive model. The chain drive are just too 
    	loud.
    
    					  		- Mac		

    My Sears screw drive model chewed itself up at the junction of the
    screw and the motor. There is (was) a universal joint that ground up
    and now binds. When I checked the price of a replacement screw, it was
    $120. A new opener etc was $135.
    
    I now use an Armstrong opener ;-)
    
    

    
    I had two screw drive models that were not Sears and they got zapped
    a few summers ago during an electrical storm.  Since then I replaced both
    with new sears models running to line conditioners with no problems all
    summer.
    
    Mf- 

I have one screw drive and three chain drive models.  Contrary to what the 
TV adverts tell you, the screw drive is the worst.  It jerks far worse than 
the 2 Sears and one Stanley chain drive openers.

The screw drive is also CONSIDERABLY slower than the other three chain 
drive units.

The screw drive is abysmally slow in the winter when the grease starts to 
cake up in the cold weather, too.

My advise, stay away from a screw drive unit unless you have well oiled 
wheels on the tracks, perfect alignment in the tracks, and A HEATED GARAGE.

I switched to the screw drives and love them.  One of my chain drives burnt out
and I replaced it with a screw drive.  It make much less noise and has required
no maintance, its in its 4th year now.  It runs faster and even the remotes
range is furture.  I liked it so much I replace the other one with a screw drive
last year.

Its a garage under so it is heated to some degree...

Guess your mileage will vary,
-Tim

    Re: 1092.62 by DSSDEV::RICE
    
    What brand?

    I've got a Genie 1/2 HP screw drive, and I love it. It's much quieter
    than my parents' chain drive unit, it's fast enough, and unlike the
    chain drive unit, you can't force the door up by applying lots of force
    to the handle.

    
    Solution for increase security  ?
    
    Use the first remote control to supply power to the opener for a period 
    of some minutes.
    
    Now use the second control to open/close the door .....
    
    It may prevent any ghost action caused by a single failure 
    
    H.

RE: .63  They're the Genie 1/2 HP model

I have an OLD Sears garage door opener. The other day I pushed the buttons to
raise the door and it stopped a little more than halfway up. I pushed the button
again and it went back down. When I pushed the button a third time, the door
went all the way up. There doesn't seem to be anything in the way on the tracks
that would trip the safety stop. It's happened once more since. Does anybody
have any ideas about what could cause this?  

I have visions of my wife pushing the button, observing the door begin its
ascent and then pulling out of the garage not realizing the door didn't quite
make all the way up...

Steve B. 

    make sure the tracks (both the opener track and the door track) are
    clean. The opener track needs to have a light coat of grease as well. 
    
    And check that there are no binding links in the chain..
    
    ...tom

    
    re:.67
    
    Make sure the door opens fine (try it several times if intermittent)
    manually.
    
    /Charlie

    Also at this time of the year the grease tends to get stiff, combine 
    that with all the dust and dirt that gets in there over the course of a
    year and you have the makings of a very non-slippery surface.  Best bet
    is to take some cleaner, turp, denatured alcohol, etc, and clean the
    track.  Regrease it and go.  Also, it's a good time to take the cover
    off the motor compartment and regrease the gears.  My Sears unit
    recommends that be done twice a year.  When I bought the house, it
    looked like it had never been done, and that's probably why the gears
    failed that first winter.  BTW, Sears sells a "refurb" kit for most of
    their openers that consists of the worm and drive gears, some grease
    and a few other parts.  It made mind work like new.
    
    Ken

>                       <<< Note 1092.67 by ASDG::SBILL >>>
>                         -< Door stops halfway up... >-
>
>I have an OLD Sears garage door opener. The other day I pushed the buttons to
>raise the door and it stopped a little more than halfway up. I pushed the button
>again and it went back down. When I pushed the button a third time, the door
>went all the way up. There doesn't seem to be anything in the way on the tracks
>that would trip the safety stop. It's happened once more since. Does anybody
>have any ideas about what could cause this?  

