Garage door violently opening

[mustanginky]

We bought our house 3.5 years ago. When we moved in we didnt notice any problems until about a year ago.

Lately, when the door has been shut during a long time period (4-8 hours) when we open it, it jerks violently. Sometimes so much that it stops. You press the button again and it opens fine.

I have checked all the rollers and they appear to be ok. All spin freely. I also lubed them, and the torsion spring, as well as the track the door "trolley" rides on. I also noticed a good deal of slack in the chain so i tightened it up.

Any ideas here? Thanks for any help!

 

[Fixin'Stuff]

Make sure that the rail is still firmly connected to the wall above the door. If it comes loose, things get wonky.

 

[Viper98912]

- Door expansion or contraction?
- Seal sticking to the floor?
- Is the torsion spring correctly wound? (should hold the door without force @ halfway open)

 

[BillK]

Any chance the bottom seal is sticking to the floor after it sits a while ? Try disconnecting the opener and opening it by hand after it sits overnight. Might give you a better idea if it is the door itself or something with the opener.

 

[gerryw]

Mine does due to fresh paint between panels.( usually hot days)
So usually first opening of the day.

Gerry

 

[Geobound]

^^^^^ I was just about to say the same thing.

I'm guessing that you painted your door recently?

My wife did it once when I was away, and I just about killed her. It took me forever to get all the paint cleaned up between the slats.

In then end it was still too late, and burned out the motor of the garage door opener.

 

[Warrenator]

My experience has been that a lot of doors are adjusted improperly. You want the motor to just barely stop as the door is fully open or closed. If the motor stops too late, there will be a spring back force that makes the whole mechanism jerk as it opens again. Plus it tears up the gears. Had to replace all the gears on my dad's opener a year after after the "professional"guy worked on it.

 

[WQ59B]

I believe it's a mis-conception to lube the tracks; the door rollers are on ball bearings. They're supposed to roll, not slide.
In my experience, one of the first thing to check is the cable wheels. The bearings in those go south the quickest, it seems.

 

[mustanginky]

Yes I did paint the door this spring. The way I sling paint I probably did get some in between the panels. Never even thought of that.

I'll also check the seal as that makes sense. My garage faces west so it gets the sun in the evening.

FYI I didn't lube the tracks the wheels roll in. Just the wheels.

Viper the door will not hold open on its own very well.

I'll check for sticky paint and a seal today. If it's not those I may call an overhead door company to look at it.

Thanks everyone. I love this forum because there are always tons of ideas tossed around here. Smart group of people.

 

[zeeway]

+1. I have the same issue, and I also painted my door recently. Thanks, everyone.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Mine does due to fresh paint between panels.( usually hot days)
So usually first opening of the day.

Gerry

Most common reason for the symptoms. Sometimes even with older paint.

Tommy

 

[ezover]

mine will catch one of the screws that holds the track together and do that.

 

[wayne55]

I have the seals around the sides of the door also and they will stick to my door sometimes. I've tried silicone spray and wax, but they still stick sometimes. So if my door has not been opened for a day, I go to the door and pull it away from the seals before I open it.

 

[Fixin'Stuff]

... the door will not hold open on its own very well...

Let's have you try an experiment. Close the door. Now disconnect it from the opener. Lift the door manually. It should come up quite easily AND it should stay open anywhere that you let go of it (be careful with this step! Don't let the door go crashing back down). If the door is heavy and doesn't stay in place then your door spring(s) needs to be replaced.

 

[gregtwojeeps]

Let's have you try an experiment. Close the door. Now disconnect it from the opener. Lift the door manually. It should come up quite easily AND it should stay open anywhere that you let go of it (be careful with this step! Don't let the door go crashing back down). If the door is heavy and doesn't stay in place then your door spring(s) needs to be replaced.

HUH ???? new wrinkle on my horn. Every garage door I have lifted manually, the panels had to at least be broken over in the curve of the track to stay up. Interesting.

 

[Fixin'Stuff]

HUH ???? new wrinkle on my horn. Every garage door I have lifted manually, the panels had to at least be broken over in the curve of the track to stay up. Interesting.

That's because most "professional" installers just put up whatever spring they have on the truck that day. A properly setup torsion spring will balance the door in just about any position. To do the job properly, the door must be weighed, the correct spring selected according to the weight, and then the spring must be properly tensioned. It's somewhat rare to find one that was done correctly. There are lots of instructional videos on YouTube that outline the process.

