Garage door opened fails in cold weather
 

It seems to not turn off, keeps buzzing, at the end of the raising or
lowering of the door. I twiddled with it once to get it working again,
but now its cold it has failed twice this month same way.

My question is, are the replacements simple enough to do? I don't need
to touch the door or tracks or springs, but I have never done this
before. My current one is a chain drive All-O-Matic. Inside the box
there is a motor driving a wheel with a belt. The door is a double.

Any recommendations?

Garage door opened fails in cold weather
 

http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/sam/appfaq.htm#afgdpdwr

Garage door opened fails in cold weather
 

On Sun, 22 Jan 2006 09:46:55 -0600, twfsa wrote:

Probably not a big job but if your not sure what to do you will probably
waste the better part of a day maybe two, whats your time worth? Probably
get it installed right, for under a $100.

I've installed two (one new, one replacement) and they each took about
four hours. It's pretty easy, particularly replacment since all the
attachment points are already there.

--
Keith


"dean" wrote in message
ups.com...
It seems to not turn off, keeps buzzing, at the end of the raising or
lowering of the door. I twiddled with it once to get it working again,
but now its cold it has failed twice this month same way.

My question is, are the replacements simple enough to do? I don't need
to touch the door or tracks or springs, but I have never done this
before. My current one is a chain drive All-O-Matic. Inside the box
there is a motor driving a wheel with a belt. The door is a double.

Any recommendations?

Garage door opened fails in cold weather
 

Probably not a big job but if your not sure what to do you will probably
waste the better part of a day maybe two, whats your time worth? Probably
get it installed right, for under a $100.

Tom


"dean" wrote in message
ups.com...
It seems to not turn off, keeps buzzing, at the end of the raising or
lowering of the door. I twiddled with it once to get it working again,
but now its cold it has failed twice this month same way.

My question is, are the replacements simple enough to do? I don't need
to touch the door or tracks or springs, but I have never done this
before. My current one is a chain drive All-O-Matic. Inside the box
there is a motor driving a wheel with a belt. The door is a double.

Any recommendations?

Garage door opened fails in cold weather
 

Thanks all!

The problem with getting someone else to do it is that I have to wait
in for them, taking time off work, and still end up spending 4 hours
standing around doing nothing. AND paying them!

Plus, here in Princeton, no-one wants to come out to your house for
less than $500.

I will have a go. Does anyone know who makes the All-o-matic? I can't
see a brand name on there anywhere!

Dean

Garage door opened fails in cold weather
 

Ooops here it is: Allister All-O-Matic, Model ARD, 1/3HP motor.

I'm going to look online now for a replacement.

-D

Garage door opened fails in cold weather
 

http://www.allstarcorp.com/

--
====================================
Garage Door Parts, LLC
973-472-4818
http://www.garagedoorsupply.com
====================================

"dean" wrote in message
oups.com...
Ooops here it is: Allister All-O-Matic, Model ARD, 1/3HP motor.

I'm going to look online now for a replacement.

-D

Garage door opened fails in cold weather
 

dean wrote:

It seems to not turn off, keeps buzzing, at the end of the raising or
lowering of the door. I twiddled with it once to get it working again,
but now its cold it has failed twice this month same way.

Exactly how did you twiddle? Did you adjust the lower limit of travel?
There opener has a switch for this, actuated by a gear mechanism off
the motor, probably a screw jack. If adjustment doesn't help, unplug
the power (IMPORTANT!) and look for this mechanism. The switch may
have a dirty contact. Clean it by rubbing an alcohol-soaked cloth or
piece of cardboard against it (brown side of a cereal box), but do not
use sandpaper or a file.

An opener takes 2-6 hours to install, and a new one can give improved
safety, thanks to the electric eye across the threshhold. Security
will also be better and prevent burglars from opening the door by
copying the remote codes (copies are useless) or trying all of them
(there are too many).

Garage door opened fails in cold weather
 

I didn't adjust anything, I simple tapped here and there and then it
was ok for a few months.

What happens is that it seems not to know to stop pulling or pushing,
the motor keeps on buzzing really loud. It must be the switch that gets
hit by the stop on the chain, but its really hard to tell what's
happening, it goes really fast!

-Dean

Garage door opened fails in cold weather
 

sears installs new openers for 99 bucks.

Something to think about.

I would try moving the limit controls just a tad to see if that helps.
left right evenly 1/2 turn then back to about where they were.

Garage door opened fails in cold weather
 

Could you tell me what the limit controls look like? I have had the
cover off and stared at the thing for a while, but it was confusing, as
when its opening its moving so fast I cant see whats happening very
well.

Thanks for the Sears advice! I hear their Liftmaster (= Craftsman) is
pretty decent.

Dean

Garage door opened fails in cold weather
 

dean wrote:

I didn't adjust anything, I simple tapped here and there and then it
was ok for a few months.

What happens is that it seems not to know to stop pulling or pushing,
the motor keeps on buzzing really loud. It must be the switch that gets
hit by the stop on the chain, but its really hard to tell what's
happening, it goes really fast!

Garage door openers are designed to shut off after 20-30 seconds, in
case the travel limit switches or safety mechanisms fail, and it's
possible this is what yours is doing. I would try adjusting the lower
limit, and if it's working normally you should be able to make the door
stop several inches above the bottom. Otherwise I would unplug the
power and look for obvious mechanical flaws. If none can be seen,
remove the circuit board and examine it under bright light and a
magnifying glass for cracked traces and solder. Solder cracks can be
difficult to see, and it may be best to simply resolder all the joints
for connectors, switches, and large or heavy components. Use a
conventional 25-40W iron, not a Cold Heat iron or a soldering gun. If
possible, post a picture of the opener and its circuit board.

Garage door opened fails in cold weather
 

dean wrote:
Could you tell me what the limit controls look like? I have had the
cover off and stared at the thing for a while, but it was confusing, as
when its opening its moving so fast I cant see whats happening very
well.

Look at the limit adjustments, and see where they connect internally to
the overhead unit.

Or snap some clear photos (emphasis on "clear") of the insides and post
them at a place like Glowfoto.com or Flickr.com so everybody can look
at them.

Garage door opened fails in cold weather
 

On 20 Jan 2006 22:46:38 -0800, "dean" wrote:

It seems to not turn off, keeps buzzing, at the end of the raising or
lowering of the door. I twiddled with it once to get it working again,
but now its cold it has failed twice this month same way.

My question is, are the replacements simple enough to do? I don't need
to touch the door or tracks or springs, but I have never done this
before. My current one is a chain drive All-O-Matic. Inside the box
there is a motor driving a wheel with a belt. The door is a double.

Any recommendations?
Sounds like your limit stop microswitchs are going bad. Luck in
finding new ones. Be sure they match. If you have checked on top of
opener to make sure the stop switch areas are not gummed up with
grease when it gets cold and gets thick. Clean with electronic parts
cleaner. unplug operator first though. See if this helps before
messing with or replacing microswitchs
Best Regards
Anthony



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Garage door opened fails in cold weather
 

Thanks again for all the help, I have just bought one from Sears. There
were other things wrong with the old one, and although I generally fix
things like this, they seem cheap enough, and the new one has a sensor
in it, which will be good for the kid. Installation for $130 from
Sears, lifetime guarantee on the opener!

Cheers,

Dean