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I detached the the door arm from the carriage to see if the opener would work properly, but it did not. The carriage goes down a half an inch and then goes all the way back up. I also adjusted the safety reverse to all possible configurations and that made no difference.

The opener is a Genie Screw Drive - Series G

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You should be specific when you say "it" since you could be referring to the opener or the physical door. – BMitch♦ Aug 18 '12 at 13:36
@Tester - are you serious with this question title? You've made it twice as long without adding any information – Brad Mace Aug 21 '12 at 23:54
@BradMace Not every title is a winner, feel free to edit it if you've got a better one. – Tester101♦ Aug 22 '12 at 11:22

3 Answers

up vote 2 down vote

If it's doing this without the opener connected it sounds like the torsion springs need to be adjusted to balance the garage door properly. The balance point of the door should be about half way open--when the opener is disconnected and you give it a push open or closed it should naturally stop about half way.

The springs have to be adjusted under tension, and they are under a lot of tension so I don't think it's a great DIY job.

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As an early teen, I tried tackling that tensioning job on a friend's garage door without asking parents. Hell, we just wanted to get bicycles out without banging our head on the darn thing 'cause it wouldn't go up high enough. Don't do it without proper tools and experience. It carved a hole in my hand I could see joint capsule through. As my parents didn't have insurance, I alcohol'd and iodined it and held it shut for two weeks by using butterfly bandages and holding a section of disinfected doweling. The scar is still there as a reminder that some DIY is riskier than other DIY. – Fiasco Labs Aug 18 '12 at 4:30
I wanted to see if the problem was being caused by the door in any way so I detached the the door arm from the carriage to see if the opener would work properly, but it did not. – Clark Aug 19 '12 at 2:57
up vote 3 down vote

The sensors (the "eyes" that are on both sides of the door opening) are probably "out of whack". If the sensors are not aligned properly, the doors won't operate. They could of been kicked by accident.

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The red light on the "eyes" blink when there is something in the way or they are out of alignment. They seem to be working as they should. I suppose the eyes could have some internal problem that is causing it to not send the correct signal to the motor. I could replace the eyes and see if that fixes it. – Clark Aug 19 '12 at 2:31
up vote 1 down vote

Check the track for any obstruction. Pay particular attention inisde the rail where the wheels ride. If you door is equiped with a rotating handle to lock the door make sure the rods are adjusted and not catching in the slots. Check the rollers that guide the door. They should all have about the same amount of axle extending out of the mounting bracket.

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I wanted to see if the problem was being caused by the door in any way so I detached the the door arm from the carriage to see if the opener would work properly, but it did not. – Clark Aug 19 '12 at 2:59

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