Just make sure you’ve added safety cables. If you’ve ever heard one when it breaks and lets loose, you’ll understand why.
Heh heh. Yeah been there in our old house. Spring broke, broke the hanger, slid across roof and hood of my near new car, and put a big gouge in the cabinet in the front of the garage. I thought that could have killed someone. Never heard of the safety cable back then but made my own with wire rope. When the other side went, it destroyed the mount but the cable held the spring in place.
I guess we were pretty young back then and new to the whole thing. Though maybe the builder should have known but then again I knew no one that had ever talked about safety cables. All kinds of warnings on the torsion spring but those dang extension springs are far more dangerous.
I should probably just shut up today, but any of them are only rated for so many cycles. And you can always have a defect in the spring.
Yes, I never skip the safety cable. I had one break a few years ago. I was up in the house and heard a “bang” ! I came down and absently minded pushed the button to open the garage door. The door started to lift and the opener groaned. I immediately understood what happened and pushed to button again to reverse the opener.
When I went inside, through a side entry door I saw the cable had contained the broken spring. Off to Home Depot I went and had a project for that day!
We got new garage doors a couple years ago and the integrated system in my wifes 07 lexus wasn’t compatible with the new system so she had to use one of the clickers.
My garage door opener broke a few weeks ago, so now I just smack myself to open or close the door…
I just need to find an installer now, and new opener… lol… uggg
You just bought the wrong door opener. Why the heck does a garage door opener need to be connected to the internet and your phone. What a stupid idea.
When we had a house with a 2 door garage the springs broke after about 5 years or so… the problem was that the original springs were underrated for the doors. Once the tech replaced the springs with heavier duty ones, they no longer broke. He also inserted safety cables thru the springs to keep them from flying around and damaging things. When the first set broke they managed to poke a hole thru the wall of the garage.
Why is it stupid that I can allow access to my garage if necessary when I’m across the country on vacation? More important, why is it stupid that I’m alerted if my wife leaves the door open after unloading groceries and getting distracted?
Smart Homes, people install t-stats that can be controlled from anywhere, doors that can be locked/unlocked from anywhere, appliances that can be turned off/adjusted from anywhere, and many many many more things in houses now a days, why would a garage door be any different??
I have none of that stuff and don’t plan on it, but not against it either…
But it sure would be nice to be able to open the garage door or unlock the back door from my phone when the bathlady comes to give my mom her shower and I forgot to leave it unlocked… lol
Not to take this discussion of the tracks, but I just don’t like the idea of the opener being connected to Wi-Fi. I don’t like the idea of camera images being stored by Amazon or third parties either. I lock our garage doors manually when we are gone for any extended period of time. I had to replace a couple dead bolts too due to the tumblers freezing up. Considered switching to push button but decided against it for various reasons. Now I do have a lock box in back with house keys. I can call anyone and give them the combo so they can get in.
One time when the roofers were not done yet and we had to leave, I just called the police from Ohio to ask them to drive by and check if the roofers had closed the door. Their eagerness was surprising and even walked around the house and reported back to me. Maybe a slow night, I dunno.
I understand about all the gadgets on your phone but I’m just not there and like I said still pay cash for coffee.
No problem. Everyone has a different tolerance level for computerization. My middle daughter has Google Nest and they love it. They say “Hey Google…” and make a request for music, information, or to set a timer. I think it’s too intrusive like you do, but it works for them.
Of the 18 garage door openers at the Lowes near me, 9 are wifi compatible. So one has a choice.
Well, since we are on the topic of garage door openers, and it pertains to being able to easily move our cars in and out, what are some good, better, Best non Wi-Fi ones out there that will last for a long time??
Mainly looking for best quality, I have roll up doors…
But not against it being Wi-Fi either if I get a better unit…
It’s an excellent idea. I can easily check on the status of my garage doors. I get notified every time one is opened or closed. I’ve had things delivered to my home when I wasn’t there. The delivery guy notified me when he was there and I opened the door for him, then observed him on my camera I have installed in the garage. When he was done I closed the door.
You shouldn’t be so averse to new technology.
We have Craftsman, installed in 1998 and still working. You probably can’t get them at Sears online, but maybe you can figure out who made them for Sears. They are chain drive and a bit noisy, but they work well.
Our house was built with door openers made by Link - Which is what the Craftsman openers were made by.
There are still Craftsman garage door openers, sold on Amazon and by Ace Hardware and Lowes.
Looks like Chamberlain Group, Inc., headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, with over 70 years of operation. makes them, but I don’t see a timeline on for how far back they made them…
I’ve got and always had chaimberlin. The latest yeah can use Wi-Fi but not required. Have to buy a hub. But I haven’t looked at the directions for two years and it’s still in the box.
Problem is the cypher code that goes to the opener each time. The old one you just use a wire from any of my four switches to signal the box. Can’t do that on the new one. Others on line have complained. I think the work around may be to hook the switch wires up to a slave remote that will then send the cypher signal to the opener. Don’t know. Not an engineer. Can’t believe someone ot there hasn’t designed it.
Like I said I have three doors and three service doors and have had switches mounted by each for my pleasure. Don’t intend to give that up without a fight. The design is stupid woke.
I couldn’t get the built-in opener to work on my 2007 Town and Country van. It’s easier to use the remote that’s on the visor anyway. And if there is a malfunction it’s easier, as was pointed out above, to deal with a small portable remote.