Hello,
I have a torsion spring garage door. A few days ago, the door would
not close and would make a grinding noise. I noticed that one of the
rollers was missing at the top of the door. After replacing the
roller, the door rises smoothly, but when it is being let down, I still
hear the grinding noise and there appears to be quite a bit of tension
on the arm that extends from the track to the base of the opener unit.
It does go down, but something is not right.

The door itself is quite heavy, as it's a 2-car garage and the door is
wood.

Does this sound like a track cleaning issue or something simple that I
can adjust on the unit, or does it sound more involved than that?

I can email a short mpg from my digital camera if it would help.

Thanks,
Dave

wrote:

Hello,
I have a torsion spring garage door. A few days ago, the door would
not close and would make a grinding noise. I noticed that one of the
rollers was missing at the top of the door. After replacing the
roller, the door rises smoothly, but when it is being let down, I still
hear the grinding noise and there appears to be quite a bit of tension
on the arm that extends from the track to the base of the opener unit.
It does go down, but something is not right.

The door itself is quite heavy, as it's a 2-car garage and the door is
wood.

Does this sound like a track cleaning issue or something simple that I
can adjust on the unit, or does it sound more involved than that?

No, yes...

Many double-wide doors actually have two springs rather than just
one...possibly one is broken leading to a mismatch/alignment problem of
which the noise is just a symptom. Also possible that the roller failed
independently but something has gotten out of whack owing to the
problem. If you can't tell what is binding, probably need an
experienced door mechanic to diagnose/fix the problem.

There should be a release mechanism on your opener, an arm right
where it attaches to the door, with a red pull string typically.
Release the operator. If you can raise and lower the door (yes,
that's how we old folks used to do it before operators) with out
binding or problems, the noise and hassle are in the operator. If
you cannot raise and lower the door, the problem is in the torsion
spring. The very fact that you had to ask tells me that you
should NOT touch the torsion spring. They have a lot of energy
stored in them and can seriously hurt you if you don't know what
you're doing.

If the problem is not in the door, perhaps running the operator
through its cycle without the door attached will let you diagnose
the problem.

(top posted for your convenience)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello,
I have a torsion spring garage door. A few days ago, the door
would
not close and would make a grinding noise. I noticed that one
of the
rollers was missing at the top of the door. After replacing the
roller, the door rises smoothly, but when it is being let down,
I still
hear the grinding noise and there appears to be quite a bit of
tension
on the arm that extends from the track to the base of the opener
unit.
It does go down, but something is not right.

The door itself is quite heavy, as it's a 2-car garage and the
door is
wood.

Does this sound like a track cleaning issue or something simple
that I
can adjust on the unit, or does it sound more involved than
that?

I can email a short mpg from my digital camera if it would help.

Thanks,
Dave

DanG wrote:

There should be a release mechanism on your opener, an arm right
where it attaches to the door, with a red pull string typically.
Release the operator. ....

But not before lowering it or making darn certain one of the torsion
springs isn't broke...

I can't see it being a torsion spring issue as the spring is what helps the
door go up (by taking up most of the weight) & you report the door goes up
fine.

So - try the other poster's suggestion of checking out the opener on its own
& the door on its own to see which is causing the problem.

If it is the door -
Look at each hinge on the door for any signs of cracking & try to spin each
roller to ensure they are moving freely. Try a quick shot of lubricant on
each hinge.

Your door likely has a couple of steel cables on either side of the door -
attached to the bottom of the lowest panel. These run up to take up rollers
on the torsion bar. Check that the cables are not frayed and that they are
winding properly on the rollers.

The door could be rubbing on the frame as it goes down.

...And finally - I agree with the other poster if all else fails to call out
a door mechanic. They do this for a living & can get you going in no time.


wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello,
I have a torsion spring garage door. A few days ago, the door would
not close and would make a grinding noise. I noticed that one of the
rollers was missing at the top of the door. After replacing the
roller, the door rises smoothly, but when it is being let down, I still
hear the grinding noise and there appears to be quite a bit of tension
on the arm that extends from the track to the base of the opener unit.
It does go down, but something is not right.

The door itself is quite heavy, as it's a 2-car garage and the door is
wood.

Does this sound like a track cleaning issue or something simple that I
can adjust on the unit, or does it sound more involved than that?

I can email a short mpg from my digital camera if it would help.

Thanks,
Dave

a wrote:

I can't see it being a torsion spring issue as the spring is what helps the
door go up (by taking up most of the weight) & you report the door goes up
fine.

But many openers have enough pull to open the door w/ only one of the
two springs but that wouldn't be enough to balance it w/o the
opener....I'm just suggesting OP make sure before just yankin' on the
release cord...

DanG wrote:
There should be a release mechanism on your opener, an arm right
where it attaches to the door, with a red pull string typically.
Release the operator. If you can raise and lower the door (yes,
that's how we old folks used to do it before operators) with out
binding or problems, the noise and hassle are in the operator. If
you cannot raise and lower the door, the problem is in the torsion
spring.

I'm not against doing it manually. And yes, I'm old enough to know
that's how it was done by the "old folks" :-)


The very fact that you had to ask tells me that you
should NOT touch the torsion spring. They have a lot of energy
stored in them and can seriously hurt you if you don't know what
you're doing.


The very fact that I asked should also tell you that I am aware of the
problem...which is why I asked before I acted.

If the problem is not in the door, perhaps running the operator
through its cycle without the door attached will let you diagnose
the problem.


I will take your advice, along with the other posts and see if I can
determine what is going on. If not, I'll call a professional. Thank
you (and everyone else) for your reply.

