Previous post: How To Reface A Fireplace Step By StepNext post: How To Remove A Pedestal Sink For Plumbing RepairsIf your remote is too far away from the receiver, it will not work. A remote-control garage-door opener is a handy little electronic device that makes it possible to get into the garage without leaving the car or heaving up the heavy door yourself. The opener remotely sends an infrared or IR signal to a receiver that triggers a switch, promting an electric motor to open or close the garage door. Before any garage door remote works correctly it must be within the specified range of its IR signal-sending strength. If it is within range but still does not work, there are ways to fix it. Check the Batteries The most common cause of garage door remote control failure are weak or dead batteries. To be sure that the batteries are always good, use name-brand quality batteries instead of discount brands. Also, although using rechargeable batteries is environmentally friendly and cost effective in the long run, they only put out approximately 1.2 volts as opposed to an alkaline battery that puts out 1.5 volts.
Therefore, a remote powered with two rechargeables would only get 2.4 volts when it is designed to run on 3 volts of power. This 25-percent lack of power may seriously compromise the range and effectiveness of the remote control unit. Check the Battery Contacts Dirty, worn or wet contacts inside of the battery case inhibit the electrical current of the batteries from fully reaching the circuit board inside of the remote control. If the contacts look discolored, pitted or are wet, they need to be dried and polished before any battery can successfully power a remote control. Contacts can be polished with a fine-grit sandpaper, like 400-grit or fine steel wool. Clean the Eyes The plastic covering over the IR unit on both the remote control and the receiving unit is called the eye. This "eye" allows the IR signal to pass through it in both transmitting and receiving. Eyes can be wiped off using a soft damp cloth. Most remote eyes are made of plastic that, although resistant to scratching, become scratched if rubbed against metal, abrasive fibers or dropped onto the ground.
The plastic can be polished using specialized plastic polishing substances, but if the IR eye on a remote control is badly scratched, pitted or gouged, there may be no recourse except to get a new one. Reset the System Remote controls and receivers are small computers. Sometimes a reset is needed to reboot the circuit boards in both the remote control and the receiver. A reset is accomplished by removing the batteries in the remote for approximately 30 seconds and re-installing them. A reset on a receiver is accomplished by unplugging the unit from the wall socket for a bout 30 seconds, then plugging it back in. References Genie Door: Garage Door Troubleshooting GuidesGarage Doors: Troubleshooting a Garage Door Opener Remote Control Photo Credits Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images Suggest a CorrectionYou have a shiny new car and want to program your garage door opener to it. So you get out your garage door remote control and your new car's owner's manual for the instructions from the manufacturer to be able to program the remote control to the car.
Then, after following the instructions from the manual, you press the button for the garage door to go up . . . and nothing happens. Did you miss a step? Read on to learn about what most instruction manuals leave out: the step of programming the car/truck/van to the garage door machine itself. The Logic BoardOn the back side of your garage door opener is a panel called the logic board (see the photo above). The logic board is the computer or brain of the machine. Most new garage door openers are multi-code machines. That means that they use several signals each time you press the button on your remote control. This is for security, so your code can't be stolen by a code-grabber. Programming a Vehicle to the Garage Door OpenerOnce you have followed the instructions on programing your machine, you now have to "teach" the garage door opener to connect to the remote device in your car. First, press the "learn" button on the back of your garage door opener mounted on the ceiling.
(The learn button, located on the back of your machine, will be square if using a Liftmaster machine. Craftsman, Liftmaster, Chamberlain are all the same. Their learn buttons are square and usually yellow, red/orange, or purple. If using a Genie, the button says "learn button.") The single press of this button should be brief and firm. Do not hold this button down. If you do, it erases all of the programming in the machine and you'll have to re-program all the remote controls that you have, and that's not a fun process. Quickly press the button on the remote control and hold it down a moment. If your car has a built-in button, then you'll need to have someone help you by pressing that button now. Programing the remote to the machine only takes a second. When the machine accepts the code, the light on the machine might flash for a brief moment, and you should hear an audible click. Yep, it's that easy! I don't know why the auto makers leave this step out, but that's really it.
I hope this helps, and if you have any questions, leave them in the comments below and I will try to walk you through it. Don't Hold the Learn Button DownIf you do, it erases all of the programming and you'll have to re-program all the remote controls you have.It looks like nothing was found at this location. Maybe try a search?How do I erase the remote control from the garage door opener's memory? There are a few instances that the memory of your opener would need to be erased. NOTE: Erasing the memory will remove ALL remote controls and keyless entry codes from the garage door opener. Begin by locating the LEARN button on the back or side of the motor unit; generally this is on the same side as the antenna wire. You may need to remove a light lens cover or open a control panel to gain access. The LEARN button may be green, orange, red, purple or yellow, and will have a small LED next to it. Erase all remote controls and keyless entries Units with a green, orange, red, purple or yellow LEARN button: