5 Ways to Improve the Performance of Your Garage Door Opener

Have you experienced problems opening your garage doors? Sometimes pressing the controller just doesn’t work, causing frustration and delaying your downtime. There are several ways to improve your garage door opener performance — these can minimize irritating delays in safely parking your car and carrying on with other, more satisfying activities at home.

How To Improve the Performance of Your Garage Door Opener

Simple tips and tricks may result in your automated garage door opening and closing like clockwork. On most occasions, it’s only a case of checking the range of your garage door remote. A few factors may hinder it from operating to its full potential. If you’re still unsatisfied with its performance after examining these closely and performing basic maintenance, consider upgrading to a garage door opener with a better range.

Try these potential remedies before upgrading your entire opening system.

1. Change the Remote’s Battery

A common cause of faltering garage door operation is the remote’s battery needing replacement. In most electronic appliance remotes, a battery’s lifespan is three to six months, but using a quality battery in your garage door opener’s remote could extend this substantially. Other factors — frequent use, environmental conditions and the remote’s features — also affect how long a battery lasts.

Open the remote’s case to change your garage door opener’s battery — to do so, you may need a small screwdriver. Remove and replace the existing battery, with the positive side facing outward. Ideally, you’ve bought a quality replacement, like a well-branded CR2032 coin cell battery with a 12 to 18-month expected lifespan in optimal conditions. After replacing the battery, snap the cover back on and rescrew it tightly if applicable. Should your remote be old or well-used, and a new battery doesn’t change the situation, consider replacing the system.

2. Complete Door Opener Maintenance

Although physical maintenance of your garage door opener may not solve your immediate problem, it’s still an excellent tip, especially if you’ve had the opener for a while without maintenance. Sooner or later, without regular inspection of the rail, belt, chain and motor, wear and tear or other damage might cause problems.

Tighten any loosening screws, bolts and nuts to reduce vibrations that may cause future safety and functionality issues. Use a silicone-based lubricant on all the moving parts and clean the sensors to free them from built-up dust and debris. You’ll likely find these sensors near the bottom of the door tracks. It’s a good idea to check that the sensors are aligned correctly, as misalignment can affect your garage door opener’s performance. Adjust the travel limits according to the manufacturer’s instructions if your door only partially opens or closes.

3. Check for Electrical Interference

Another type of electrical component can interfere with a garage door opener. These components could be anything from amplifiers, TV cables and surge protectors to battery chargers, timed sprinkler systems and alarms. Fluorescent and LED lighting, especially on a timer, could cause your garage door opener to malfunction. Identify any electrical components or appliances you’ve recently installed — a new deep freezer in your garage or a satellite dish on its roof could create electrical interference. If you’ve made no changes, perhaps your nearby neighbor has.

New LED or fluorescent light drivers within bulbs can produce an RF signal, another common cause of interference. You may have recently changed bulbs that coincide with your door opener playing up. If so, consider switching your light bulbs to incandescent or LED bulbs specially made for openers. Alternatively, clip a ferrite clamp around your garage door opener’s control box cable to block radio frequency (RF) interference. Check with your manufacturer for suitable options.

4. Reprogram Your Remote’s Code

If you’ve changed your remote’s battery and it has made no difference, something may have caused the transmitter code between the opener’s remote and the receiver to reset. The reprogramming process may differ depending on the brand of your garage door opener. Most top brands include a “learn” button on the wall control or opener that you can press and hold to reprogram the opener. Look for the button near the base of your control box antenna.

When you push and hold the learn button, you’ll likely see the lights on the remote start to flash, or hear a click from the garage door itself. If you notice flashing lights on the remote, wait for them to stop and then try to open the door to see if you’ve resolved the issue.

5. Reset an Older Opener

Older garage door openers often rely on transmitters and remotes with specific communication frequencies. You set these frequencies by creating a pattern using a series of DIP switches — usually nine or 12, depending on your opener’s model. Find these switches inside your remote and on the transmitter or control box inside the garage.

Change some switches in both to create a random pattern that exactly matches the remote to the transmitter or box. Don’t use a straight line pattern, for example — doing so makes it easier to imitate the RF signal and open the garage door. If you don’t find any DIP switches on your opener, consider installing an external receiver close to your garage to convert your opener’s frequency.

Upgrade a Garage Door Opener Through LiftMaster

You might not have the time or patience to fault-find with an erratically performing garage door opener. Upgrading to a newer model may be your most productive alternative. LiftMaster with Clopay provides a variety of garage door openers to suit homeowners’ requirements and budgets.

Consider the LiftMaster Basics Series to upgrade your living environment in a beneficial, problem-free way. They include smartphone control and a four-year motor warranty. The Basic Series options allow you to choose from three Wi-Fi-controlled, chain-driven openers that suit your budget, regardless of your situation.

The popular LiftMaster Plus Series offers four varying garage door opener solutions. If you prefer an ultra-quiet belt-driven opener, consider the two Secure View Smart Opener alternatives. Both include myQ app controls, built-in cameras, battery backup and integrated LEDs that provide 1,500 lumens of light. The LiftMaster Plus Series also has two powerful chain-driven options with many similar features, providing an extensive choice of openers.

The LiftMaster’s Premium Series offers everything you need in a garage door opener. The Secure View Ultra-Quiet Belt Drive Smart Opener with Camera, LED Corner to Corner Lighting, and Battery Backup is a top choice for top-of-the-line functionality. The LiftMaster Premium Series can include all the features of the Plus Series and more. All five Premium series products come with either belt-driven, chain-driven or wall-mounted alternatives.

LiftMaster with Clopay provides new products that improve garage door opener performance without the stress of isolating faults and spending a lot of time doing so. LiftMaster provides seamless integration using modern technologies to suit every homeowner’s safety and reliability needs.

Improving Your Garage Door Opener’s Performance Means Enhancing Your Life

A fully operational garage door opener relieves stress by saving you time and frustration. You’ll also rest easier knowing your garage is safer for your kids and more secure from outside threats. If you decide to upgrade, LiftMaster and other top providers will assist you in choosing the ideal replacement garage door opener for your needs.