Just thought I would add that although I am normally pretty good on fixing
stuff, I once almost killed myself with a garage door so be careful.


wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello,
I have a torsion spring garage door. A few days ago, the door would
not close and would make a grinding noise. I noticed that one of the
rollers was missing at the top of the door. After replacing the
roller, the door rises smoothly, but when it is being let down, I still
hear the grinding noise and there appears to be quite a bit of tension
on the arm that extends from the track to the base of the opener unit.
It does go down, but something is not right.

The door itself is quite heavy, as it's a 2-car garage and the door is
wood.

Does this sound like a track cleaning issue or something simple that I
can adjust on the unit, or does it sound more involved than that?

I can email a short mpg from my digital camera if it would help.

Thanks,
Dave

By the way, watch out for rip off garage door repair guys. The ones with
full page ads in the yellow pages promising a $29 repair call. They may be
crooks. One guy said all parts had to be replaced and wanted $600. For
that I could have gotten a new door. I thru him out.

Wayne Dalton stores around me fix all brands and are reliable. They also
make great doors and openers.


wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello,
I have a torsion spring garage door. A few days ago, the door would
not close and would make a grinding noise. I noticed that one of the
rollers was missing at the top of the door. After replacing the
roller, the door rises smoothly, but when it is being let down, I still
hear the grinding noise and there appears to be quite a bit of tension
on the arm that extends from the track to the base of the opener unit.
It does go down, but something is not right.

The door itself is quite heavy, as it's a 2-car garage and the door is
wood.

Does this sound like a track cleaning issue or something simple that I
can adjust on the unit, or does it sound more involved than that?

I can email a short mpg from my digital camera if it would help.

Thanks,
Dave

There are a slew of items that can be causing you this grief.
I doubt you have a broken spring. The roller being missing and the
grinding noise is an indication that the door may not be level or the tracks
not plumb. First visually inspect *everything* on your door from loose
hinges to rollers with missing wheels to something leaning against the
opening. Check to see if the cables are wound properly around the drums.
Make sure the drums are set in the same position. It's possible that one of
the drums has *slipped* on the shaft. Look at the drums to see if one of
them is rubbing on the track or if an end bearing is to blame.

My website's homepage has an article on troubleshooting a garage door for
smooth operation. The article might be able to shed some light on your
problem.

Rich
http://www.garagedoorsupply.com



wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello,
I have a torsion spring garage door. A few days ago, the door would
not close and would make a grinding noise. I noticed that one of the
rollers was missing at the top of the door. After replacing the
roller, the door rises smoothly, but when it is being let down, I still
hear the grinding noise and there appears to be quite a bit of tension
on the arm that extends from the track to the base of the opener unit.
It does go down, but something is not right.

The door itself is quite heavy, as it's a 2-car garage and the door is
wood.

Does this sound like a track cleaning issue or something simple that I
can adjust on the unit, or does it sound more involved than that?

I can email a short mpg from my digital camera if it would help.

Thanks,
Dave

DanG wrote:
There should be a release mechanism on your opener, an arm right
where it attaches to the door, with a red pull string typically.
Release the operator. If you can raise and lower the door (yes,
that's how we old folks used to do it before operators) with out
binding or problems, the noise and hassle are in the operator. If
you cannot raise and lower the door, the problem is in the torsion
spring. The very fact that you had to ask tells me that you
should NOT touch the torsion spring. They have a lot of energy
stored in them and can seriously hurt you if you don't know what
you're doing.

If the problem is not in the door, perhaps running the operator
through its cycle without the door attached will let you diagnose
the problem.

(top posted for your convenience)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)



So I put the door down (had to raise it today) and released the red
string. I can manually push up/pull down the door without issue.

The unit was put in before we moved in, as a condition of our house
purchase. What would the typical specs be for pulling a double-wide,
wood door?

TIA,
Dave

If the door is disconnected from the opener and works smoothly up and down
then that means the opener has a problem. Even small cheap openers can open
big doors. Try operating the opener disconnected from the door and report
back.


wrote in message
oups.com...

DanG wrote:
There should be a release mechanism on your opener, an arm right
where it attaches to the door, with a red pull string typically.
Release the operator. If you can raise and lower the door (yes,
that's how we old folks used to do it before operators) with out
binding or problems, the noise and hassle are in the operator. If
you cannot raise and lower the door, the problem is in the torsion
spring. The very fact that you had to ask tells me that you
should NOT touch the torsion spring. They have a lot of energy
stored in them and can seriously hurt you if you don't know what
you're doing.

If the problem is not in the door, perhaps running the operator
through its cycle without the door attached will let you diagnose
the problem.

(top posted for your convenience)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)



So I put the door down (had to raise it today) and released the red
string. I can manually push up/pull down the door without issue.

The unit was put in before we moved in, as a condition of our house
purchase. What would the typical specs be for pulling a double-wide,
wood door?

TIA,
Dave

Art wrote:
If the door is disconnected from the opener and works smoothly up and down
then that means the opener has a problem. Even small cheap openers can open
big doors. Try operating the opener disconnected from the door and report
back.


Art,
The opener appears to be fine by itself as well.

Just to recap, the door can be opened and closed manually without any
obvious obstruction.

The opener can run without apparent issue by itself.

When the door is connected to the opener, the opening of the door is
fine but when the door is lowered, appears to bind about half way. The
motor seems to be pushing, but there is a loud rattle and eventually it
reverses direction.

Thanks,
Dave

My mother's door was recently making a noise, and
I stopped it by rubbing a candle along the wood
panel edges when I had the door partially raised
to expose the surfaces. Some sag seems to have made
the surfaces to rub a bit.
It was also my cue to snug some of the hinges, which were
allowing the sag of one panel relative to the next.

wrote:


I will take your advice, along with the other posts and see if I can
determine what is going on. If not, I'll call a professional. Thank
you (and everyone else) for your reply.