Picture the following scenario. You pull up to your house after a long day at work. It’s hot outside, and all you want to do is park your car in the garage and get inside to some much-needed air conditioning. When you get to the garage door, you grab the opener to raise the garage door, and nothing happens. You click the opener again – and again. Frustrated, you continue to mash the buttons but don’t get any results. Most people would assume it’s the door opener remote. However, you soon find out that it seems like something much more complicated – you have to reprogram your LiftMaster Chamberlain garage door opener.
Psst! You could really relate to this story but what you’ve really, really liked about it is the picture of these 2 single garage doors? They are in the North Hatley LP Design, Moka Brown color, with 8-lite Orion windows.
Maybe you just acquired a new LiftMaster Chamberlain garage door opener and took the DIY route, and installed it on your own. It’s also possible you replaced the logic board of your LiftMaster Chamberlain garage door opener, and you need to reprogram the travel. Don’t worry – this article will show you how to do it.
You Should Know It’s Not an Easy Process…
Before you begin the task of reprogramming our LiftMaster Chamberlain garage door opener, here are some things you need to know:
- If you don’t make the proper adjustments to the garage door travel limits, this can cause the safety reversal system to not function properly.
- When the garage door opener requires large amounts of effort to shut the garage door (if the tracks have dirt or other debris disrupting the efficiency), the safety reversal system will malfunction.
- If the opener is an outdated model, don’t try to force adjustments to make up for a faulty or stuck garage door.
- You must always test the reversal system anytime you program the garage door opener travel. This is extremely important.
- If you have any vehicles that have a tall clearance level, ensure that there’s no risk of them becoming damaged. Move them out of the area before you test the door to make sure it fully opens.
If you don’t have a properly functioning safety reversal system, anyone that comes within close range of the garage door can be seriously injured or killed. The door will close without reversing when something lies in its path. If you don’t have a significant amount of experience when it comes to garage door openers, you should never take this project on by yourself.
Contact certified LiftMaster Chamberlain installers and technicians near you to assist you with this job for safety reasons.
The springs of your garage door are under an intense amount of pressure and tension. This is quite possibly the most dangerous component in your garage or the entire home. Are you comfortable with the amount of knowledge you have regarding the garage door opener motor?
A certified LiftMaster Chamberlain installer reprogramming a garage door opener.
Program Your LiftMaster Chamberlain Garage Door Opener with myQ Technology
- Make sure the trolley is near the garage door and the door is fully closed and not engaged.
- Find the adjustment buttons on your garage door opener. They will look like arrows normally, much like the photo below.
- Press the black square button and hold it until the UP Arrow begins to flash. You may also hear a BEEP. This means that you can change the opener to the OPEN POSITION.
- Now, press and hold the UP or DOWN keys until the door is open all the way. This will be your desired Open Position.
- Quickly press and release the black square button. The lights will flash twice on the component, and the DOWN arrow will begin to blink repeatedly. This means that the OPEN POSITION is now locked, and you can begin to set the CLOSE POSITION.
- Press and hold the DOWN key until the garage door is closed ALL THE WAY.
- Quickly press and release the black square button to signal to the garage door opener that your door is in the closed position that you’re comfortable with. The lights on the component will once again flash twice, and the UP ARROW will flash repeatedly. This means that the Closed Position is now locked, and the opener is prepared to set the force programming mode.
- Quickly press and release the UP ARROW. When the door moves to the open position, the DOWN arrow will start to flash repeatedly.
- Quickly press and release the DOWN arrow. The door will move to the programmed CLOSED position. You are now finished with the programming.
THINGS TO REMEMBER
- If the light on the opener flashes five times during the steps to Program the Travel on ANY myQ Garage Door Opener, this means that the programming has timed out and you will need to start over.
- If the lights happen to flash 10 times during programming, the safety reversal sensors aren’t aligned properly, or they are obstructed. This means you will need to align and clear the sensors.
- After you rectify this problem, cycle between up and down on the garage door using the remote. This will allow you to reach the end of programming.
- The yellow button is only used for programming the accessories of your garage door. Never use this button to program the travel of your garage door opener.
- After any adjustments are made to your garage door opener, you must always test the safety reversal system. This is the most important element of your garage door. Without it, there are extremely high levels of danger when your door closes. US Inspect recommends doing it in the manner shown by clicking on the link.
- Place a 2x4 underneath the garage door, lying across the threshold.
- Use the garage door remote or your smartphone to shut the garage door completely.
- Using your remote control, your smartphone, or your keypad, close your garage door.
- When the door strikes the 2x4, it should automatically reverse if the safety system is working efficiently.
Maybe It’s Time to Completely Replace the Opener Instead of Reprogramming an Outdated Model
Does this sound like more than what you feel should be done? If your garage door opener is outdated, this may be absolutely necessary. Two important changes took place with the LiftMaster and Chamberlain garage doors in 1993 and 2012. These are both features that you desperately need in your garage door opener, so you might want to pay attention to the following section.
If your LiftMaster or Chamberlain garage door opener was created before 1993, it has to be replaced. There’s no way around this if you want your family to be safe. Don’t even bother reprogramming your old model – you must replace your garage door opener.
Starting in 1993, every garage door opener made in the US and Canada had to have two vital reversal systems installed to protect anyone that purchased them.
Before these important updates, garage doors didn’t have a safety reversal system. This means that if someone was standing beneath the door when it closed, they would be crushed and injured – or worse. It’s important to note that TWO reversal systems were added during this update.
