garage door problem

[old goat]

The garage door is tripping the GFI on the way down when it's about 4/5 down. Old gfi, one piece door which does not come down smoothly.--kind of jerks one side, then the other.
Normally my first thought would be to replace the GFI to start with but because it always happens at the same point as the door is going down--would trying to lower against too much resistance trip a GFI? I would expect that if the resistance was too much the garage door open would just reverse, which it normally does. Figured I'd ask for thoughts before I replace the GFI.

[Ted Striker]

You're talking about a subpanel GFCI breaker? or a GFCI receptacle?

[Beaver]

The GFI ness of the breaker basically counts electrons in and out. If the numbers don't match (or is out of a tight tolerance) it trips. A GFI als acts like a normal breaker and trips by load if there is too much current. If your door is working too hard it might take a bit to warm up the breaker and trip it. If you've got a clip on meter you can check current draw and compare it to the motor nameplate info. IF you help it along by giving the door a push and it doesn't stop, it's probably a current draw problem. Don't just help it at the place it stops but through as much of the travel as you can reach. Old door, old track, old rollers... probably a resistance issue. clean that shit up and see if it helps.

[wooley12]

Door is fkd from lack of maintenance and trips gfi as motor overload. Solution- replace gfi

Ok, yeah I can see that.

[XXX-er]

you don't know what the problem is so figure out what the problem isnt by substituting shit

try plugging the openner into another plug with an extention cord, BOW ?

if any thing blows and goes up in smokes the PD is much easier cuz you seen the smoke leak out

cuz electrical shit runs on smoke, when the smoke leaks out yer fucked eh

[teleee]

We are just short Geezer Steve from having a full complement of the TGR old coot know it alls from posting (wait, what the fuck does that say about me?)

[plugboots]

Lube it.

[Core Shot]

Never seen gfi plug on a garage door ceiling

Wtf kinda code is that?

[GoldMember]

Lube it.

This. Start with a bit of maintenance on the door, chain, and tracks. See if the GFI still trips. Of course, you could lube the GFI and see how that works for you.

[irul&ublo]

Lube it.

Looks like a post from the Intermittent Fisting thread

[PNWbrit]

Wtf kinda code is that?

Just imagine the wax ring requirements.

[plugboots]

Looks like a post from the Intermittent Fisting thread

Right? Amazing how many things are fixed w/ a little lube.

[old goat]

It's a gfi receptacle.
too much load can trip the gfi -- that's the answer I was looking for. Thank you.
wooley--gfi's do fail over time, especially if they've been tripped a few times.
I'll see what I can do to get the door working better. It's a single piece door so no track, but there a couple of pivot points to lube.

[Kevo]

My thought is that if the motor is pulling too much power and tripping the GFI receptacle that the capacitor on your motor may need to be replaced. Capacitors can be an easy DIY job and when I replaced mine the part I needed was in the $20 range on Amazon. I'd start there.

[plugboots]

My thought is that if the motor is pulling too much power and tripping the GFI receptacle that the capacitor on your motor may need to be replaced. Capacitors can be an easy DIY job and when I replaced mine the part I needed was in the $20 range on Amazon. I'd start there.

Agree.

[XXX-er]

We are just short Geezer Steve from having a full complement of the TGR old coot know it alls from posting (wait, what the fuck does that say about me?)

yer probably that guy I would meet everyday who had just read the latest copy of PC magazine so buddy was expert and would offer me all kinds of advice as to what was rong

but wait a minute if you are so fucking smart why am I fixing yer problem ?

[GetAmped]

When my old, rattly garage door was having issues moving smoothly, particularly when closing, turned out that just about all the nuts and bolts holding the hardware in place (hinges and such) had all loosened up just a bit. Snugged every thing up and it's been good. YMMV

[teleee]

yer probably that guy I would meet everyday who had just read the latest copy of PC magazine so buddy was expert and would offer me all kinds of advice as to what was rong

but wait a minute if you are so fucking smart why am I fixing yer problem ?

Nope, no advice from me on shit I dont know about.

