MURPHY IS AT IT AGAIN

Tuesday night, just before heading off to bed, I went to close the garage door.  A typical nightly ritual, the "Closing Of The Door".  The last sign of life from Casa Wichi before we roll up the sidewalks (kinda funny since we don't HAVE any sidewalks).

And this was anything but funny.

Hit the button and the door lurches and chugs as is its want.  But 7 inches into the travel, it changes its mind...burps, stalls, and backs back up.

*eyebrows go up?*  <now that's weird>  Hit the button again and get an instant replay.

What did Einstein say about insanity?...something about doing the same thing over and over repeatedly, yet expecting different results (I know...it's redundant...repetitious even, but then, I didn't say it).

Anyway, I gave insanity a shot.  Newp.  Didn't work.  Door still burped and went back up.  But I found if I kept hitting the button, catching it before it totally retraced its steps, I made progress.  Finally getting the door closed, it was off to bed.  Fight with it more in the morning.

Morning didn't show any change in the doors attitude.  Still acting cranky and I didn't have time to mess with it...beat it into submission after work.  I warned Dudette that we would have to open and close the door manually until I could look at it.  Then headed off to the salt mines.

When I got home, I parked in the drive and tried the handle to see if it was locked before lifting.  Handle turned a little so I figured "great, Dudette only turned it to latch the door down but not lock it.  I should be able to lift the door right up".

*CLICK*   ???????  Did I just hear it "CLICK"?  Yep.  It wasn't locked, but is now.

Wonderful.  Digging through all my keys (that would be a bunch...don't ask), I couldn't find one to unlock the door.  Figures.  So I let myself in through the front door and headed to the interior door to the garage.  Grabbing the handle, I pulled myself face first into the door.  Locked.  Figures.  Once into the garage, I got the door unlocked and raised.  Then I went through all my keys again and, wouldn't you know it, found the right key to the garage door lock.

Door up, plenty of light, and access to my vast arsenal of tools, I tore into the opener.  I figured I would find the drive gears shredded and in pieces as that is what happened the last time the opener acted this way.  Not this time though.  I couldn't find anything obvious wrong inside.

So I started cycling the door up and down by jumping across the contacts on the back (yes, that is the recommended way to do it when working on it).  It still kept up the short "run and bounce back" routine.  So I played around with the different adjustments on it.  I was guessing there was some dirt or grime causing it to trip.  Never found any but after cranking the "up/down" force settings, it started moving fine.  The only thing that made sense to me was the contacts in the adjuments "pots" must have gotten a bit damp from the rain the day before and they were acting up.

To make sure the door would keep working, I needed to test the automatic safety "kick-back" before calling it done.  To do that, I needed my remote from the truck.  Stood close to where the door would close and hit the button.  Nothing.

Hit the button again.  Nothing.  Looking at the remote, I could see the light on it come on, but the door wasn't responding.  Tried the wall switch at the house door, door took off right away.  Reversed when I hit it the second time.  OK, the door still works.

Back to the remote...click, click, click, clikclikcclikclikclik....*ARRRGHHH* nothing.  Einstein time again.  Maybe the battery was low.  Put new battery in.  Click, click, click...*sigh*  Ever have one of those days?

I head in for the instruction manual to see if maybe I needed to reset the opener to the signal from the remote, and to figure out how to reset it.

Can't find the manual.  OH, COME, ONNNNN!  I went online to see if they had an archive section from the manufacturer.  Newp.  Started to call the service department and while sitting on hold (of course), I remembered where the manual was.  *phew*

Back in the garage, reading the book, the FREAK (number 1, not 2) decides to grace me with his presence.  He starts in on a 20 minute recant of his nightmare with a similar opener.  While I'm trying to read.  The day was getting shorter, and so was my patience.

Just before he decides it's time to bail, he mentions a thought that was already in my mind, "have you tried unplugging it and letting the main unit reset?"

"Why NO, Buford!  I hadn't!"  Of course I had, but his butt was in my way.  With him gone, I gave it a shot and sure enough, that was all it took.

Then I had to put the whole mess back together.  Just as Dudette got home.

What ever possessed it to stop working, wet controls or gremlins, it was over it and working again.

Repairs happen.

Comments

[Bogie]

I always try that old reset and/or unplug for a minute or two before deciding that it needs maintenance. Which reminds me, the old Ipaq wouldn't start for me yesterday even though it had been on the charger and said it was fully charged. I need to do the same to it.

[bod]

gremlins dude, definitely gremlins :-)

[CK]

I agree with bod. Definitely gremlins.