On Sunday, September 27, 2015 at 4:03:06 PM UTC-4, Don Y wrote:
On 9/27/2015 12:44 PM, Jeff Wisnia wrote:
I just got through installing two new Sears Craftsman garage door openers to
replace the Craftsman openers I installed 30 years ago and were performing
intermittently, stopping or reversing when there were no apparent overloads to
the doors travel.

See below.

So, I sprung for two new Craftsman openers and they work slicker than snot on a
brass doorknob.

Amazing to try to *remember* what is was like to LIFT a garage door by
hand, eh? : Sort of like GETTING UP to change the channel on the TV! :-/

It was interesting to note how much lighter the main rail and traveling
components have become over that time, but they look like they'll probably hold
up for the rest of my years.

One thing you'll have to watch is the mechanical system tends to be
underdamped. The "impulse" that it experiences when starting can
often lead to the opener triggering a fault and stopping travel
("Oh! I may have just crushed a little child!"). You can usually
compensate for this with an "overload" adjustment on the opener.


Temperature can also be a factor. I typically have to increase the up force on my older Craftsman GDO when winter arrives. If I don't, it will start to open then stop.

You might say it's too early to be worrying about temperature issues, but I just spent the weekend in Western Massachusetts. It was 33° F on Sunday morning.