Garage door opener frustration

Topic: Garage door opener frustration (Read 1679 times) previous topic - next topic

Garage door opener frustration

February 13, 2012, 01:39:18 AM

Howdy y'all. It seems as though I don't post here anymore unless I have a non-fox-cougar/t-bird related problem but the truth is that my own fox t-bird has been sitting for the better part of a few years. I has a shame

Anyway, the current fiasco I'm dealing with has to do with this new Genie garage door opener I scored for only $80.... I started the install only to find that the "truss" that may or may not actually hold my garage roof up is heinously low compared to the height that my garage door opener must sit at. Basically this: The horizontal "beam" (read 2x4) in my garage needs to be sectioned out to allow the garage door opener to hang high enough to allow the door to open to the fullest and NOT hit the garage door opener track. I have a Genie 1/2 hp screw-drove door opener, and even mounting the "screw drive track" right against this 2x4 of the 'truss' it is still too low. My question is this:

Can I section out the horizontal section of the truss and box-frame it up with more 2x4s and still prevent my garage from collapsing while giving the nice new Genie door opener room to operate as it's intended? The garage is a cheap, pre-fab sort constructed in the 60's at the earliest. It is comprised of a cement pad, a perimeter of cinder blocks (the threshold of the man-door is easily 8" off the ground) and cheap wood siding and framing consisting entirely of 2x4's.

Garage door opener frustration

Reply #1 – February 13, 2012, 09:59:31 AM

Just where is the truss in relation to the head of the opener?? If it's directly above it or even a few inches in front you can mount the opener above it(assuming space)... Yes the will require the opener be on a angle but it won't make any difference, seen dozens back when I serviced them on various angles... It will require the door arm be lengthened more that if it were on the level...

I saw one that had a steel I beam just in front of the head with no over head clearance... Someone used a torch to burn a hole in the beam and inserted the rail through the opening...

Garage door opener frustration

Reply #2 – February 13, 2012, 12:47:20 PM

I haven't looked at it in a few days, but the power head definitely sits a good 10 - 12 inches behind where the truss goes across. So lifitng it above that would still stop the 'trolley' on the opener track from coming back as far as it needs to.

Garage door opener frustration

Reply #3 – February 13, 2012, 01:30:27 PM

Maybe not, most of the time the trolley stops a foot or so before the head, raising the head so there is six or eight inches of rail to truss clearance would likely work(again assuming there is space above)...

I saw one that was mounted in the back half of the garage and used a 7-8ft door arm, about anything can be done if someone really wants to install one...

Garage door opener frustration

Reply #4 – February 13, 2012, 01:34:12 PM

You should see the garage door openers at Woman's house.

Barn doors that swing out 90 degrees.
Garage door openers are installed backwards, with 3/4" conduit arms bent at insane angles to the doors.
I'll have to get a photo of them. It's really bizarre.

Garage door opener frustration

Reply #5 – February 13, 2012, 06:08:09 PM

My garage door opener remote won't work from the driver seat in my astro van. If I hold it over the passenger seat, it works. If I use it in another car, it works fine from the drivers seat. Something in that van interferes with it. I hope whatever it is isn't radiating me, and gonna make me full of tumors, heh.

Sorry, this has nearly nothing to do with the topic, it was just something that wasn't worth a topic of it's own, lol.

Garage door opener frustration

Reply #6 – February 13, 2012, 07:58:09 PM

Mine opens and closes when I run my little buffer ,and when I rev the car it closes. Its possessed

Garage door opener frustration

Reply #7 – February 13, 2012, 08:05:58 PM

post a pic of what you are looking at

Garage door opener frustration

Reply #8 – February 14, 2012, 12:52:33 AM

A house I lived in from November 99 to October 2000, and again end of 2003 thru summer '04...whenever it would storm very bad, I'd have to unplug the opener, thunder made it open/close.

Garage door opener frustration

Reply #9 – February 14, 2012, 12:57:44 AM

Daminc, that's what I realized I needed to do today... I'm now fervently searching for the USB cable for my camera...