Entrapment risks and the following incidents emphasize the importance of regular garage door testing, inspection and maintenance. In October 2016, Heidi Chalkley posed a surprising question to her friend: “Have you ever held on?” She then grabbed a nearby garage door as it began to open. Within seconds, her hand became trapped, and in less than a minute, the garage door and equipment fatally crushed her. Heidi Chalkley Fatally Injured by a Garage Door A witness described the event, stating, “She was not moving at all. I stood behind her and took hold of her legs. I tried my best to do anything ..read more

The process of troubleshooting and fixing a garage door opener that only works sometimes can vary depending on the type of opener, its design, and the operating conditions. Read on to find out what can cause your garage door to work intermittently and how to fix it. 1. Frequency Interference Frequency interference happens when an electric device nearby emits electromagnetic noise that interferes with the opener’s frequency and blocking the signal coming from remotes, keypads, or cars. The device may be active at certain hours, thus interfering with the opener’s signal and causing your garage d ..read more

If you’re curious about how garage doors work and enjoy learning new skills, the following tips can help you prepare for DIY garage door repair projects, as well as complete them in a safe and effective manner. 1. Use Proper Tools Make sure you have the tools and equipment needed to work on garage doors. The tools that are typically being used during garage door repair projects include: spring winding bars, 5/16-inch and 3/18-inch impact sockets, impact driver, file, hammer, 7/16 inch (11mm) 12-point wrench, pliers, vise grips. Common Tools Used in Garage Door Repairs 2. Start with Simple Repa ..read more

Is your garage door not working properly? While there are many benefits to hiring a professional, here are seven advantages of performing garage door repairs on your own: 1. Cost Savings With an average repair cost of $550, hiring a licensed garage door repair company and paying for a service call is not cheap. If you’re looking to save some money and avoid the expense, DIY repairs and completing garage door projects yourself is the way to go. Savings Opportunities 2. Control Over Parts and Materials Repairing your garage door on your own allowing you to choose openers, springs, replacement pa ..read more

Follow the steps below to adjust and align your garage door safety sensors. 1. Adjust the Sensor Bracket Ensure that the curved arms of the sensor bracket are secured around the edge of the door track. Snap it back into place if needed so that the bracket is flush against the track. If the sensor brackets are mounted to the wall, ensure that they are not loose and straight. Adjust the Sensor Bracket 2. Adjust the Track Adjust the door’s track if necessary and tighten the jamb bracket screws that secure it to the garage frame. 3. Loosen the Sensor If the sensor is secured to its bracket with a ..read more

The garage door sensors not only protect people and pets from injuries, they also help to prevent damage to the garage door and to possessions that may have been left in the door way. Below are the six main reasons that will cause the sensors to malfunction: 1. Sunlight Sunlight hitting the safety sensors can damage their lens overtime and fool the system into thinking that there is an obstruction in the way. 2. Alignment Objects hitting the sensors, as well as damaged, misplaced, or loose tracks, locking bolts, or brackets, can cause the sensors to fall out of alignment. 3. Obstructions Objec ..read more

Garage door openers typically use frequencies between 310MHz and 390MHz. Below you can find the most common frequencies used in the garage door industry and how to change them: LiftMaster and Chamberlain Garage Door Frequencies LiftMaster and Chamberlain openers with a Yellow Learn button manufactured between 2011 to 2022 use 310MHz, 315MHz, and 390MHz Tri-Band technology. LiftMaster and Chamberlain openers with a Yellow Learn button manufactured after February 2022 use 315MHz and 390MHz dual-band frequencies. LiftMaster and Chamberlain openers with a Purple Learn button use the 315MHz freque ..read more

If your garage door opener remote control has stopped working, it could be due to deprogramming, drained batteries, physical or water damage, problems with the opener itself, or a frequency interference issue. Follow the steps below to troubleshoot and fix your remote control: 1. Check the Opener’s Lock Button Electric garage door openers often feature a lock button, also known as vacation mode. If the wall button’s LED light is blinking or the lock LED in on, the feature is active and will block remote control devices, including keypads and cars. Garage Door Lock Button/Vacation Mode Disable ..read more

Follow the steps below to program LiftMaster and Chamberlain keypads to your garage door opener. The programming procedure varies from model to model. Programming a New Keypad Model 877LM Locate the opener learn button and press it (do not hold). The opener LED light should turn on. Enter a 4-digit PIN code of your choice on the keypad. Press and hold the ‘enter’ button on the keypad until the opener’s light bulb blinks or the opener makes a clicking sound. Test the keypad by entering the code followed by pressing the ‘enter’ button one time. Programming a New Keypad Model 878MAX and G940EV ..read more

Read below to learn how to repair malfunctioning garage door openers of all makes and models, addressing common problems and specific symptoms. 1. Safety Sensors Safety sensors, also known as photo eyes, utilize a beam of light to detect objects or people in the door’s path. When the beam is interrupted, they activate safety measures to prevent accidents. Symptoms of Malfunctioning Photo Eyes: Garage door won’t close. Garage door goes down 6 inches then back up. Garage door keeps popping back up. Garage door closes, then opens, and light blinks. Garage door won’t close all the way. Garage doo ..read more