Only some credit is given to one of the best inventions present in most homes with garages today: the door opener. For those with a Genie garage door opener, they know how much convenience this nifty little invention has brought them.

As with all great mechanical inventions, they need to be maintained in order to keep them in excellent working condition.

In this maintenance tips guide, we’ve listed essential things to keep an eye on when performing routine maintenance, as well as other things to note when considering Genie garage door opener repair.

Genie Garage Door Opener: A Quick Guide

The Genie brand specializes in residential and commercial door openers and other innovative products. For their residential garage door openers, they have two main lines, which are the professional dealer-installed ones and the retail kits that any homeowner can install in their property.

Regardless of which one you’re using, routine maintenance would still have to be performed in order to keep your garage door opener in the best working condition.

DIY garage door openers vary in motor voltage, and they also come in three distinct systems, namely:

• Screw Drive
• Belt Drive
• Chain Drive

Most Genie garage door opener repairs can be done quickly by the user because it is a straightforward system and even has self-diagnostic powerhead LEDs that can tell you what’s going on from the onset. However, homeowners will still have to perform routine checkups in order to make sure that everything is running correctly.

A monthly inspection should suffice for most systems in the Genie garage door lineup of products. For more severe problems, one may be able to obtain professional assistance either from their dealership or from experts such as OKDiscountGarageDoor.com.

Regularly Do Contact Reverse Tests and Force Control Adjustments

The contact reverse test is a monthly test of your garage door system to check if the garage door will return to its open position should it encounter an obstacle along the way. This ensures that a garage door is optimized for the maximum safety of the people using it.

To make sure that this is working, open the garage door using either the remote or wall interface. Place a wooden 2 x 4 board at the center of the door, and close the garage door. The door should return to its upward position within two seconds of contact with the wooden board.

If the door fails to do so, then it advisable to adjust the force control settings, if that still doesn’t work, one should contact a professional immediately. Repairs like these can be done by professionals. Check out the video at the bottom of this post to see if it can help you.

To adjust force control settings:

• Press both up and down buttons until the LED turns red on the wall console.
• Press PRGM.

Press up or down depending on what force you need—there is a color chart detailing what type of force is required. Force levels range from lowest to highest, and it’s a 9-level setting going from low to high in these colors for round LEDs: Blue (1 lowest), Off, Blue, Violet, Off, Violet, Red, Off, Red (9 highest.)

• Press PRGM.
• Test the door through the wall console for two full cycles.

Even though you need to test the contact reverse monthly, it won’t be likely that you have to change the force control regularly, too.

System Checks for Safe-T-Beams and Wiring

Another monthly check that should be performed is a quick check on the wiring of the Safe-T-Beam. For you to properly conduct this maintenance activity, it is advisable that you use a flashlight. Wiring insulation may become frayed, and connections may be loose. If this happens, it can be detrimental to your door opener system.

Maintain Lubrication

Garage door openers, in general, utilize mechanical moving parts that require lubrication in order to run smoothly. This is a pretty straightforward monthly activity that requires you to purchase a lightweight general purpose grease, and lubricate the hinges and rollers.

Make sure to lubricate the moving parts adequately, but don’t over lubricate to the point that grease is dripping from the mechanical parts. This will undoubtedly cause a mess and could be a potential hazard.

Clean Out Debris Immediately

Most people are guilty of not being able to clean their garages as often as they would want to, but special care must be given to a garage door opener system in order to keep it in excellent condition. Simple checks such as clearing out debris that could be blocking up your hinges and Safe-T-Beams are great ways to make sure that nothing untoward happens.

Just by merely cleaning, you can prevent a lot of problems from occurring.

Check for Battery Backup System Issues

The battery backup system of the Genie garage door opener is pretty innovative because it works even in the absence of outlet-fed electricity to the system. This needs to be checked on a monthly basis in order to make sure that the garage door opener works during power outages or emergencies.

The way to test this is to unplug the Genie garage door opener from the system and see if the battery works by opening and closing the opener using either the wall console or remote control. If the opener is not working, it might be time to replace the battery in the backup battery system.

Check Remote Battery Issues

Believe it or not, a lot of problems may be caused by a faulty battery on the remote control that comes standard with most Genie garage door openers. Here’s one of the rules: if the door isn’t working even with normal remote-control usage, you probably have to replace the batteries on the remote.

The 1-button and 3-button remote varieties both use a CR2032 coil cell battery that can be replaced by detaching the battery cover. For the case of the 3-button variant of the remote, one will need a coin or a washer to separate the remote case. Both options will require that the battery's positive side is facing upwards in order to ensure proper operation and power supply to the remote-control device.

