After you get home from a long day at work, the first thing you want to do is pull your car into the garage and get out and stretch. As you exit the highway and continue to cruise down the street, you can almost feel the amazing feeling of your living room and the air conditioner.
You make your way down the final stretch and turn onto your street. However, when you go to push the button on your garage door opener, you notice that the door is still closed as you approach.
You figure that something is probably up with your door opener remote. You keep trying with no results. Finally, you realize the issue is much deeper. You probably need to reprogram your LiftMaster by 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.
If you just purchased a new Chamberlain or LiftMaster garage door opener, you’re going to need to program it. It’s also possible that something just malfunctioned on the one you currently own. Regardless of the situation, you need to take the steps to rectify the situation.
You should first understand, the process of programming a garage door opener isn’t’that easy
Here are a few IMPORTANT things you should understand before taking on this mission…
- If the adjustments aren’t precise enough, the reprogramming could interfere with the safety reversal system.
- If something is making your garage door difficult to open, like dirt or other foreign objects on the track, this could also damage the function of the safety reversal system.
- Never EVER use force to attempt to open your garage door if you own an older model.
- Most importantly, you must test your garage door opener travel after reprogramming.
- It’s important to ensure that any vehicle raised significantly doesn’t get in the way when testing the opener. You don’t want to damage the vehicle in the event the calibration is off.
If the safety reversal system isn’t working properly, anyone in the way of your garage door could be seriously injured and even killed. It’s important to note that if you’re not comfortable enough to program or repair a garage door opener, you should contact a certified professional that is well-versed in LiftMaster Chamberlain products.
Your garage door is the largest moving object in your house. Essentially, it’s a huge wall that mechanically opens and shuts. The springs attached to this door are under a huge amount of pressure, and you need to understand how they work to respect them.
A certified LiftMaster Chamberlain installer reprogramming a garage door opener.
How to program the garage door opener travel equipped with the myQ app
1. Make sure you shut your garage door but DO NOT DISENGAGE IT.
2. On your garage door opener, there should be a series of buttons. A few of them are the adjustment buttons that allow you to program the unit. Use the pictures below to find the buttons on your specific model.
3. There is a black square button you need to press and hold. Once you do this, the UP ARROW will flash, and you will hear a beep. This means you can set the OPEN POSITION.
4. Now, press and hold the UP OR DOWN ARROWS until the door is open all the way. This will be your desired UP position.
5. Again, press and release the black square button. The lights on the unit will flash twice; then the DOWN ARROW will begin to flash. THIS MEANS YOUR OPEN POSITION IS NOW LOCKED. Your door can now be set to the SHUT POSITION.
6. Now, press the DOWN ARROW until the door is shut all the way.
7. Press the black square button, but quickly release it. This indicates to your opener that the door is in the SHUT POSITION. The lights will flash twice, and then the UP ARROW will flash as well. The SHUT POSITION is now locked, and you can move on to the force programming mode.
8. Press the UP ARROW. When the door travels to the OPEN POSITION, the down arrow flashes.
9. Press and release the DOWN ARROW. The door will travel to your programmed SHUT position. You are now done with programming.
IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER
- On a myQ Garage Door Opener, the programming has timed out if the light flashes five times during the travel programming.
- If the light flashes ten times, it means the programming is incomplete or the travel has been obstructed. You will need to start over.
- Cycle through the garage door functions completely after the programming is complete. This means opening and closing the garage door fully one time.
- The yellow button is only designed for programing the accessories to your garage door. Never use it for the opener travel programming.
10. You must inspect the safety reversal system before you are completely finished. The US Inspect recommends doing it this way.
11. Using the remote control or your cell phone via the app, close your garage door. Make sure there is a 2x4 laying along the threshold.
12. When the door hits the 2x4, it should reverse and open again. This is how you know it’s working properly.
Instead of reprogramming your old opener, maybe you should purchase a new one
Don’t you think you should have all the information before you decide not to upgrade your garage door opener? You probably don’t know the upgrades that were made to garage door opener systems in 1992 and 2012. LiftMaster and Chamberlain made drastic changes to the way their openers worked, and you need to know yours was made past the correct date.
You must replace your garage door opener if it was made before 1993 or 2012. The 1993 date is especially important for the safety of everyone in your family.
In 1993, every garage door opener made in the US and Canada received two programmed upgrades that incorporated the safety reversal system.
Until 1993, garage doors could literally just come smashing down on anything that was in their path. There was no safety reversal system, and injuries among children with garage doors were incredibly high. Don’t you think checking the date on your garage door is worth it to ensure the safety of your kids, animals, and other family members?
