|
|
|
| |
Frequently Asked
Questions (LiftMaster)
Residential |
| |
| 1. What horsepower garage door opener do I
need to lift my door? |
| 2. Which model is better, the chain drive,
the belt drive or the screw
drive? |
| 3. Will your garage door opener open my
eight, nine or ten foot door? |
| 4. How do I test the automatic reverse
system? |
| 5. Why does my garage door reverse as it is
closing? |
| 6. My remote control has 8 or 9 switches.
How do I code it? |
| 7. How do I program my Wireless Keyless
Entry System? |
| 8. How do I control my limit
adjustments? |
| 9. How do I make force
adjustments? |
| 10. What do I do if my
remote control does not open my garage
door? |
| 11. My remote control has
a green light on the front. How do I code
it? |
| 12. My remote has a
yellow light or no light on the front and no code
switches. How do I code it? |
| 13. How do I program my
Wired Keyless Entry System? |
| 14. Why isn´t my
remote control and/or Keyless Entry System
functioning? |
| 15. What is the
difference between AC and DC
Motors? |
| 16. What is the advantage
of a DC Motor? |
| 17. How long is the life
of the battery in the EverCharge Battery Backup
System? |
| 18. How do I know my
EverCharge Battery Backup is running on
battery power? |
| 19. How will I know
that the Surge Protector isn´t
working anymore - that it´s done its job and
needs to be replaced? |
| 20. I have a Surge
Protector and my garage door opener won´t
work anymore - what is wrong? |
| |
|
What
horsepower garage door opener do I need to lift
my door? Before
installing a garage door opener, you should
ensure that the door operates easily manually.
The rule of thumb is that if a ten year old
child can lift the door with little or no
effort, the door is well balanced. If the door
is hard to lift, you should have a professional
authorized dealer check the springs and other
hardware on the door before installing an
opener. Generally speaking, if you have a two car
garage door, you can use either a 1/2
horsepower opener or for heavy wood doors,
we now offer powerful 3/4 horsepower
garage door openers. Remember that the easier it is
to open the door manually, the easier it will
be for the garage door opener to open the door
and that means the longer your garage door
opener will last.
|
|
Which
model is better, the chain drive, the belt
drive or the screw drive?
Each garage door opener has its
advantages. The chain drive and belt drive are
good in all applications, and the screw drive
is best used on one piece doors that tilt
rather than go up on a track. The screw drive
runs a little slower than the other two garage
door openers.
The belt drive
is the quietest garage door opener and would be
recommended for garages that have a room above
them.
The chain drive
is the garage door opener that we have been
making the longest and offers dependable
performance year after year. All of our garage
door openers are very reliable and require
virtually no
maintenance.
|
|
Will
your garage door opener open my eight, nine or
ten foot door?
The way the garage
door opener comes out of the box it will open
up to a 7 foot door. Our chain drive garage
door openers can open up to 10 feet high with
the proper extension kit. We have a kit for an
8 foot door and we have a rail assembly for 10
foot high doors. Both of these are optional
equipment. Our screw drive and belt drive
garage door openers can be extended to open an
8 foot high door.
|
|
How
do I test the automatic reverse
system?
Your garage door
opener has two safety systems. The first and
most apparent is the Safety Sensor System®
which is located 4 to 6 inches above the garage
floor on both sides of the door. To test the
sensors, first open the door, then place a
carton or an item that completely blocks the
infrared beam of the
sensors. When commanded to
close, the door will not move more than an inch
and the opener´s light bulb will flash for
5 seconds, equaling 10 flashes. Removal of the
carton or item will allow normal operation. If
the safety sensors become misaligned or
obstructed, the garage door can be closed by
pressing and holding the wall door control
button until down travel is completed.
The second safety feature is a built-in
automatic reverse system that will reverse upon
striking an obstruction, provided the opener
and door are installed and adjusted
properly.
After adjusting the opener, always test the
safety reverse system. We recommend repeating
this test monthly.
Place
a one inch board (or 2 x 4 laid flat) on the
floor, centered under the garage door. Operate
the door in the down direction. The door must
reverse upon striking the board. If it does
not, refer to your owner´s manual, call
your local Liftmaster Authorized Dealer or
speak to one of our technical service
representatives by calling our S.O.S.
HotLine® at 1-800-528-5880. Failure to
pass the above test could result in serious
injury or death.
Please remember to repeat this test
once a
month.
|
|
Why
does my garage door reverse as it is
closing?
All garage door
openers manufactured after January 1, 1993
include the federally mandated Safety Sensor
Reversing System®.
