How do I tighten the chain on my garage door opener?

expert EXPERT April 26, 2007

There are several variations, but the following are the two most common: There may be an adjustmentconnected to the chain, or an adjustment to the length of the door opener track. (Regardless, adjustments should be done with the door closed and disconnected from the opener using the emergency release.) Adjustments on the chain are located at or near the master link where the chain engages with the cable (if there is one). These usually consist of a bolt with two or three nuts, one or two for locking and one for adjusting. You loosen the locking nut(s), and turn the center nut clockwise to adjust the excess slack from the chain. Do not over tighten the chain. This will cause premature wear on the chain rollers. Adjust it tight enough so that the center of the chain sags about 1/2" down from parallel with the track. The second adjustment is located on the top of the opener body. This is common on the Stanley chain drives that utilize the tubular-style track. There is a bolt that is turned clockwise to actually extend the length of the track, thus removing the slack from the chain. Same rule applies concerning recommended chain slack. One thing about this second adjustment is that if the body of the opener is mounted in a very rigid fashion and has no "give", the tubular track will bend when you try to make this adjustment. So, you might have to loosen the mounting bolts or make other adjustments to the mounting assembly to allow the adjustment.