Few things can be more frustrating than trouble with a garage door opener. When you’ve arrived home after a long day and are eager to get inside or you’re excited to head out on family vacation and the kids are strapped in the car but you can’t get your door open, it can be maddening!
Pictured here is the North Hatley LP Design, single door, Mocha Brown color, with 8-lite Orion windows.
There are occasions when it may be necessary for you to reprogram the travel locks on your garage door. This isn’t the same thing as reprogramming your garage door remote. Instead, this process teaches the opener to know when it’s in the fully open and fully closed positions. The steps below are specific to a LiftMaster or Chamberlain garage door opener and can be necessary when you’ve installed a new opener yourself or if you’ve had to replace the logic board. To program the travel locks on your LiftMaster or Chamberlain garage door opener, simply follow these steps…
Important things to be aware of…
There are some safety factors you should be aware of before programming your garage door opener:
- Faulty or imprecise adjustments made to the garage door travel limits can interfere with the proper function of the safety reversal system.
- If your garage door opener requires excessive force to close your garage door (because of dirty tracks or ice, for example), it will interfere with the proper function of the safety reversal system.
- If your garage door opener is an older model, DO NOT use force adjustments to correct a garage door that is in a bind.
- The garage door opener MUST BE tested each time any change is made in programming the opener.
The safety reversal system on your LiftMaster or Chamberlain garage door opener manufactured after 1993 is vital. If it’s not functioning properly, severe injury or death could result. If you are not confident in your ability to test and adjust this system, you should NOT attempt to do it yourself. Instead, contact a local certified LiftMaster/Chamberlain technician.
Your garage door is the largest moving object in your house, so working on it can be dangerous. If your spring breaks or needs adjustment, call a garage door specialist. Because of the extreme pressure on garage door springs, it’s best to let someone who knows what they’re doing give you a hand.
A garage door is programmed by a LiftMaster Chamberlain technician.
Program the Travel Locks on your myQ LiftMaster or Chamberlain Garage Door Opener in 12 steps.
- Ensure your garage door is closed and that the trolley is engaged and is situated near the door. See the photo below.
- Locate the travel adjustment buttons on your garage door opener. They are located in different places depending on your LiftMaster or Chamberlain garage door opener model. See the photo below for possible button placements.
- Press and hold the rectangular black button until the UP Arrow begins to flash or until you hear a beep. These signals mean your opener is ready to set the Open Position.
- Press and hold the UP or DOWN Arrows until your garage door is in your desired fully open position keeping in mind your vehicle height. Be sure to give taller vehicles the clearance they need by ensuring your door is completely out of the way. When the door is in your desired position, proceed to step 5.
- Press and release the rectangular black button. The light(s) on your garage door opener will flash two times and the DOWN Arrow will begin flashing. This means your OPEN POSITION is saved and you’re ready to set the CLOSED POSITION.
- Press and hold the DOWN Arrow until your garage door is fully closed.
- Press and release the rectangular black button to tell your opener that your garage door is in your desired DOWN position. The light(s) on your garage door opener will flash two times and the UP Arrow will start to flash. This means your DOWN POSITION is now SAVED.
- Press and release the UP Arrow. The door should travel to your desired OPEN POSITION and the DOWN Arrow will begin to flash.
- Press and release the DOWN Arrow. The door should travel to the desired CLOSED POSITION. Programming is now complete, but the safety reversal system should be tested.
THINGS TO KNOW DURING PROGRAMMING
- If the lights on your myQ garage door opener flash five times during the travel programming process, the programming has timed out.
- If the garage door opener lights flash ten times during the programming process, the safety reversing sensors are misaligned or obstructed.
- Once you have realigned or cleared the photoelectric sensors, do a complete up and down garage door cycle using your remote control. If the door opens and closes properly, the programming is complete.
- The round yellow button is only used to program your garage door accessories. It is not used during the process of programming the travel locks on your opener.
- After completing the programming steps, you MUST test the safety reversal system. Here is the recommended testing process from US Inspect.
- Close the garage door using your remote opener, smartphone, or keypad.
- If the safety reversal system is working correctly, the door should reverse within two seconds of making contact with the block of wood.
If you have an older garage door opener, you may be leaving yourself and others at risk because of safety innovations that are standard in newer doors.
We would never try to scare you into buying something you don’t need. But we do want to make you aware of some important safety innovations in garage door opener technology from LiftMaster and Chamberlain.
If your LiftMaster or Chamberlain garage door opener was manufactured before 1993, you should really consider replacing it rather than reprogramming it. It’s a matter of safety.