These sensors are found 4 to 6 inches above the
garage floor and protect the door opening with
an invisible beam. If there
is any problem with the safety sensors, the
light bulb on the opener will flash 10 times
and the garage door will not close unless
constant pressure is applied to the wall
button.
Both the sending and receiving sensors have a
small LED light to help us align and
troubleshoot them. The LED on the sending eye
will glow regardless of alignment or
obstruction. The LED
on the receiving eye will go out when the beam
is obstructed, and it will flicker if out of
alignment.
The first step is to make sure
that each sensor has a steady glowing LED
light. If both
lights are on, but one appears to be flickering
very slightly, chances are the sensors are
misaligned. To check for
misalignment, first obstruct the beam of the
sensors so that they cannot see each
other. When the beam
is blocked, the indicator light on one of the
two sensors will temporarily go
out. This is the receiving
eye. Remove the obstruction
so the light on the receiving eye comes back
on. Then loosen the wingnut
on the back of this sensor.
Move the sensor around and make sure the green
indicator light is bright and steady before you
retighten the wingnut. This
can take a few attempts before it is back in
alignment.
If an indicator light is out on
only one of the sensors, check for a possible
loose wire. The sensor wires
are attached to the white and black terminals
on the back or side-panel of the overhead motor
unit. Make sure the wires
are securely connected to the
terminals. If everything
looks okay here, check the wires at the
sensors. Move the wire
around where it is connected in the back of the
sensor. If the indicator
light comes on, you have a short in the wires
and/or sensor, and will have to replace the
sensors.
If the problem seems to occur only during the
daytime, check to make sure the receiving eye
is not in direct sunlight.
If this is the case, remount or adjust sensor
back toward the side of the garage.
After any adjustment to the sensors, the opener
itself or the door, test both reversing
systems.
To test the safety sensors with the door open,
press the remote control or pushbutton to close
the door. Break the beam using your hand or a
carton. The door should immediately reverse to
a fully open position and the opener bulb will
flash 10 times.
Next, place a one inch board (or 2 x 4 laid
flat) on the floor, centered under the garage
door. Operate the door in the down direction.
The door must reverse on striking the board. If
it does not, refer to your owner´s manual,
call your local LiftMaster Authorized Dealer
or speak to one of our technical service
representatives by calling our S.O.S.
HotLine® at 1-800-528-5880. Failure to
pass the above tests could result in serious
injury or death.
|
|
My
remote control has 8 or 9 switches. How do I
code it?
If your remote
control has more than nine code switches, you
will have to call our S.O.S HotLine® at
1-800-528-5880 and speak with a technical
service representative.
If your remote control has eight or nine
switches, the replacement transmitter will be a
model 61LM. This remote will work with all of
our openers that were manufactured between 1984
and 1996. It will not
work with the new
Security+®
Rolling Code Garage Door Openers.
If you have a current remote with 9 switches,
simply match the switch settings in the new
remote to the switch settings in the old
remote. The new remote
control should automatically work.
If your old remote control or receiver has only
eight switches and they are numbered
1-8, match switches 1-8 in the new
remote to switches 1-8 in the receiver and/or
old remote control. Set
switch number 9 in the new remote control to
the middle, zero position.
If your old remote control or receiver has only
eight switches and they are numbered
2-9, match switches 2-9 in the new
remote to switches 2-9 in the receiver and/or
old remote control. Set
switch number 1 in the new remote control to
the middle, zero position.
If your original remote control has three
buttons, and you are using the largest button
to activate your door, make sure switch number
one in the new remote control is set to the
negative position.
If you do not have an existing remote
control and your receiver has a smart/learn
button, simply set the switches in the new
remote control to random
positions. Next, locate the
smart/learn button on the back or side panel of
the overhead motor unit.
This button is located directly below the first
screw terminal, and could be white, yellow,
gray, or green in color.
Push and hold the button on the new remote
control and at the same time, push and release
the smart/learn button. Let
go of the button on the remote
control. The remote should
now be
programmed.
|
|
How
do I program my Wireless Keyless Entry
System?
There are two
models of the Wireless Keyless Entry System,
the 66LM and the 976LM. The 976LM is for
use only with
Security+®
garage door openers having an orange/red
smart/learn button. The 66LM will work
with all openers manufactured since 1990 that
have a yellow, white, gray, or green
smart/learn button. It will
not work with
Security+®
openers.