These are the two types of garage door opener upgrades incorporated in 1993
- Mechanical Upgrade: When the door closes and hits an object in its path, the door will automatically begin to open to avoid causing injury.
- Photoelectric Upgrade: Two units installed across from each other on the doorway of your garage work together to produce a photoelectric beam for your safety. If the beam is crossed while the door is being shut, the door will automatically begin to open again to avoid injury as well.
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 spot and change its direction to open the door. No injuries. No drama. Just kids being kids. You’ve got to love technology!
Learn more about photocell safety beams and learn which urban legends about planes opening garage doors are true. If these don’t convince you to be aware of this upgrade, then nothing will!
Okay, so maybe your door was designed after 1993. You’re still not out of the woods yet. There’s another upgrade in 2012 that’s equally as important as the one in 1993.
The 2012 version however has more to do with your home being broken into.
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 is a system that’s been incorporated into every opener since 2012. Before this, burglars could steal garage door openers and click them throughout neighborhoods until they found a door they would open. This allowed them access to random homes.
Since then, an algorithm rolled the codes each time they were used. Once you use your clicker to open the garage door, the pin code that was used is no longer any good. A new pin is generated, so each subsequent use means the prior pin is deleted and is essentially worthless. This prevents burglars from using the stolen clicker trick.
How do I find the year on my garage door opener?
Here are the main models of LiftMaster or Chamberlain garage door openers with their sticker locations and the information you can find on it.
When you call our garage door specialist, understanding your serial number could be very important. The serial numbers are written in black and white, and there’s something beside them that should say MFG. This is the manufacturing date.
When you look at the info next to the letters MFG, you should understand when the opener was made.
Chamberlain and LiftMaster both contain different stickers that give you the MFG date. However, this FAQ could help you with each different brand.
How do I replace my garage door opener?
If you know absolutely nothing about garage door openers, this is a great guide to assist you in determining which model might be best for you. It’s at least a good starting point.
If your ceiling is low, you’ll need a specific type of opener. However, if you have a higher ceiling and want to use it for storage, you will want to go with a different type of opener altogether.
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 your garage door attached or detached? Is there an apartment above the garage? Do you rent the space out, or does a family member live in there?
If you answered yes, it means you probably want your opener to operate without much noise. This means you need a garage door opener with a rubber belt; otherwise, it’s going to make A TON OF NOISE.
You might think we’ve presented things worse than they are. However, you’ll be really angry at yourself when you’ve just fallen asleep, and the garage door wakes you up.
Really like this 1-car garage door? It is the Prestige XL Design, Chocolate Walnut color, with Pinhead windows.
There are 2 LiftMaster garage door opener models with rubber belts for your convenience:
This opener replaces the LiftMaster 8550, which was a very popular model. However, this particular garage door opener has a rubber belt-drive system, a backup battery, a camera, and two-way audio with the MyQ app you can install on your phone. All of these additions make your life much easier, plus you can see what happens in your garage when you’re not home. You can even communicate with anybody inside of your garage. Pretty cool, huh?
Okay, maybe technology isn’t for you. It’s okay if you don’t need to see or hear what’s happening in your garage. Then the LiftMaster 84501 is also equipped with a rubber belt drive. It operates just as smoothly, and you can still take advantage of the myQ app. However, it doesn’t have a backup battery.
You might as well ask garage door experts about the important information concerning a garage door opener
Purchasing a garage door is a major decision. It’s not something that we do all the time. Actually, most of us will only do this once our entire lives. You need to make sure you make the right decision the first time around, especially since it’s not the cheapest thing in the world. However, it is a SMART INVESTMENT. You just need to carefully weigh your options when you make the decision.
The right garage door will last up to 25 years if you pick the right one. However, you need to be armed with all the right information, and sometimes you need to go to the experts.
Here at A-1 Overhead Door Systems, garage doors and garage door openers are what we specialize in. We are standing by waiting for individuals just like you that have questions about their garage doors and openers! We’re happy to help!
Contact us at 978-342-3344!
Do you already know what type of garage door you want? Perfect!
Ask us for a quotation by email.
Maybe you need some garage door inspiration first?
Browse our residential photo gallery. This will give you a chance to look at some jobs we’ve completed to give you some inspiration. Or maybe you’d like to design your garage door in a virtual setting? Using our Design Centre, you can literally build your garage door from scratch and see what the finished product looks like attached to your house!
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