Common problems that are caused by faulty, lowered capacity or depleted batteries typically involve the remote experiencing issues with controlling the garage door opener mechanism. Usually, it is within the range of 25 feet and the wall control works, but the remote does not.

If one can’t control the garage door with a remote, then they ought to check their remote control batteries. Until scientists can come up with a great futuristic battery solution that can be deployed on all devices, you have to check your batteries regularlybattery solution

Check Light Bulbs

The owner of a garage door opener might be tempted to replace faulty light bulbs with standard LED bulbs that they have in the shed, but there’s a reason the manufacturer recommends that you use Genie-branded LED light bulbs.

The reason behind this is that a standard light bulb might cause range issues with the remote controller of the Genie door opener. The bulbs from the company are marketed to be better for use with their system because they provide better vibration resistance to the constant use of the opener, as well as protection against damp and the cold. If in doubt, contact your local service professional.

However, one may still use their own choice of lightbulbs if they choose to do so.

Make sure that the power to the garage door opener is disconnected before performing any of these steps:

• Remove the cover from the lens of the device.
• Remove faulty light bulbs and replace them with new ones.
• Close the cover.
• Test the light bulbs to see if they work under regular operation.

Check for Door Issues and Perform Door Inspection

This forms the most essential part of the garage door system, and it must be routinely checked in order to prevent malfunctions from happening. Here are some door inspection tips that you should perform on a regular basis:

• Open and close the door manually; the door should move freely without any stiffness or attrition.
• Open the door to about four feet. If it doesn’t slowly go up or remain stationary, then call a professional.
• If the door moves too rapidly, call a professional. There could be a problem with the springs, and they should be adjusted.

You should also check the carriage if it will automatically reattach itself to its system.

• For belt and chain drives: Pull the release handle down to disengage the carriage and pull it towards the door.
• For screw drives: Pull the handle down in a vertical manner.

Remember not to pull the door down with the use of the release cord. The carriage should reattach itself, and if it doesn’t, it is wise to contact a professional.

These door inspection tips are vital to ensure that your garage door opener repair and maintenance routines are performed well. You can avoid potential problems from surfacing by just performing this type of maintenance. As per usual, make sure that the garage door is free from debris and is thoroughly lubricated.

Fix Noisy Doors

Doors can be noisy from time to time, and if you find that your door is suddenly producing more noise than average, then it is probably time that you check how the system is fastened to the door, and how the door is attached to the garage.

Balancing might be required, and the lack of lubrication can be a culprit of a noisy door.

Is the Door Operating by Itself?

A door opening and closing by itself might not be the result of a haunted garage, but rather a faulty button on either the wall console or the remote control. However, if the remote control was lost or stolen, you should purchase new remotes and clear the memory on the powerhead in order to guarantee the safety of your possessions in the garage.

If the Door Doesn’t Want to Close...

This is an annoying problem due to the fact that the garage door opener should be able to close and secure your vehicle and other possessions in the garage at all times. However, the problem behind this might be a result of one or more different issues that are occurring.

Should someone encounter an issue such as this one, the following checks should be done:

• Check if the Safe-T-Beams are in working condition. It could be the result of an interference issue.
• Check if there is a problem with the diagnostic lights.
• Adjust door opener limits.
• Try to hold down the down button on the wall mount.
• Perform a contact reverse test if you can.

These are just a few of the checks that you could perform on your garage door. However, there is another reason why this is happening, and it could be because of your garage door springs. If you find that this is the case, then you should contact a professional to check out the issue. The reasoning behind this is the high tension that is usually kept in these springs. This makes things dangerous to DIY if you don’t know exactly what you are looking for.

Always Do Visual Checks

There are a lot of benefits to giving your garage door opener system a quick glance. However, it doesn’t just end there—make sure that cables and wiring are checked from time to time and that there is no debris blocking any moving parts.

Checks for moisture or anything wrong with the system should also be done on a regular basis. Prevention is better than cure with expensive items such as these.

The Importance of Routine Maintenance

One of the best ways to prevent any problems is to perform routine checks on a monthly basis and to make sure that you adhere to a rigorous schedule. Garage door openers aren’t exactly the cheapest products out there, and it definitely pays to pay attention to its working condition.

For problems that cannot be fixed using a DIY approach, you should contact an authorized service representative or seek the help of a professional. Devices that seem to have sustained damages should be checked by a professional, too, in case they need repair or to prevent any untoward accidents or injury resulting from it.

Using these tips, one can optimize their garage door opener experience and make sure that they are getting the best value for their money. Make sure that maintenance is not missed out!