Well, start with the easy stuff in the last couple of replies.
Also check the up/down force settings on the unit to see if they
might be too unforgiving.
But be ready to replace the opener or its controller board.
My Sears starting failing the same way, intermittently, over the course
of several months.
(My experience may be earlier in this string, I'm not sure.)
Eventually the door wouldn't reliably move either open or closed, even 
with the force settings set at the extremes.
It cost $100 to have Sears change the controller.

- tom]

    Matt
    
    Sorry about the delay in responding to your .57  Whats wrong with the
    sears model.
    
    First thing is its a lot noiser than my stanely was.
    
    Second thing it was harder to install
    
    Third thing is you just can't turn the light on in the garage unless
    you buy some gizmo addon.  The stanley used to have a ball chain you
    pulled on and the light stayed on until you pulled it off.  This is a
    serious inconvience when I am puttering around in the garage.  
    
    Last the two controls that came with the sears one broke in about a
    month.
    
    Overall, I would not buy a sears again.
    
    Brian
    

    The Sears units are slightly modified Chamberlain openers... Most of
    the Chamberlain remotes and switches will work with them - try Spags,
    HQ, etc. 
    
    CHris
    

    I have a pair of Sears Garge Door openers in My garage. Recently one of
    them stopped working when using the transmitter.
    
    The transport mechanism works fine when operated by the hard wired wall
    switch. When using the transmitter it does not. 
    
    I have repalced the bettery in the transmitter and when pressing the
    transmit switch the red light goes on.
    
    Can you suggest a way to determine if the transmitter is faulty, the
    receiver faulty or what.
    
    Thanks,
    
    David.
    

    set the code on the other remote to test the receiver of the non opener
    
    		Dean

    -.1 is a good start. If it's a recent Sears opener, the remotes are
    randomly preset, and don't have switches - you have to make the opener
    "learn" the remotes, sometimes several different ones.
    
    Some older ones are "learning" also, but just remember 1 code, for use
    with the switch settable remotes.
    
    Either way, find the manual, and go thru the remote learning process
    again. MOre than likely, the opener forgot the remotes code for some
    reason.
    
    Chris
    

    Maybe it forgot while battery was being changed. Or maybe a dip switch
    got bumped; verify coding for both transmitter and receiver. Like -.1
    said, see the manual.
    

    Thanks for the suggestions. I was going to do the "swap" of the
    remotes.
    
    The openers are 10 years old and are not the learning type. They have 7
    or 8 - 3 position switches to set the codes.
    
    Is there a way to check if the transmitter is working without doing the
    swap?
    
    David.
     
    

Pull the cover off the back of the opener and compare the switch settings 
with those of the remote.

    To close out this string.
    
    On Sunday I swapped the codes on both transmitters. It turns out that
    the problem was a failed transmitter. A quick trip to Sears and a new
    $34 transmitter solved the problem.
    
     

    We just bought a new house which has two garage door bays in the
    basement.  Only one of them has an automatic garage door opener.
    My husband bought a Genie garage door opener over the weekend,
    but couldn't install it because there is less then 4 inches of
    clearance between the door and the ceiling.  The other door has
    a low clearance track (I think that's what he called it), and I
    guess we'll need to have one installed on this door as well.

    Can anyone recommend a company to replace the track on our garage
    door?  We live in Groton.

    Thanks,
    Kristen

    You might want to call Fimbel Paunet Corp. @(800)556-9786 in Nashua. 
    Ask for Carl Fimbel.  The garage door biz *is* what they do.  Good
    reputation and we were happy with their work.
    
    Bill

    
     WHat are people experiances with the screw drive door openers, VS
    the chain drive. I've always put up the chain drive. I'm considering
    the Genie Screw drive ones. Home depot has both Chain is $129, and
    screw is $149. 

