Meet My Nemesis…

…the Genie DirectLift Screw Drive Garage Door Opener.

Touted as quiet, it is. An easy project? Absolutely not! Now I’m not saying I’m DIY Channel material, however, I’ve put up several chain drive garage door openers and never had the problems I had with the Genie.

In all fairness some of them were my own problems with the structure of our house. Our Garage has low ceilings and I couldn’t mount it in any of the suggested ways provided by Genie in the instructions. I had to rig up a pseudo-bracket/flush mount that resulted in some rather colorful language and head scratching. (As well as a crime scene style smear of my blood on the ceiling when I busted my knuckles!)

When I opened the box all of the hardware was neatly arranged in different colored bags corresponding with the instructions. Per the warning on the box I also purchased the extension kit for 8ft doors. Cool, good job Genie! So I attacked the project with zeal and enthusiasm knowing that soon a soothing whirring sound would be heard and my garage door would rise like a stage girl in a Houdini show. WRONG!

All went well as I assembled the first two rails to the head unit. Good to go! Time to install the extension kit; wait a minute, there are no bolts in this box. No extra hardware in the first bag. HMMMMMM! Off to Home Depot to buy a handful of matching bolts. Continue assembling, when I get to the point of mounting the bracket to the door. The self drilling wonder bolts provided in the kit fail to penetrate the thinnest of sheet metal even with a pilot hole. Off to Home Depot! Is it getting warmer in here?

Note to self…Gotta…check that blood pressure at some point.

Install continues, more missing bolts (different in size than the bolts previously purchased)… %$@$*&%^)((&__&_)&*)*Genie +back to Home Depot…Forget the Blood Pressure I know what it is now!

“S” “Leave it and you can finish tomorrow after some rest!”

So the next day I get it all installed hit the button and Clunk!!!! DAMN YOU GENIE!!! More cursing and head scratching! I knew it was binding so I loosened all of the rail bolts and leveraged it up with the palm of my left hand while holding a wrench and tightening the other side with a Ratchet. There I was perched on the ladder both hands in the air, straddling the ladder, looking very much like some demented Balinese Temple Dancer in blue jeans (Wishing I had eight arms like a Hindu Deity at this point)! I scrambled back down the ladder hit the button and WHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR !!!!! Success!

Next day, I cleaned out the garage so “S” could park on her side of the garage and when I went to put the cover over the lights on the Head Unit.

No screws!

*&%*^#%&*%())^&+(&(*_(*+++_(= YOU GENIE!