 

[mustanginky]

Let's have you try an experiment. Close the door. Now disconnect it from the opener. Lift the door manually. It should come up quite easily AND it should stay open anywhere that you let go of it (be careful with this step! Don't let the door go crashing back down). If the door is heavy and doesn't stay in place then your door spring(s) needs to be replaced.

I can answer that as I've already tried that. It will close if a good portion of the door isn't above the 90 on the track

 

[CJ7VFR]

I can answer that as I've already tried that. It will close if a good portion of the door isn't above the 90 on the track

Sounds like at a minimum, you need new springs.

When I replaced mine in both my garage doors last year, I had the same basic issue as you. When I took the worn springs off, and tried to lift it up, damn, that door is heavy!

With the new springs on the door and the door opener disconnected, I can lift the door with one hand, and if I let go of it, it will stay there and not move, as Fixin'Stuff said.

Not only does the door go up and down smoother, it makes WAY less noise than before. And I also tightened up every nut and bolt on the doors and openers, so that helped some too.

Jim

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Let's have you try an experiment. Close the door. Now disconnect it from the opener. Lift the door manually. It should come up quite easily AND it should stay open anywhere that you let go of it (be careful with this step! Don't let the door go crashing back down). If the door is heavy and doesn't stay in place then your door spring(s) needs to be replaced.

Garage doors shouldn't stay open until they're 3'-4' off the ground. The springs are to assist in opening, not make the door completely neutrally balanced. I suggest not messing with rebalancing if you have older springs. Replace/have them replaced. I can't count the times I've seen older garage door springs break after the tension has been increased. They do some pretty mean damage to cars when they let go.

Tommy

 

[upndown]

A garage door should open as easily as it closes, meaning it should stay where ever it is! That's called balanced. Is that always the case? Of course not! Even on new installs. In that case I obtained the correct springs from my wholesaler and back charged accordingly! No reason the incorrect springs should should be left. A good doorman should also carry a scale, torch and a variety of springs for the odd ball size. Close does not apply to springs. If you think you're going purchase odd balls from the box stores or sometimes even the Internet, you're sadly mistaken.

In his first post the OP stated he has torsion springs. The only thing they do is unwind, they won't even leave a mark on the Sheetrock right next to them

It always seems like some garage door replies are painted with a pretty broad brush. Maybe some of you need check the amount of paint before posting a reply!

 

[gregtwojeeps]

That's because most "professional" installers just put up whatever spring they have on the truck that day. A properly setup torsion spring will balance the door in just about any position. To do the job properly, the door must be weighed, the correct spring selected according to the weight, and then the spring must be properly tensioned. It's somewhat rare to find one that was done correctly. There are lots of instructional videos on YouTube that outline the process.

Well, right or wrong, there is a LOT and LOT of automated doors out here not "balanced" properly....

I wonder if when the tech is installing the door and he knows that he is to put an automatic opener on it, that the "balance" of the door is not worth the effort to him ? ....

Supposedly the only time the door will be operated by hand, is during a power outage and then one just pulls the red rope and disconnects the drive arm from the door. So like me and others I see, we just assume we need to not let the door drop rapidly ....and guide it down slowly. We don't think about the door not having been properly set up.

 

[mustanginky]

Considering the bottom seal may need replaced, I tried to find a replacement for the pictured seal. I can't seem to find one like this anywhere online other than this:

http://www.northshorecommercialdoor...dWiJySZqjC1rIYd0gRsfg3YTrUpHSDCb-7xoCdLzw_wcB

Any ideas on if this one would be correct?

 

[Fixin'Stuff]

Garage doors shouldn't stay open until they're 3'-4' off the ground. The springs are to assist in opening, not make the door completely neutrally balanced. I suggest not messing with rebalancing if you have older springs. Replace/have them replaced. I can't count the times I've seen older garage door springs break after the tension has been increased. They do some pretty mean damage to cars when they let go.

Tommy

You're talking about those long springs that run parallel to the upper track. Those should be installed with a safety cable inside of the spring to prevent it from flying across the garage when it breaks. Torsion springs just scare the bejeebus out of you when they break. The spring stays wrapped around the shaft. A door with the correct torsion spring, that it adjusted correctly, will glide up and down almost effortlessly. It will also stay where you release it. Most that I've seen though are NOT installed and/or sized correctly.

 

[Fixin'Stuff]

Well, right or wrong, there is a LOT and LOT of automated doors out here not "balanced" properly....