A well-built chain drive opener is just as good as a screw-drive.  
Unfortunately, most of the cheaper chain-drive models aren't well-built,
especially the Stanleys.  I have a Genie screw-drive I installed five or so
years ago and it has been trouble-free.

					Steve

    I also put in a Genie and it has been reliable. But... It's a slow door
    opener. I often have to wait at the top of the driveway for the door to
    finish opening.
    
    Ross

The screw drive isn't really any slower than chain drive.  We have two doors,
one with a Genie screw drive, one with an old Allister chain drive (came with
the house).  The chain-drive door is faster opening by maybe 2 seconds.

				Steve

    I don't know Steve, the Stanley at my last home seemed a whole bunch
    quicker. Maybe we should do some time trials? 8~)
    

    My Sears chain drive busted. It was several years old when I bought the
    house 9 years ago, so... However, the joint between the motor drive and
    the screw shaft got chewed up and bound. A replacement screw assembly
    cost $12 less than a complete new opener at Sears when I checked a few
    years ago.
    
    Anyone have a screw drive garage door opener they want to donate to a
    DIYer? Perhaps the motor burned out...?
    
    ERIC

    A1 Garage Door Co. of Lunenburg sells Chamberlain and installed two of
    them in my garage with a low overhead assembly brackets that mount on
    the top panel of the doors.  I had a little less than 4 inches on top
    of the door to work with.  They are chain drive have been installed and
    working for 11 years now.
    
    Bruce

I have had both a Genie screw drive (circa 1975) and a chain drive from Fimbel
Paunet (circa 1986).  I think possibly the screw drive was quieter, but there
are too many factors involved to really tell for sure.  One thing that happened
to the screw is that it extremely slow and finally tripped the overload one
winter.  This problem was easily solved by a call to Genie...all I had to do
was to spray some kind of de-greaser (I don't remember the name...it was really
a banana-smelling auto all-purpose lubricant) into the screw to remove the old
grease and then apply some new grease along the screw.

Suggestion (not related to screw vs chain):

Make sure that the unit you get reverses when stopped and restarted (or that
you can reverse it some way), especially if you have two garage doors.  Our
Genie had that.  The current one does not, and I am always pushing the wrong
button and opening the wrong door and having to wait for it to open all the way
before I can close it again!  Small in the grand scheme of things, but annoying!

Burns

    
    re .342 Quick someone call Tim the Tool Man Taylor. Would make a 
    great episode. 
    
      Could see it now :
    
    Tim has a Binford 2001 Quick One garage door opener VS Al's
    standard opener. Blows Al's right off the tracks.
    
    

re: -.2  What do the doors that don't reverse do when they hit something? 

Answer:  They are supposed to stop. Then you have to disconnect them to
manually raise the door to remove the obstruction.  This is fine if the 
obstruction is the trash can I used for testing, a less desirable feature
if your kid is pinned under the door.

Actually, mine reverses if it hits and obsticle on the way down.  What it does
not do is to allow you to reverse it on command from the remote control.

Burns

    .337> You might want to call Fimbel Paunet Corp. @(800)556-9786 in Nashua.

    Thanks for the recommendation.  My husband called them and they
    were very helpful over the phone.  We ended up buying a $25 kit
    that removes the high arch of the door path (about 2").  This,
    coupled with the fact that my husband was able to lower the track
    another inch or so, should give us enough clearance to install
    the garage door opener next weekend (we ran out of time this
    weekend - too many projects plus snow shoveling got in the way).

    Kristen

This is too weird.  Neither one of my garage door remotes would work this
morning.  They were both working fine yesterday.  Anyone else have trouble?

Some openers have a vacation mode switch that disables the openers. Perhaps some
little fingers were playing with this? Or maybe it got bumped.

Steve B. 

Hale-Bopp?

    speaking of hale-Bopp...
    