[wooley12]

It's a gfi receptacle.
too much load can trip the gfi -- that's the answer I was looking for. Thank you.
wooley--gfi's do fail over time, especially if they've been tripped a few times.
I'll see what I can do to get the door working better. It's a single piece door so no track, but there a couple of pivot points to lube.

Never believed in garage door openers and never had one until I moved into this rental and I was glad when it broke. I have retensioned springs without breaking my arm. Lube it is still my advice. Before or after a new gfi is your choice.

[bluespark]

you don't know what the problem is so figure out what the problem isnt by substituting shit

try plugging the openner into another plug with an extention cord,

↑↑ Try this first, even with another GFI

GFI's don't trip on over current condition

[Core Shot]

So until 2008 electrical code, an outlet in the garage ceiling didn’t need GFI.

Apparently some moron electrocuted himself by plugging an extension cord into the ceiling and doing something stoopid

Fuck the system man, just ditch the gfi and your garage door will work just fine

[XXX-er]

Well theoretically you could drive a wet or snowy vehical in the garage and get zapped or maybe some ex dentist washed his audi in the garr-awwge ?

In any case you fucking college boys would have died in a 23 lane Costco environment with half a dozen problems

Better stick to writing bugs into the software

[irul&ublo]

Right? Amazing how many things are fixed w/ a little lube.

Maybe Sophie can make a house call


Hey...goat, Bite the bullet and get a roll up. Muy better

[warthog]

Is this a newer home? Any receptacle in the garage needs to be GFCI, or be on a GFCI circuit per 2017 NEC I believe.
Stupid freaking rule. If you are that worried about it, get a single receptacle and a new outlet cover. That way, ONLY the garage opener can be plugged into it. They should never require GFCI on any receptacle in the ceiling.

As to the why's of it, most motor loads create a surge of juice on startup. This can wreak havoc on GFCI, which is why the pool installers revolted down here when they were going to require GFCI breakers on pool motors. They would have been tripping all the time. There is just a certain amount of leakage associated with motors. Your motor is working harder than it should due to shitty rollers, causing the GFCI to see enough of a difference in amperage out vs amperage in 4-6MA difference is all it takes to trip them. Some trip at 4ma, some at 5, some at 6- no way to tell.

If it were me, I would consider that I have a built in tester in the GFCI. I would change the rollers out and see if that solves it. If not, change the receptacle out. That way, you solve the hanging up problem which, if you have ever had it happen, can get really ugly if they seize up.

How's that for old geezer bullshit Lee?

[old goat]

My thought is that if the motor is pulling too much power and tripping the GFI receptacle that the capacitor on your motor may need to be replaced. Capacitors can be an easy DIY job and when I replaced mine the part I needed was in the $20 range on Amazon. I'd start there.

I'll give that a try if lubing doesn't work.

Is this a newer home? Any receptacle in the garage needs to be GFCI, or be on a GFCI circuit per 2017 NEC I believe.
Stupid freaking rule. If you are that worried about it, get a single receptacle and a new outlet cover. That way, ONLY the garage opener can be plugged into it. They should never require GFCI on any receptacle in the ceiling.

As to the why's of it, most motor loads create a surge of juice on startup. This can wreak havoc on GFCI, which is why the pool installers revolted down here when they were going to require GFCI breakers on pool motors. They would have been tripping all the time. There is just a certain amount of leakage associated with motors. Your motor is working harder than it should due to shitty rollers, causing the GFCI to see enough of a difference in amperage out vs amperage in 4-6MA difference is all it takes to trip them. Some trip at 4ma, some at 5, some at 6- no way to tell.

If it were me, I would consider that I have a built in tester in the GFCI. I would change the rollers out and see if that solves it. If not, change the receptacle out. That way, you solve the hanging up problem which, if you have ever had it happen, can get really ugly if they seize up.

How's that for old geezer bullshit Lee?

No rollers to change--but the door is working more smoothly after I lubed all the pivots--5 on each side of the door. We'll see what happens with the GFI. Thanks all for the help.