How Chamberlain garage door openers work
Chamberlain garage door opener have a motor that drives a trolley along a track, either pulling the door open or guiding it closed. The electronic control system controls how the motor moves the trolley.
Safety sensors attached near the bottom of garage door rails monitor the door path for obstructions and don’t allow the door to close when an obstruction blocks the safety sensor’s infrared beam.
Remote devices such as your car remote send radio frequency (RF) signals to the electronic control system to trigger garage door opening and closing.
Garage door opener troubleshooting tips
When your garage door opener won’t close the garage door, try these DIY troubleshooting tips.
- Check for power. Make sure that your garage door opener is plugged into a working electrical outlet. Plug a different electrical device into the outlet to make sure that it’s working. If the electrical outlet is dead, reset the house circuit breaker for the outlet.
- Look for an obstruction. The garage door opener won’t close the door if an obstruction is blocking the safety beam. Remove any obstruction in the garage door’s path. If the garage door opener lights blink—indicating an obstruction is blocking the safety beam—even when no object is present the safety sensors may be misaligned or disconnected. Check sensor alignment and line up the safety sensors. Reconnect any loose safety sensor wires.
- Replace remote device batteries. Weak or dead remote control device batteries can prevent the garage door opener from working as it should. Replace any weak or dead remote device batteries.
Common Chamberlain garage door opener parts you may need to replace
- Safety sensors. Faulty safety sensors won’t let the garage door opener shut the door. If the sensors are aligned and there’s nothing blocking the beam, but the alignment lights still won’t turn on, replace the safety sensors.
- Remote devices. Vehicle remotes see daily use, so these devices can eventually wear out. Replace any vehicle remote device that doesn’t work after you replace its battery. The remote keypad can also wear out if it’s exposed to weather. If the remote keypad quits working, try replacing its battery. If the remote keypad doesn’t work after you replace the battery, it’s likely that you have to replace the entire remote keypad.
- Chain or belt. Depending on the type of garage door opener you have, a chain or belt moves the trolley that lifts and lowers the garage door. Chains and belts can become worn or break. Replace the belt or chain if worn or broken.
When you're unable to fix a garage door opener problem on our own, trust Sears Home Services to fix it for you. Servicing garage door openers is one of our specialties.