    I was listening to Paul Harvey one noon-time recently (Sorry, just too
    lazy to reach over and turn the dial)
    
    He was lamenting about the ethics of the White House.  More correctly
    the lack thereof.  There's some move afoot of impeachment proceedings. 
    Now you've also got the speaker of the house, Newt.  Now if impeach
    Clinton, Gore, and Newt - who does it fall on but Strom Thurmond.
    
    "Now, you can't ask for a guy with more experience.  Heck he's seen
    Hale-Bopp six times!"

My husband did his usual good job and just waited for the garage
door remotes to fix themselves!  They started working again this
morning like nothing ever happened.  We didn't do anything to them.
Maybe it was Hale-Bopp...

I did not find any vacation mode switch.  We also don't have any
little fingers to play with these.  I read the instruction manual
last night and it never mentioned remotes.

>My husband did his usual good job and just waited for the garage
>door remotes to fix themselves!  They started working again this
>morning like nothing ever happened.  We didn't do anything to them.
>Maybe it was Hale-Bopp...

You didn't say if it was only the remote that didn't work or
the opener itself (by wall-mounted button).  Did you open the
doors at all during the 'down' time and if so, how?

>I did not find any vacation mode switch.  We also don't have any
>little fingers to play with these.  I read the instruction manual
>last night and it never mentioned remotes.

Is this a new (to you) house, by any chance?

Perhaps the electricity to the opener(s) was off.  Got a 'mystery'
switch somewhere that you've never figured out what it controlled?
Perhaps it switches opener power, it may have been installed BECAUSE
the openers don't have the vacation mode switch.  Or your house may
be miswired and the opener power is controlled by something else
you don't expect.

It was only the remotes that would not work.  We have two doors.
Each remote can open either one with an a/b type switch.  Neither
remote would open either door.  I was able to open the doors via
the button on the wall.

The garage door set up (and house) are 8 years old.  I'm the
original owner.  I climbed up on the car last night so I could
see on top of the opener and I didn't notice any switches.

I guess it'll just stay a mystery and hope it doesn't happen again.

    maybe it was corrosion on the battery terminals in the remote control.
    A bump or shake may have dislodged the corrosion, resulting in normal
    operation again. Try removing the battery and cleaning the terminals
    with fine sandpaper for a couple of strokes, dust off, replace.

re 635.350 by EVMS::WVOGEL    remote garage door openers not working

it is also possible that you saw normal operation.

you have a combination lock, set by switches on the opener,
and keys set by switches on the remotes.  each switch corresponds to
a frequency.  if the needed frequencies are present and the other
frequencies are absent, the lock opens.
(excuse the combination lock and keys model.)

if something in the neighborhood was broadcasting a frequency that
your lock wants absent, nothing happens.

there is no way to tell if that actually happened, but it is one
more theory that might explain it.

Also, big local sources of radio-frequency noise can drown out the receiver's
ability to hear the signal you want it to hear. If you're in a crowded
neighborhood, any number of things could do this...

Well, its been a strange week.  Sometimes the remotes work and sometimes
they don't.  I haven't been able to nail it down to a pattern this week.
Either both remotes work at the same time or they are both dead at the
same time.

I'm going to do a few more days of trying to figure out a pattern and
then call the place that installed them.  I'll post anything interesting
that I find out.

Is there anything in airplanes flying overhead that might do anything?

    
    Maybe you need new batteries....

    Try unplugging one garage door opener and then see if you can open  the
    one that is still plugged in. You may have developed an electronics
    problem where one opener is interfering with the other.
    
    Ray

    Being the "Trained Professional" of the family :-), I get the
    "Oh-By-the-Way" stuff a lot when I visit my parents place, and one of
    the last few was that the garage door opener quit. Phone support didn't
    help, and it did Ok with the wall switch.
    
    The problem "went away" when I shifted the frequencies in use, and
    remained away even after going back to the original ones. I suspect
    that on of the dip switches on the control head had corroded and
    "cleared" after being moved. The other door had the same symptom a
    month later and this time "Phone Support" worked, as I had my Dad go
    climb the ladder and just slide all the switches back and forth a few
    times.
    
