Maintenance and Safety Tips

**Note: If you have a garage door opener manufactured prior to 1993, please click here to read more details .

Garage Doors & Openers

Here are some top safety tips to follow regarding Garage Doors and Garage Door Openers:

• Always make sure the garage door is completely closed before driving away.
• Keep people clear of the garage door opening, while the door is moving.
• Do not allow children to play with the door or opener, including the wall control and/or remote.
• Do not operate a door that has jammed or has a broken spring.
• Do not install an opener on an improperly balanced garage door, as it may cause severe injury.
• Before installing a Genie® opener, remove all ropes from the garage door, and remove or disable any garage-door locks in the open (or unlocked) position.
• Install a Genie® garage door opener at least seven feet off the floor, and install the Emergency Release Knob six feet from the floor. Read more about garage door springs and balance.
• Install the Emergency Release Tag on or beneath the Emergency Release Knob.
• Position the wall control: Within sight of the garage door, at a minimum height of five feet so children cannot reach it, and away from all moving parts of the garage door.
• Install the Entrapment Warning Label next to the wall control.
• Do not connect the opener to any power source until instructed to do so in the installation instructions or your owners' manual .
• Carefully read and follow all safety, installation, and operation instructions in your owners' manual (and installation instructions, if you are installing an opener yourself). If you have any questions or do not understand the instructions, contact Customer Service or your local Genie Professional Dealer .

Springs and Shock Warnings

High Tension Springs:

Warning! Do not remove, repair, or adjust springs or anything to which door-spring parts are fastened, such as wood blocks, steel brackets, cables, or any like items. Repairs and adjustments to high-tension springs must be made by your local Genie® Professional Dealer, using proper tools and instructions. Upgrading your door requires a properly matched spring — consult a professional for assistance.

To help avoid electrical shock

• Disconnect power before removing the opener cover.
• When replacing the opener cover, double-check that wires are not pinched or near moving parts.
• Properly ground the garage door opener. Ensure the opener is plugged into a properly grounded outlet.

Monthly Maintenance

Note: Do not operate your garage door, either manually or with the opener, if the door has a broken spring. Contact a Genie Professional Dealer for service.

1. Visually Check your door springs and hardware:

• Oil door rollers, bearings, and hinges.
• Use silicone lubricant (for doors only) or light oil.

2. Ensure your garage door is balanced properly.

• Close door.
• Release carriage from rail assembly by pulling the emergency release cord.
• Manually raise the garage door 36 inches (three feet) off the ground. The garage door should remain stationary. If the garage door moves more than a few inches in either direction, your door is not properly balanced. Contact your Genie Professional Dealer immediately.

3. If the garage door is properly balanced, reattach the carriage to the rail assembly:

• Consult your owners' manual for instructions on how to reattach the carriage to the rail assembly. Close the door and ensure the carriage engages with the rail assembly.
• Perform a contact-reverse test for your garage door.
  • Lay flat a single 2" x 4" board (wide side down) on the floor in the center of the garage door opening.​
  • Close door using wall control or remote.
  • The garage door should begin to reverse off the 2” x 4” within two seconds, proceeding to a fully open position. If the door fails to reverse on contact with the board, then close-force settings must be lowered. Refer to the "Contact Reverse" section in your owners' manual . If, after lowering the force setting, the opener still fails to reverse, seek the expertise of your Genie Professional Dealer or our contact Genie Customer Service . If your opener is unable to pass the contact-reverse test, you may need to replace the unit.

  4. Test the non-contact reverse:

  • Place an object in the path of the sensor beam, and operate the garage door opener. The garage door opener should not begin downward movement.
  • Activate the garage door opener by using either the wall control or the remote, and insert an object into the path of the sensor beam. (Rolling a ball that is big enough to interrupt the sensor beam works well.) The garage door opener should stop the downward movement and reverse the door’s travel direction.
  • If the opener fails either test, seek the expertise of your Genie Professional Dealer or contact Genie Customer Service . If your opener is unable to pass the non-contact reverse test, you may need to replace the Safe-T-Beam System.

  Your owners' manual will provide more details regarding required monthly maintenance, including drawings and labels of the parts referenced here.