To program the keyless entry, first locate the
smart/learn button. On our chain drive models,
this button is on the end farthest from the
door. On our belt and screw drive models, it is
on the right side as you face the door from the
opener. You simply press and
release the smart/learn
button. You now have 30
seconds to enter your four digit PIN number
into the keypad and hold the enter button for
five seconds. Wait one
minute and test the keyless entry by entering
your four-digit PIN number and pressing
enter.
With some
Security+®
models, you can also program your
Model 976LM Wireless Keyless Entry without
climbing a ladder, right from your
Multi-Function Control Panel. Simply enter your
pre-selected code and press and hold the enter
button on your Keyless Entry. Then press and
hold the light button and the pushbutton on
your Multi-Function Control Panel. The garage
door opener lights will flash to confirm that
the Keyless Entry has been successfully
programmed.
|
|
How
do I control my limit adjustments?
The limit
adjustments are accessed through the cover or
end panel of your garage door opener by using a
flat head screwdriver. Refer to your
owner´s manual for the exact location on
your specific model.
Each adjustment screw attaches to an individual
switch, one for up and one for down. Increasing
the down, for example, allows the motor to run
longer, moving the trolley farther down the
rail, and consequently lowering the door onto
the floor. Decreasing the down acts in reverse.
The more you decrease, the less time the motor
runs, therefore stopping the trolley and the
door before it completely closes.
This same principle applies to the up travel
adjustment. Turn the screw towards the increase
and the door will open farther. Turning the
screw towards the decrease button will have the
opposite effect.
Things to remember during this adjustment
phase:
- One complete turn of the adjustment screw
is equivalent to approximately 2 inches of
travel.
- Turning the adjustment screw the
direction of the arrow always increases
travel.
Turning it the opposite of the
arrow decreases travel.
- The motor may overheat and shut off with
repeated operation. Simply wait at least 30
minutes and try again.
- Always test the safety reverse system
after adjusting the opener. We recommend
repeating this test monthly.
- Place a one inch board (or 2 x 4 laid
flat) on the floor centered under the garage
door. Operate the door in the down direction.
The door must reverse on striking the board.
If it does not, refer to your owner´s
manual, call your LiftMaster Authorized
Dealer or speak to one of our technical
service representatives by calling the S.O.S.
HotLine® at 1-800-528-5880. Failure to
pass the above test could result in serious
injury or death.
Please remember to repeat this test
once a month.
|
|
How
do I make force adjustments?
The force
adjustments control the pressure used to open
and close the door. A new garage door opener
from the factory is set to the lowest possible
force adjustment. If you have a
properly-balanced door, the forces required to
open and close the door should be
minimal.
The force adjustments are usually
located on the rear of the garage door opener
and/or under one of the light lenses, if your
opener has two lights. If you have lights on
the side of your opener, the force adjustment
will be located under the right light lens. The
force adjustments are labeled with an arrow
indicating open or close and numbered 1 to 9,
with one being the lowest force and nine the
highest. The force adjustments can only turn
260 degrees, or ¾ of a complete
turn. Changes to the
forces should be done in 10-degree
increments. Please remember
that too much force will interfere with the
proper operation of the safety reversal
system. Do not increase the
force beyond the minimum amount required to
close the door. Do not use
the force adjustments to compensate for a
sticking, binding, or unbalanced garage
door.
After adjusting the opener, always test the
safety reverse system. We recommend repeating
this test monthly.
Place
a one inch board (or 2 x 4 laid flat) on the
floor, centered under the garage door. Operate
the door in the down direction. The door must
reverse upon striking the board. If it does
not, refer to your owner´s manual, call
your local LiftMaster Authorized Dealer or
speak to one of our technical service
representatives by calling our S.O.S.
HotLine® at 1-800-528-5880. Failure to
pass the above test could result in serious
injury or death.
Please remember to repeat this test
once a month.
|
|
What
do I do if my remote control does not open my
garage door?
The average range
or distance for your garage door opener to
respond from a hand-held remote is
approximately 3-5 car lengths. If your opener
does not respond from a lesser distance, you
may have an interference problem causing poor
range. Following are examples of what can be
done to improve your range:
- Try a fresh battery in your remote
control. A weak battery will transmit a weak
signal, which produces poor
range.
- Make sure your antenna is straight and
pointing down toward the floor.
- Clear out the receiver and reprogram the
remote control(s).
Erase all codes in the receiver by
holding the "Smart/Learn" button for 6
seconds. The adjacent LED
will go out. Reprogram your remote to the
opener. To do this, simply
press and hold your remote control button,
push and release the smart/learn button. The
opener light bulb should go on and off
indicating the code is learned. Release the
remote pushbutton and test the remote to see
if your range improved.