I wonder if when the tech is installing the door and he knows that he is to put an automatic opener on it, that the "balance" of the door is not worth the effort to him ? ....

Supposedly the only time the door will be operated by hand, is during a power outage and then one just pulls the red rope and disconnects the drive arm from the door. So like me and others I see, we just assume we need to not let the door drop rapidly ....and guide it down slowly. We don't think about the door not having been properly set up.

Yep, and that contributes to many garage door openers being replaced ( or repaired, by those that know how to do such a thing) long before their time. The drive gears inside are usually nylon....

 

[gregtwojeeps]

Well, you have managed to give me more stuff around my house to worry about that may need fixing. I sure do not need a prematurely broken door opener added to my expense's.

I took some pics of my improperly set up door tension spring. First thing I read is the red tag. Hmmmm. Danger, danger, Will Robinson..

Is this adjustment for a DIYer job or not ?

 

[Fixin'Stuff]

Well, you have managed to give me more stuff around my house to worry about that may need fixing. I sure do not need a prematurely broken door opener added to my expense's.

I took some pics of my improperly set up door tension spring. First thing I read is the red tag. Hmmmm. Danger, danger, Will Robinson..

Is this adjustment for a DIYer job or not ?

Here's a very long and detailed post about a guy that decided to do it himself and lived to tell the tale: http://www.truetex.com/garage.htm

This guy has some good instructional videos and sells all the parts that you might need:

 

[wildbill23c]

Like many have mentioned it sounds like your door springs are either incorrect, not properly wound in the first place, or worn out.

A garage door when properly adjusted should be easily opened and closed with a light one handed operation, you should not have to rough handle the door to operate it manually. If the door is that far out of adjustment the garage door opener will not work properly, the door will go up and down very erratically if at all, the opener may not even be able to open the door. In the end you have a broken opener and a garage door that you cannot easily operate by hand.

If you aren't comfortable standing on a ladder and messing with those springs call a garage door company out to do it. Those springs are under tension and can severely injure or kill you if they break.

The first step in diagnosing the problem is to disconnect the door from the opener by pulling the release cable on the trolley the door is connected to the opener with. I suggest doing this with the door in the down position as you won't have to worry about having the door come crashing down in the event that the springs are improperly adjusted. Hold the door down slightly when you release the cable in case once again the springs are out of adjustment.

Once the opener is disconnected try to lift the door by hand. It shouldn't require much force to open the door manually. As was explained to me when I was installing doors, it should open and close easily enough for your grandmother to be able to manually operate the door. If the door is hard to open or it is hard to keep the door from flying open when you are trying to open it, your springs either need adjusted or replaced.

The door opener itself is only designed to operate a properly installed and balanced garage door, if it is trying to open a door that isn't properly balanced you'll burn up the opener pretty quick. These doors are heavier than they look.

 

[bmwe0692]

The door panels might possibly have gotten out of level. Put a 4' level on each door panel, mine did the door jerk and then run ok the rest of the day. Bottom panel was off, so all other panels were too! Loosened bolts, tweaked the panels level, not another jerk at all.
Another idea I picked up on a different forum, was to put an old garden hose into the bottom seal on the door. If the door stuck down because of icy water, snow or frost, you can still pry up on the seal. Hose will give and hopefully release its hold, instead of the door bending.
I also run a length of #9 wire thru the spring. Straight thru from wall to ceiling hanger.
Be safe when working with the door springs.

T.J.

 

[gregtwojeeps]

Here's a very long and detailed post about a guy that decided to do it himself and lived to tell the tale: http://www.truetex.com/garage.htm

This guy has some good instructional videos and sells all the parts that you might need:

Thanks a lot for posting the info. I watched the video, good lesson. I bought the 1/2 in. steel dowel and adjusted my spring to where the door is balanced now. Just used common sense for my safety and enough arm strength to push up about 25 pounds ...while getting it adjusted where it needed to be.

 

[mustanginky]

I forgot to reply to this. I looked up my door opener manual and read up on this. It advised to adjust the opening force slightly from time to time. I turned it up s little bit and it made a pretty big difference. I will check level on the panels as well. A thousand thanks to all who replied!

 

[Fixin'Stuff]

Thanks a lot for posting the info. I watched the video, good lesson. I bought the 1/2 in. steel dowel and adjusted my spring to where the door is balanced now. Just used common sense for my safety and enough arm strength to push up about 25 pounds ...while getting it adjusted where it needed to be.

Awesome! Yet another example of a DIYer doing a better job than the "pro" that installed it in the first place.