What happens when your wall control doesn’t work on your garage door opener? When your garage door opener suddenly stops operating properly, the explanation and solution are usually pretty easy to deal with. Here are the most common problems, along with the most likely repairs for each. For adjustments and repairs that aren’t self-evident, check the owner’s manual or contact a professional.
Check the LED Light
First, check the LED light or electronic display on the wall control. If the light or display is off, check the garage door opener motor unit for power. Press the Learn button on the motor unit and see if the light on the motor unit comes on. If the motor unit doesn’t have power, reset the house circuit breaker for the garage door opener electrical outlet. If that doesn’t work, you can test the outlet with a lamp or a small appliance. You will need an electrician, to repair a bad electrical outlet. If the electrical outlet works, and you have ruled out all other power issues, but the motor unit won power up, then you will need to replace the logic board.
Check the Wiring
Now if the motor has power but the wall control unit is dead, then you will need to check the wiring between the two components. First, make sure that the wires securely connect to the motoring unit of the garage door opener. The white wire connects to the white terminal and the white wire with red stripes connects to the red terminal. Then, check the wires connected to the wall control. Reconnect any loose wires that you find. If you can see the path of the wires between the motor unit and the wall control, then take a look for any visible damage on the wires. If you find any, repair or replace the wires. If you don’t find any wiring problems check the LED light on the motor unit for a diagnostic code. Three flashes on this older chain drive motor unit indicate a wiring failure or defective wall control. If you have a belt drive or a newer chain drive garage door opener, the up arrow flashes once before 3 down arrow flashes to indicate the same problem. Even if you didn’t find a wiring failure before, you still might have damage in a hard to spot location.
Run Additional Tests
Therefore it’s highly advisable to run more tests. The following test will work on this particular type of wall control with a single LED light. To test the wall control, remove it from the wall and disconnect the wires from the back. Touch the bare ends of the wires together to see if the garage door opener moves. Touching these wires together stimulates pushing the activation button on the control. This will tell us whether we have a break in the wires between the wall control and the motor unit. If the door moves, then you know that the wiring is okay because the motoring unit of the garage door open sensed the wiring connection. That means that the problem lies with the wall control and that you will need to replace the wall control.
You May Still Have Wiring Problems If…
But if the garage door did not move when you touched the bare ends of the wall control wires together, then you likely still have a wiring problem. To confirm that you have a wiring problem, we will use a jumper wire to bypass the existing wall control wires. Disconnect the wires from the motoring unit. Cut a 3-inch strand of the insulated wire to use as a jumper wire. Strip ½ inch of insulation off each end of the jumper wire. Insert the jumper into the wall control terminals on the motor unit to see if the garage door moves. We know there is no break in the wire. If the garage door works with the jumper wire, then you know there is a break somewhere in the wall control wiring. Replace the wires, because they are definitely defective. Now if the jumper wire didn’t work for you, then you have ruled out everything but the logic board. It will need to be replaced.
Testing Other Wall Controls
To test the other units. You will need a short piece of 2 strand test wire to connect the wall unit directly to the motor unit, bypassing the existing wall control wires. Pull the wall control off the wall and disconnect the wires from the back. Then disconnect the wall control wires from the motor unit. Strip ½ inch of insulation from the ends of each strand of the test wire. Use the 2 strand wire to connect the red and white terminals on the wall unit to the corresponding terminals on the motor unit. The white/red wire connected to the red terminal and the white wire connected to the white terminal. If the wall control lights up and works using the test wire, then you know that the wall control is okay. Replace the existing wiring between the motoring unit and the wall control. You have confirmed that it is defective. If the wall control doesn’t light up and work properly, then the entire unit or the logic board in the garage door opener is defective. Diagnosing this type of wall unit is more complicated than the single LED type.
To be able to effectively determine the problem, you may want to have a service technician to check the garage door opener.
NB: Undertaking repairs or maintenance to appliances or power equipment can be hazardous. Should you choose to undertake repairs or maintenance, you are assuming the risk of injury to you as a person and to our property. In an effort to reduce the risk, use proper tools and safety equipment noted in the applicable guide and follow all the instructions. Don not proceeds until you are confident that you understand all of the steps and that you are capable of completing the repair. Some repairs and maintenance, however, should only be performed by a qualified garage repair technician.