- If
your door always closes, but you have to get
closer to the door to make it open, your
signal might be “blocked” by your
door. Occasionally steel doors will act as a
shield and the remote signal has difficulty
transmitting through the door. For this
scenario, adding a co-axial antenna to your
opener and relocating the antenna outside
should improve your range.
Contact your local LiftMaster Authorized
Dealer for more information on our extension
kit.
- Disconnect your pushbutton wires from the
overhead motor unit and test your remote
control. If your range improves, try
relocating your pushbutton wires. If your
pushbutton wires are near electrical lines,
they may cause RF or
noise. Moving the
wires away from the source may
help.
- Do
you have more than one remote
control? If so, is
the problem persistent in all remotes, or
just one? If the problem
is with only one, change the battery and
reprogram. If no
improvement is noted, replace the remote
control.
- Do
you have two or more garage door
openers? If so, is
the range problem evident in one unit only
and not the other? If so,
unplug the opener that is working fine, and
then test the range on the opener you have
been having problems with.
If improvement is noted, call your local
LiftMaster Authorized Dealer.
Various objects
will occasionally cause interference. Some
items that have been known to cause
interference are TV cable, cable
amplifiers, surge protectors, fluorescent
lights, battery charging devices such as
power tools & golf carts, and anything
that utilizes a timer such as sprinkler
systems, lights, and alarm
systems. If you
have any of these devices, you can unplug or
disable the device temporarily to see if your
range improves. If it is
determined that something in
the area is causing the problem, and it
cannot be isolated or eliminated, please
contact your local LiftMaster Authorized
Dealer for additonal
suggestions.
|
|
My
remote control has a green light on the front.
How do I code it?
A remote control
with the green light on the front and no code
switches inside is called a "billion code"
remote. This is because each remote has a
unique code, which is one of over 3.5 billion
codes. These computer-programmed codes will
never be duplicated in our lifetime.
This type of remote control will only work with
our openers manufactured since July 15, 1992
that have a green Smart/Learn button. They will
not work with
Security+®
garage door openers.
To program the remote control, first locate the
green smart/learn button. On our chain drive
models, this button is on the end farthest from
the door. On our belt and screw drive models,
it is on the right side as you face the door
from the opener. Push and
hold the button on the new remote control and
at the same time, push and release the green
smart/learn button. Let go
of the button on the remote
control. The remote should
now be programmed.
If you have lost a remote, you should
erase all of the codes in the receiver by
pressing and holding the Green Smart/Learn
button until the indicator light beside the
button goes out. This will take approximately 6
seconds. After you do this,
you will then need to reprogram all of your
existing remotes back into
memory. Simply hold the
button on the remote control and at the same
time, push and release the green smart/learn
button. Let go of the button
on the remote control.
Repeat this last step for each additional
remote control.
|
|
My
remote has a yellow light or no light on the
front and no code switches. How do I code
it?
A remote control
with a yellow light or no light on the front
and no code switches inside are called
"Security+®."
This is rolling code technology, meaning that
each time you press the button on the front of
the remote control, the code that it transmits
to the garage door opener automatically rolls
the code to any one of 100 billion codes, never
to be repeated. These remote
controls will only work on Security+ garage
door openers, which have a square orange/red
Smart/Learn button.
To program the remote control, first locate the
orange/red smart/learn button. On our chain
drive models, this button is on the end
farthest from the door. On our belt and screw
drive models, it is on the right side as you
face the door from the
opener. Push and hold the
button on the new remote control and at the
same time, push and release the orange/red
smart/learn button. Let go
of the button on the remote
control. The remote should
now be programmed.
If you have lost a remote, you should erase all
of the codes in the receiver by pressing and
holding the orange/red Smart/Learn button until
the yellow indicator light beside the button
goes out. This will take approximately 6
seconds. After you do this,
you will then need to reprogram all of your
existing remotes back into
memory. Simply hold the
button on the remote control and at the same
time, push and release the orange/red
smart/learn button. Let go
of the button on the remote
control. Repeat this last
step for each additional remote control.
With some
Security+®
models, you can also program your remote
control or additional remotes, without climbing
a ladder, right from your Multi-Function
Control Panel. Simply press and hold the remote
control button. Then press and hold the light
button and the pushbutton on your
Multi-Function Control Panel. The opener lights
will flash to confirm that the remote control
has been successfully programmed.
As an added feature,
Security+®
remote controls can be programmed to operate
the garage door opener lights without opening
the garage door. This feature can only be
programmed using the Multi-Function Control
Panel.