    Two going (and resuming) at the same time is very much against the odds,
    so this is most likely not your problem...
    
    .mike.

re: .361 - Tried new batteries.  Didn't help.

re: .362 - I did unplug one and plug it back in.  Although I did not
           try to open one door while the other was unplugged.

re: .363 - Hey...I'll try anything at this point.

Thanks for all the tips

    Do you in fact have 2 separate openers ??  Or are there 2 buttons on
    each opener to open either door?  And ... is there a common receiver
    that controls both doors.
    
    This would explain why both either work or don't work but not what the
    problem is.

I have two seperate garage door opener mechanisms hanging from the
ceiling (they are McAllister IIA brand).  Then, there are two remote
controls.  Each remote control has a switch marked 1 and 2.

I think I'm seeing a pattern.  When I leave in the morning, if I open
the doors via the button on the wall, then the remote won't close it.
If I get in the car and open via the remote, the remote will close it.

    (unrelated to strange operation problem in this thread)
    
    does anyone have a copy of a manual that I could borrow for a Sears 
    (or more likely Stanley) chain drive garage door opener. I need to
    adjust the chain tension since it looks like it is drooping below the
    T-bar channel. Although the door still works ok, that sagging just does
    not look right.
    
    Please email with suggestions so as not to interrupt this string
    further. I'll reply with my mailstop (which is ok in ELF, BTW).
    
    Thanks, and back to the show.
    ERIC

I finally gave in and called the place that installed the openers.
I was told I need a new receiver box; $45.  She said they just wear
out over time.

Questions:

Does $45 seems like a reasonable price?  Does Home Depot carry stuff
like this?

She said I could replace it myself.  She hasn't seen me fix stuff!
How easy is this?

$45 is a reasonable price, yes HD and similar stores carry replacement
receivers (they usually come with remotes.)  However, I can't agree that
the receivers "wear out over time".

				Steve

    Do these openers have an optional antenna connection?  If so, try
    running a line to the outside for each with a line of site as you
    leave/enter with your vehicle.
    
    Chris

I bought the new receiver and everything works great again.

You wouldn't think those would wear out but the woman said
they do.  They get shaken up everytime the door goes up or
down.  She also said the power hits affect them.  During
that last big storm she said she sold 300 units.  They are
a national company so I don't know if that was just for this
area or not.

It was worth the $45.

Thanks for all the discussion.

    
    Seems like a redesign with a little time on the shake table.
    
    As far as power hits - put a surge suppressor in the line just like you
    put on your computer.

    
    The stanley door openers did this for quite some time. I went through
    two boards, the third one had a lot of circuitry to eliminate this.
    But, the instruction sheet with the board has no 100% guarantee of
    an electrical hit.
    

i did not know about the receivers wearing out, and i'm still suspicious.
perhaps reseating components would have fixed things.

the electronics are susceptible to power surges from the power line.
they are also susceptible to overloading through the antenna.
a lightning strike in our yard killed two of them and the tuner of a 
stereo receiver.  the tv cable was much closer but the shielding worked 
and the tv sets were not harmed.

Re wearing out:

A couple years ago one of the transmitters on my two-garage system (two buttons
on each transmitter) started getting finicky.  New batteries helped for a bit,
but it did not last long.  Eventually I discovered that the transmitter was
drifting off frequency.  I opened it up and managed to fix it (slightly) for a
while by adjusting the coil spacing (hah) and the trim cap, but eventually I
just replaced it.

So "wearing out" may be the wrong description, but this thing certainly did
drift over time.  I suppose the same thing could happen to a receiver due
various and assorted cheap components drying out or absorbing moisture, or
getting joggled around or ...

Burns

My garage door mechanism has a "learn mode".  If it has been "reset"
then you go out there and hold the Learn Button while you press a
button on the remote.  Now the system will recognize that remote.

It won't learn other manufacturer's remotes.

Chuck