Garage door openers manufactured in the US and Canada by LiftMaster and Chamberlain after 1993 have some important safety features older openers will not have.
- Feature 1: The garage door opener motor will reverse and return to the fully open position if it encounters any physical resistance while trying to close.
- Feature 2: Garage door openers manufactured after 1993 include two photoelectric units that are mounted about six inches from the floor on either side of the door. One unit sends an infrared beam across the garage door opening to the receiver unit. If anything breaks the beam while the door is closing, the opener motor automatically reverses, returning the door to its fully open position.
When kids are playing, it’s easy for them to forget to pay attention to their environment. Thanks to safety innovations in garage doors from LiftMaster and Chamberlain manufactured after 1993, there’s less worry. When the invisible infrared beam is broken, the door returns to its open position.
Learn more about photoelectric sensors and whether or not your garage door can be opened by an airplane.
If your garage door was made after 1993, you still may want to consider a new opener because of another safety innovation released in 2012.
Determine whether or not your garage door is equipped with the rolling code safety feature by checking its manufacture date on the information label.
Since 2012, LiftMaster and Chamberlain Garage Door openers have included a technology feature called Security+2.0. This rolling code technology protects your house from intruders by generating a new security code each time you open and close your door with your garage door opener remote.
After each use of the remote, a unique algorithm changes the code of the garage door opener remote to one of more than 100 billion possible codes. Previous codes will be ignored, and the opener will only respond to the new code. Because the same code will not be used multiple times, stolen garage door opener remotes are useless to would-be intruders.
It’s easy to locate the year your LiftMaster or Chamberlain garage door opener was manufactured.
Pictured are the most common models of LiftMaster or Chamberlain garage door openers with the location of their identification sticker.
Your garage door opener should have a sticker that contains important information including the serial number, model number, and date of manufacture – all this information is helpful to have when calling your local garage door specialist. Simply look in the box labeled “MFG Date” to find whether your opener was manufactured after 2012.
If your garage door opener is a Chamberlain model and not LiftMaster, this FAQ sheet could help you locate the identifying information about your opener.
If you decide replacing your garage door opener is your best option, read on.
If you don’t know much about garage doors but are not interested in becoming an expert, here are some things to think about that will help to narrow your choices.
If your garage ceiling is very low, or very high, or if you might want to try putting storage racks above your door, you might want to consider a wall-mounted opener instead of a ceiling-mounted model. This also might be a good option if you have windows above your garage door.
This beautiful garage door in the Vog Design has windows above it. So a wall-mounted LiftMaster 8500W garage door opener is a great option. This residential Jackshaft-type opener could be the perfect solution for your needs. The opener mounts on the wall (on either side) beside the garage door and comes with a remote 1500-Lumen light that can be positioned anywhere in the garage.
If your garage is positioned next to or below a bedroom, next to the living room or kitchen. Or if perhaps it’s adjacent to your home office, you may want to consider openers that are designed for quiet operation.
Even this gorgeous door in the Prestige XL Design, Chocolate Walnut color, with Pinhead windows could wake you if you don’t have the right opener.
If you want your garage door opener to operate quietly, you’ll want to stay away from chain-operated doors. Even though they are a cheaper option, they are considerably noisier. Instead, consider a rubber belt-driven door opener.
Here are 2 rubber belt-driven LiftMaster garage door opener models to consider:
This model replaced LiftMaster 8550, this feature-rich garage door opener operates with a rubber belt-drive system, has a battery backup, a built-in camera, 2-way audio, and the myQ app. When you operate your garage door with your smartphone or other electronic devices, you can actually see what is happening in your garage. You can even communicate with people in your garage!
If that is more technology than is necessary for you, consider the LiftMaster 84501. It’s also a smooth operating, quiet rubber belt-drive garage door opener that has the myQ app, but does not include a battery backup.
When it comes to getting all the information you need about new garage door openers and doors, why not ask the professionals?
Garage doors are big investments. And they aren’t something people tend to buy many times. They also entail some construction work and should be considered carefully.
A high-quality garage door and opener can last up to 25 years. They can add beauty and curb appeal to your home and can even increase resale value! It’s worth taking the time to talk with your local garage door experts.
At Mar-Lin Dock & Door, garage doors and garage door openers are our only business. We are passionate experts who can give you the information you need in a fast, friendly way and we can help guide you in your decision making while also respecting your budget.
Give us a call today at 519-326-5888!
Have you already found the garage door and opener you want?
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If you’d like to see some inspiration…
Take a look at our residential photo gallery. Better yet, visit our Design Centre where you can take a photo of your home on your smartphone, upload it, and see what your favorite garage door design and color would look like on your home!
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