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Garage Doors/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Liftmaster 1245R problem | 2/4/2012 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: Mr. Whitacre, I've got a Chamberlain Liftmaster Professional, Model 1245R...about 10 years old. ... A: The lite flashes 10 times as a diagnostic tool. It tells you the safety cells on your door are out ... | ||
| Screw-type door openers | 1/25/2012 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I'm just about to replace my 40-year-old Genie Model 450 (the plstic part of the clutch just broke ... A: Don't fool youself Steve, There hasn't been a decent worm drive opener made since the 450.. Not ... | ||
| Screw-type door openers | 1/24/2012 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I'm just about to replace my 40-year-old Genie Model 450 (the plstic part of the clutch just broke ... A: They were the best motors made. We sold hundreds back in the '70s and early 80's but allas Geni went ... | ||
| Ultra Lift garage door opener | 1/12/2012 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: Where can I obtain an exterior key pad so that I can open my garage doors? I have three Ultra Lift ... A: Ultra-lift has gone the way of the Mohekans. My suggestion is to go to an accredited door dealer, ... | ||
| Genie screw drive carriage replacement | 1/7/2012 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I have a Genie Screw Drive Garage Door Opener and I recently had to purchase a new carriage for it; ... A: Do you have it in the rail of the opener with the metal toggle towards the motor head? Take the ... | ||
| garage door opener | 1/7/2012 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I have a Powerlift 1/2 hp garage door opener that was installed in 1990. It says the manufacturer ... A: In the 1980's , when door openers where in the peak of sales, over 50 individuals were killed or ... | ||
| garage door opener | 12/30/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I have a Chamberlain Model 8100 1/2 HP garage door opener. I bought it in 1997.Almost 2 years ago I ... A: The proper part # is 41a4220, this is the entire shaft, top gear and worm gear. There is no sense in ... | ||
| garage door opener | 12/28/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I have a Chamberlain Model 8100 1/2 HP garage door opener. I bought it in 1997.Almost 2 years ago I ... A: Try the motor while the door is disconnected. If it still doesn't move, take the cover off and check ... | ||
| wayne dalton garage door panel | 12/19/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I also have a Wayne Dalton insulated panel garage doors product number 13990 model number 9005. I ... A: The model # is nothing WD makes. If the door was manufacture prior to 2005, the sections, no matter ... | ||
| what to look for in a good sectional door | 12/7/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I have a standard 2-car garage. The door that's there now is from 1965 and is the old style single ... A: Yes, 16 foot doors will ultimatly sag as they get older. I always bulk at selling a customer any ... | ||
| Wayne Dalton Wizard 2115 | 11/14/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I recently installed a wayne dalton wizard model 2115. The opener opens the door just fine but when ... A: I never used this perticular unit. The original was the Quantum opener and is now the Wayne-Dalton ... | ||
| Garage door opener installation | 11/8/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I have an 18 foot steel garage door that looks fairly new (I have only lived here 3 years) but the ... A: The first thing to know that a garage door opener is not supposed to do anything more than you do. ... | ||
| Door Opener problemv15qv | 11/4/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: When temp. is below 42 or so, my Sears door opener will not work properly. When signaled to close, ... A: The lites flash 10 times as a diagnostic tool to tell you there is an issue with the safety cells ... | ||
| Powerlift garage door opener programming | 10/24/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I have an old (80's) Powerlift with a separate box that has the antenna for the remote called a ... A: If memory servs, the delta 3 was a binary digital code which needs to corrispond reciever and ... | ||
| garage door opener | 10/19/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I have many problems with one of my two garage doors. What happens is that randomly reopens after ... A: What happens if you disconnect the door and run the motor and allow the trolley to move up and down ... | ||
| Garage door touch pad | 9/21/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I have a Chamberlain garage door opener and with my outside touch pad all I have to do is touch any ... A: The only time I have seen this in the last 25 years was with the chamberlain wired system, and the ... | ||
| Carriage for Powerlift Model WR827 Garage Door Opener | 9/8/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: Mike, my dad has what is an apparently obsolete Powerlift Garage Door opener Model WR827 and the ... A: There were several manufacturers who use the powerlift name, one being Sears back in the '60s. As ... | ||
| garage door opens after close | 9/7/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: My garage door opens just after closing, as it should do when an obstacle is in its way. I read in ... A: Looking @ your drawing the first thing I see is the arm to the rail should not be more than 10 ... | ||
| Garage door sensors not lit | 9/6/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: One of myy remote garage door openers suddenly stopped working. I have Genie Excellerator. The light ... A: You have two cells, one with a green lite that tells you the system is powered. One is red and ... | ||
| Remote won't work | 9/6/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I have a chamberlain garage door opener & the door wont open with the remote. 1 time i pushed the ... A: If the door opener is pre 1993 replace it. If not, and the remote works close but not far, the logic ... | ||
| Garage door | 8/16/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: Our garage door has started to leave a gap on one side when you close it. I have a 14 year plus (it ... A: I will have to assume that you have stretch type springs, which stretch from front to back on above ... | ||