With the garage door closed, press and hold
the remote control button that you want to
control the light. Secondly, press and hold the
light button on the door control panel. Then
press and hold the lock button on the door
control panel. After the opener lights flash,
release all buttons. Test this by pressing the
remote control pushbutton. The garage door
opener lights should turn on or off, but the
door should not move.
|
|
How
do I program my Wired Keyless Entry
System?
Our wired keyless
entry, Model 65LM, can be used with most
openers manufactured after
1984. This keyless
entry wires directly to the garage door
opener. If you are using
this keypad on a garage door opener built by
another manufacturer, we highly recommend using
a Model 85LM transformer to power the
keypad.
To program the keypad, first unplug the
garage door opener from the electrical
outlet. Next, remove the
nameplate from the console that the keypad
plugs into and locate the program/operate
switch. Flip the switch to
program. Next, enter your
desired four-digit PIN number into the
keypad. Slide the switch
back to operate, and plug the garage door
opener back in. The keypad
should be
programmed.
|
|
Why
isn´t my remote control and/or Keyless
Entry System functioning?
First, assuming
that you have more than one remote control or
battery-powered keyless entry, determine if all
remote devices have failed, or just one. This
is very important. If one of three hand-held
car remotes stopped working, but the other two
are functioning, the problem is isolated to
that one hand-held unit.
Before proceeding with troubleshooting, there
are two things to check
first. Make sure the battery
in the remote is good.
Second, make sure your lock feature is not
activated. If the LED light
inside of the wall-mounted push button is
flashing, hold the lock button for two seconds
to deactivate this feature.
There are two different types of remote
controls. The older
technology which has dip-switches, and the
“Smart” remotes without
switches. Determine what
type of remote control you have before
proceeding.
If your remote control has dip-switches, the
first thing to check are the settings of the
switches. Compare the
settings in the non-working remote to another
working remote, or to the switch settings on
the overhead motor unit.
These must match
identically. If you do not
have another working remote, and you have a
yellow, white, gray or green learn button on
your overhead motor unit instead of code
switches, simply hold down the button on the
non-working dip-switch remote and at the same
time push and release the learn
button.
If your remote control has no
switches, locate the learn button on the back
or side panel of the overhead motor
unit. This button may
be red or green in color.
Push and hold down the button on the
non-working remote and at the same time push
and release the learn
button. Then let go of the
button on the remote.
If this does not resolve your problem, please
contact your local LiftMaster Authorized
Dealer.
|
|
What
is the difference between AC and DC
Motors?
AC Motors are less
expensive and easy to manufacture. Speed is
constant and hard to control efficiently.
DC Motors are more expensive as they are more
complex to manufacture. Also, additional
components are required to make them work with
the standard AC current found in homes. Speed
can be controlled more easily with a DC motor
and more accurately. They have a quick response
to control signals.
|
|
What is the
advantage of a DC Motor?
Due
to easier speed control, DC motors can be used
in applications where "powerful but in control"
performance is desired, such as the soft
start/stop feature.
|
|
How
long is the life of the battery in the
EverCharge Battery Backup System?
Battery life
depends a great deal upon ambient temperature.
Our batteries will have a life of roughly 2-5
years in application depending on normal
operating temperatures. A unit installed in
Arizona will likely not last as long as a unit
installed in Minnesota.
|
|
How
do I know my EverCharge Battery Backup is
running on battery power?
If AC power is lost
to your home, the garage door
opener will automatically revert to
battery power. A yellow LED on the back of the
unit indicates battery-operation "mode". Also,
when the door is activated under battery power,
a small piezo buzzer will "beep", indicating
door movement.
|
|
How
will I know that the Surge
Protector isn´t working anymore -
that it´s done its job and needs to be
replaced?
There is a
Protection Indicator Light on the Surge
Protector (a green LED). That LED is lit when
the Surge Protector is working. This light will
go off and the garage door
opener will not work if the Surge
Protector is blown (AC power is no longer
available to the garage door
opener).
|
|
I
have a Surge Protector and my garage door
opener won´t work anymore - what is
wrong?
Check the
Protection Indicator light on the Surge
Protector. If it is not lit up, the Surge
Protector has taken a surge large enough to
blow its circuit and will need to be replaced.
Simply remove the AC power from the Surge
Protector and plug it directly into the outlet.
The low voltage wires can remain plugged into
the Surge Protector. Replace the Surge
Protector immediately. Run the garage door
opener to make sure all safety systems are
working properly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|