Try these tips for resolving common problems with your garage. If nothing seems to do the trick, please call us at 516-883-9000 so we may assist you.
A drained battery is the most common reason why a remote control stops working. Replace the battery in the remote control with a fresh, newly purchased battery. Lift-Master remotes take a 3 volt battery, “CR-2032” – these are normally available at any drugstore or hardware store; we also stock these batteries at our shop. If the remote does not begin working immediately it may need to be re-programmed – feel free to give us a call if you need instructions on how to re-program.
Remote controls for most brand motor units are easy to program. If you’d like to pick up a remote control from us we will walk you through how to program it – please just call ahead so we can make sure what you need is in stock!
A drained battery is the most common reason why a keypad stops working (keypad batteries need to be replaced fairly often as the batteries are exposed to temperature extremes). Replace the battery in the keypad with a fresh, newly purchased battery. Lift-Master keypads take a 9 volt battery, available at any drugstore or hardware store; we also stock 9V batteries at our shop. If the keypad does not begin working immediately it may need to be re-programmed – feel free to give us a call if you need instructions on how to re-program.
All keypads are wireless and are easy to program and mount if you have a Chamberlain branded motor unit (Lift-Master, Access Master, & Sears Craftsman). If you’d like to pick up a keypad from us we will walk you through how to program and mount it – please just call ahead so we can make sure what you need is in stock!
If the garage door either goes down just a little bit or doesn’t even seem to move at all when you attempt to close it, there may be something interfering with your safety sensors. This is the safety feature which will prevent the door from closing if the unit thinks someone or something is in the path of the door. One sensor sends an infrared beam of light to the other side – anything that prevents that beam from being registered at the receiving end will prevent the door from closing. The safety sensors are located about 6” – 8” off the ground just on either sides of the tracks. To troubleshoot:
- Make sure nothing is physically in the path of the sensors (e.g., a shovel, a portion of a garbage pail). Just remove any item that seems like it might be in the path of the sensors.
- Check to make sure the sensors are aligned. Since they are so low to the ground it’s easy to unwittingly knock a sensor out of alignment when bringing a trash pail, etc., into or out of the garage. If the sensors are aligned you should be able to see a small round light (about the size of a large nail head) in each of the sensors - stand inside the garage and look at the long, more rectangular side of the sensor to see this light. If one sensor either does not have a light, or has a light that is “flickering” and not solid, wiggle it with your hand to try and get it back into alignment (don’t be afraid to “man-handle” it!).
- Clean the lenses. A very small amount of dust or debris can block the infrared beam. Spritz a paper towel with some glass cleaner and with the tip of your finger rub in a circular motion right where the little glass lenses point towards each other across the threshold of the door.
With the door in the open position take a rag or paper towel and wipe off the very bottom edge of the door. Also make sure none of the bottom rubber is torn and hanging down. Any debris that is hanging from the bottom edge of the door can trigger the safety sensors to send the door back up.
If the garage door motor seems to be completely dead (not making any sound at all, light bulb in the unit not coming on) the motor may not be receiving an electric current. Check to see if you have lights in the safety sensors or the button on the inside wall – if you do not, then check the outlet into where the motor is plugged to make sure there is electricity to it. Please note, outlets themselves can go bad or be controlled by another switch or GFI, so just checking the breaker box will not tell you for sure if the outlet has electricity. Plug a small device into the outlet – if the device works, call us! If it doesn’t work check for a GFI re-set button or a wall switch that controls that outlet, or call a licensed electrician
Simple, but yes, change the bulb – please note that only regular incandescent light bulbs should be installed directly into the motor unit. Florescent and LED bulbs may not insert to the proper depth, and also may interfere with the signal from your wireless devices (remote controls, keypad). If an incandescent bulb still doesn’t work the light socket can be replaced in Chamberlain/Lift-Master motor units. If you’re a DIYer it’s not difficult to replace the socket yourself if you’d like to pick one up from our shop, otherwise please contact us to set up a service call.
What we refer to as “phantom operation” most often happens when a hand held remote control is stored in a location where the button can get inadvertently pressed, e.g., a kitchen drawer, a purse or a glove box. This can happen even if no one was in the vicinity at the time. (This often is the case if you’ve got the remote programmed into your car and the hand held remote is stored someplace.) Remove any stored remote control and take the battery out – if the event does not happen again simply replace the battery and put the remote on a shelf where it will not come into contact with anything else.
If you have a motor unit with a backup battery (so your door will continue to work even if the power goes out), the backup battery will beep every few seconds to let you know it is nearing the end of its life and should be replaced. If you’re a DIYer it’s not difficult to replace the battery yourself if you’d like to pick one up from our shop, otherwise please contact us to set up a service call.