What To Do About A Blinking Light On Your Garage Door Opener – Problem Solving

Garage Opener Light Blinking Troubleshooting
As a homeowner, you rely on your garage door opener to access your garage space, and your vehicle daily. Many homeowners don't ever truly realize just how much they rely on their garage door opener until one day it suddenly stops working. To ensure that you can always depend on your garage door opener to operate correctly, it's crucial that you carry out regular maintenance and repair any issues with your garage door opener as soon as they occur.

One of the main issues that occur with garage door openers is a blinking light. If your garage door opener light is suddenly blinking and the door is not opening, it's important that you understand what is happening so you can take the appropriate action. While your garage door will typically still operate when you hold down the wall button, you will need to fix this issue as quickly as possible. Don't panic, slow down, and ensure that you take the correct action when your garage door light is blinking.

Why Is My Garage Door Light Blinking?

If your garage door light is blinking, this means that there is a problem with the unit. When the light starts blinking on your garage door opener, this is your device alerting you that there is a problem and you need to proceed with caution when using the device. A blinking garage door light is essentially designed to make you aware that something needs attention so that you stay safe.

The manner in which the garage door opener is blinking can often be an indication of where the problem lies. However, as every model of garage door opener is a little different, it's important that you check your owner's manual to diagnose the problem properly. With that said, generally speaking, similar methods can be used from one model to the next to determine exactly what the problem is so you can figure out the issue and make any necessary repairs.

Reasons For A Continuously Blinking Light

The Garage Door Is Locked

Many new garage door openers come with a locking feature that will keep the door securely shut. If someone has locked the garage door by accident or without your knowledge, you might not be able to open the door using the remote. The locking feature is designed to prevent the door from being opened by a remote for security reasons, ensuring only the wall button can be used to open the door. In this instance, if you try to open the garage door with the remote, you will notice that the garage door opener light will blink continuously. To stop the light from blinking and to ensure the remote is operable again, simply hold down the wall button for a few seconds until the lock is disengaged.

Wiring Problems

Another reason that you might see a continuously blinking light on your garage door opener is due to issues with your wiring. Your garage door relies on the use of sensors to ensure that the garage will reverse the closing of the door when it detects motion beneath the garage door. If the sensors are not properly connected, the garage door light will blink continuously and the door will refuse to close. Have your system professionally inspected to identify and repair any wiring issues that might be causing your garage door light to blink.

garage door safety sensors

Misaligned Sensors

As well as your sensors needing to be correctly wired, they also must be aligned correctly. If you notice that your garage door light is blinking ten times, it means that your sensors are not correctly aligned. To resolve the issue, simply locate the photo eyes and clean the lenses carefully using a dry microfiber cloth. Adjust each of the sensors so that they are in the correct position and perfectly aligned. When they are in a perfect position you will notice that the green receiver sensor will remain on and glow continuously. Your garage door opener should now also stop blinking.

Understanding The Self-Diagnosis LED Light Indicator

Garage door openers feature an LED light indicator, usually located on the bottom panel, the back of the unit, or under one of the light lenses in openers with dual lights. The LED light indicator will blink a particular number of times depending on what the issue is with your system. This is a great way to self-diagnose the problem with your garage door opener. Below are the most common problem indicators for most garage door openers:

  • 1 Flash means there is a broken or disconnected wire that will need to be replaced or reconnected.
  • 2 Flashes indicates that the safety sensor wire has shorted or that the black/white wires are reversed which will need to be corrected,
  • 4 Flashes tells us that the safety sensors are misaligned and will need to be realigned so the green light is glowing continuously.

LiftMaster and Chamberlain Light Blinking

Two common brands of garage door openers are LiftMaster and Chamberlain. LiftMaster garage door openers provide two different methods of self-diagnosis. First of all, there are arrow keys on the opener and secondly, there is a small LED light next to the "learn" button. As with most garage door openers, the number of blinks will identify a particular issue, as follows:

  • 1 Up Arrow Flash/1 Down Arrow Flash: Safety sensors could be disconnected. Inspect for damage to wiring.
  • 1 Up Arrow Flash/2 Down Arrow Flashes: There is a short in the wiring or the wires for the safety sensor have been reversed.
  • 1 Up Arrow Flash/4 Down Arrow Flashes: Sensors are misaligned. Check for obstructions between the sensors.
  • 4 Up Arrow Flashes/6 Down Arrow Flashes: Sensors need to be realigned so there is a continuous glow from the opening LED.

Chamberlain garage door openers follow the same protocols as Liftmaster openers. The self-diagnosis light codes we have outlined above will be the same for both Chamberlain and Liftmaster garage door openers. Other popular brands such as Raynor and Craftsman also follow the same light codes for self-diagnosis.

Get In Touch With Our Garage Door Experts At Best Bet Garage Door Co. Today!

If you are having issues with your garage door openers, be sure to get in touch with our team at Best Bet Garage Door Company today. Our team of expert technicians has the experience and expertise required to quickly solve any garage door opener issues you might be having. With our help, you can be sure that your garage door opener will be working correctly in no time, allowing you to get on with your day with minimal disruption.