These two reversal systems are:
- The first update is mechanical: When a closing garage door makes contact with an object lying across the threshold, it will automatically begin to raise.
- The second is photoelectric: There are two units installed about six inches above the ground on either side of the garage door frame. These units emit an invisible laser beam that acts as a type of tripwire. When the door is closing, if anything breaches this beam, the door will automatically begin to lift to avoid crushing anything in its path.
These little girls are having so much fun they forget about safety, even though their parents keep repeating themselves. How strange, how unusual, wouldn’t you say? Thanks to the garage door opener photocell safety beams, when the big sister breaks the beam while entering the garage as the garage is closing, the garage door opener stops on the spot and changes its direction to open the door. No injuries. No drama. Just kids being kids. You’ve got to love technology!
If you don’t think this update is important, you need to learn more about photocell safety beams. You should also study which urban legend about planes opening garage doors has been proven to be true.
1993 isn’t the only important year you need to remember. Just because your garage door opener was made AFTER 1993, it doesn’t mean you’re in the clear yet.
There was yet another update that took place in 2012. However, this particular update has more to do with the security of your garage door and home.
To make sure your garage door opener has rolling code technology, look for the label on your Chamberlain, LiftMaster, or Craftsman garage door opener.
Security+2.0 has been a vital piece of Chamberlain garage doors since 2012. This innovative technology uses rolling codes to protect your family from burglars using clickers to randomly open garage doors in a neighborhood.
How does this work?
Security+2.0 uses an algorithm that generates a new code each time your door is opened. There are over 100 billion possible combinations for these codes. Basically, when you open your garage door, a code is generated that allows the door to open. Think of it as a password. However, this is a one-time password. Each time you open your garage door, a new code is generated, rendering the previously used code worthless. This means that would-be thieves can’t use the old codes to gain access to your garage or home.
Stolen remote controls can no longer be used as a way to gain access to people’s homes – assuming your garage door opener was installed after 2012 and has the update.
How Do I Find Out the Year My Opener Was Made?
Here are the main models of LiftMaster or Chamberlain garage door openers with their sticker locations and the information you can find on it.
Call your local garage door specialist if you have any trouble locating the manufacturing date. However, there is a sticker on your garage door opener that’s usually in black and white lettering. Somewhere on the sticker, you should notice an area of letters and numbers that’s marked “MFG Date” or something along those lines.
This is the area that will display when the door is manufactured.
However, LiftMaster models may differ from Chamberlain. Use this FAQ to help you locate the dates on these particular openers.
Now You Need to Replace the Opener, But Where Do You Begin?
You need to decide what type of garage door opener you’re going to purchase. Examine the ceilings of your garage door and consider a few important elements before deciding which way to go toward purchasing an opener. If you want to use your garage ceiling for storage, you might want to go with a different type of opener.
This elegant, modern garage door in the Vog Design has windows above it. That’s why a wall-mounted LiftMaster 8500W garage door opener is necessary. Indeed, this residential Jackshaft-type opener is the perfectly engineered solution to fit your specific garage requirements. It mounts easily on the wall (right or left side) beside the garage door and comes with a remote 1500-Lumen light that can be positioned anywhere in the garage.
Is there a bedroom above your garage, directly over top of the garage door?
Really like this 1-car garage door? It is the Prestige XL Design, Chocolate Walnut color, with Pinhead windows.
If someone lives in the space above your garage, it means that the opener you purchase needs to be a quiet model. Normal openers use a chain to operate and can be incredibly loud. They may be less expensive, but there’s way too loud to deal with if you’re living in a garage area. You need to purchase an opener that operates with a rubber belt instead of a chain.
Trust us, the worst thing for someone living in the area above the garage is being woken up by a loud chain at some crazy hour.
LiftMaster makes two really efficient rubber belt models:
Check out this garage door opener by LiftMaster. The 87504-267 uses a rubber belt and has all kinds of neat bells and whistles. Of course, it comes with the myQ app, but that’s just the beginning. There’s a battery backup system in case you lose power, a camera built into the design, 2-way audio, and a TON of other features. Literally, you SEE what happens in your garage. You can even talk to anyone that’s standing in your garage.
If you’re not a big technology person or don’t want to spy on people in your garage, the LiftMaster 84501 is equipped with a rubber belt as well, and it also has myQ app. However, it doesn’t include the battery backup and extras.
You Should Ask the Experts If You’re Ready to Make the Next Move
Most people will only purchase a garage door opener or garage door once in their lifetime. It should be considered a pretty big deal. Because this is a fairly substantial investment, you should take it a little more seriously than any other minor purchase.
Making the right selection means your garage door will last as long as 25 years. It also makes your home look much sharper and can significantly raise the property value of your home. You need to talk with an expert whose ready to give you a quality installation.
Here at DSI North Door Systems, garage doors and garage door openers are our lives, literally. We’re ready to field any of your questions and help you with that garage door of your dreams. Even if you’re not quite ready to pull the trigger, we would be more than happy to address any of your concerns, regardless of what stage of the process you’re in.
Contact us at 978-741-1600!
Ask us for a quotation by email if you already know what model you want to purchase.
If you need to take some time to shop a little more, that’s okay too.
Our residential photo gallery allows you to check out some of our real-life handy work. Grab your smartphone and try our Design Centre. It allows you to see your favorite garage door designs and colors installed on your home. That’s right; it’s like looking at a picture of the final product already installed. You can literally upload a photo of your home and design the garage door of your dreams and add it to your home.
Add new comment