| Geni Pro 82 garage door opener will not close | 8/15/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I bought a house with a Geni Pro 82 door opener. When I press the interior button sometimes the door ... A: The limit finger is the product that shuts off the motor in the down position. It is a metal bracket ... | ||
| Geni Pro 82 garage door opener will not close | 8/9/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I bought a house with a Geni Pro 82 door opener. When I press the interior button sometimes the door ... A: Being an lifetime International Door Assocition member (dooreducation.com), my response has to be to ... | ||
| Fiberglass garage door chalking | 8/9/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I was removing a few dirty spots off my garage door and noticed the finish coming off on the towel. ... A: You weren't real specific on door type, manufacturer,etc. If any door faces a southern exposure, ... | ||
| garage door will not open but does close. | 8/8/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I have a genie pro82 screwdrive and it will not open but does close. I can open it manually and ... A: Open the door half way and try the door. Will it go up. If not, disconnect the open limit finger and ... | ||
| Geni Pro 82 garage door opener will not close | 8/3/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I bought a house with a Geni Pro 82 door opener. When I press the interior button sometimes the door ... A: At the bottom of the door tracks are a set of square black safety sensor's. One has a green lite and ... | ||
| genie pro stealth | 7/10/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I have a 2 year old genie pro stealth. it worked fine for 2 years then... when you hit the wall ... A: Newer openers are basically computers. I would suggest to unplug the unit for at least 15 seconds ... | ||
| Garage door slipping | 7/2/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: When I open my garage door, it opens all the way, then slips back about a foot. Is this a problem ... A: You did not mention whether you had a garage door opener attached to the door or not. We will assume ... | ||
| Genie Blue Max Door Opener | 6/25/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: Mike My garage door opener is noisier then a matching one on the other garage door. If I operate ... A: I doubt if the capacitor has anything to do with noice from the GDO. Worm drives in general are ... | ||
| replacement Carriage assembly not working | 6/22/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I have the same problem that was posed to you last year by Frank K. I have the new replacement ... A: Can't find my answer to Frank, but it is a very simple premise on how the carriage operates. As long ... | ||
| garage door | 6/21/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I just replaced the molding on the bottom of my garage door. Now when it hits bottom, after a ... A: Not familiar with the 1000 but, all chamberlain units have limit adjustments on board to adjust ... | ||
| broken spring on Wayne Dalton door | 6/20/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I have a 13990-1 Wayne Dalton door that has a broken spring. I would like to replace the pair. They ... A: Because of the inherent danger in torsion springs, I would suggest you call an IDEA ... | ||
| Genie Intellicode garage door opener | 6/14/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: Recently my garage door started acting strange. At times my wall switch, remotes or car remote are ... A: The only thing that can cause a door to phantom (act on its own)is an input from a transmitter or ... | ||
| StanleyGarageDoor-won't open | 6/5/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: One of our garage door openers today won't open. My wife hit the button by the door, and the garage ... A: Probably a bad board put Stanley is no longer in the GDO business. You might find a board on line ... | ||
| genie screw drive opener | 6/2/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: My door opens up all the way and stops when it hits the limit switch and then the motor shuts off ... A: The quick cheap easy is to add more tension to the springs. If this doesn't work it will get costly ... | ||
| Ultra lift 700S | 6/1/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: Can you tell me where I can get an owners manual for an Moore-o-matic Ultra lift 700S garage door ... A: I'm sorry but MOM is no longer around and neither is the information. They were purchased and done ... | ||
| GDO lubrication | 5/30/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I have white lithium grease, and I'm planning to lubricate my GDO (chain type) with it. Is this ... A: Never use any grease on a door or chain drive opener. You should take the door loose from the opener ... | ||
| Genie Model 12A Garage door opener | 5/28/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: My garage door opener works with the wall mount button but i have to hold it until it is completely ... A: You have a very common problem. At the bottom of the door tracks are a set of safety cells which, ... | ||
| garage door opener manual | 5/28/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I have a Stanley ST305-AO9 opener and need to redo the open and close force. It has been years since ... A: The GDO portion of Stanley has been gone for @ eight years and I never delt with them before that. ... | ||
| Replacing Garage Door Opener | 5/19/2011 | Mike Whitacre |
| Q: I have a large 7 ft by 6 ft wooden garage door, probably installed in 1966. It sits slightly skewed ... A: YOur garage door and door opener are 2 seperate products. YOur garage door opener does nothing more ... | ||
Mike Whitacre
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I will not answer questions about the construction of a garage, but can answer any question pertaining to any type of garage door or garage door opener. I will not deal with shinbuster type doors. Replace it if you have one!
Experience
I have been in the overhead door industry for 35 years. I have dealt with all major brands of garage doors and openers. I have been a member of the International Door Association for 25 years(www.doors.org). My speacialty is working with and understanding stretch and torsion springs.
Education/Credentials
I have 2 years of collage , am on the IDEA board of directors, and if you didn't notice have been in the industry for 35years!
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