Are there any garage door experts here? We have a Chamberlain garage door opener, Model LW5000EV, its about 7 years old. It gets plenty of use. About a week or two it started having issues closing, the arrow lights on the motor unit are flashing 4 up and 6 down, interrupted optic sensor. Our optic sensors are showing strong green and orange light, they are securely bolted down and in aim. All connections are good with them. It was intermittently doing it, now it is doing it all the time. The only way it will close is holding your hand on the button on the wired wall controller all the way down until it closes.
I installed it originally, I'd rather just buy a new one and install it and save the money of paying someone to install it if its needed, they only cost $200 or so. I'd rather not spend my Father's Day doing that if anyone knows a fix though.
**UPDATE: new sensors were the trick, thanks for the inspiration and perspiration.**This message has been edited. Last edited by: Scuba Steve Sig,
Posts: 2621 | Location: Iowa by way of Missouri | Registered: July 18, 2002
Does this happen at a certain time? My neighbor had a door that opened fine. She left it open most of the day. When she went to close it, nothing. What happened was the sun caused the metal to expand and the sensors would lose their connections.
“ The work of destruction is quick, easy and exhilarating; the work of creation is slow, laborious and dull.
Nope, this is a new development. There is a time of year sun interference causes issues, this isn't that. It was intermittent last week, now it is all the time, across all remotes. If you push the wired one on the wall it does it, bit if you hold it down it doesn't and it will go all the way down if you hold it until its done. For the few times we are all leaving I've just started closing it inside the garage and then walking out the front door and locking the deadbolt.
Posts: 2621 | Location: Iowa by way of Missouri | Registered: July 18, 2002
When ours blinks like that, there is usually something wrong with the sensors. Your description -- that they used to work most of the time, but now are off all of the time -- makes me suspicious of the wiring to them (e.g., a short or interrupted connection). That short could be at either end, or in the wall unit.
Also, it is not impossible that a spider built a web inside the sensor lens, blocking the light. Anyway, I would double/triple check the wires at both ends... as well as the lens barrel.
As a last ditch effort, you might just buy and install all new sensors -- around $20 on Amazon.
Final thought -- some LED bulbs (in the unit or on the ceiling) seem to "jam" our unit, and it just won't work with them. If you have installed LED bulbs recently, try going back to incandescent bulbs or maybe just another brand of LEDs.
Posts: 1597 | Location: Virginia, USA | Registered: June 02, 2007
Originally posted by RoverSig: Not an expert, but have a similar setup.
When ours blinks like that, there is usually something wrong with the sensors. Your description -- that they used to work most of the time, but now are off all of the time -- makes me suspicious of the wiring to them (e.g., a short or interrupted connection). That short could be at the sensor or at the overhead unit, or somewhere in between.
Also, it is not impossible that a spider built a web inside the sensor lens, blocking the light. Anyway, I would double/triple check the wires at both ends... as well as the lens barrel.
As a last ditch effort, you might just buy and install all new sensors -- around $20 on Amazon.
Final thought -- some LED bulbs (in the unit or on the ceiling) seem to "jam" our unit, and it just won't work with them. If you have installed LED bulbs recently, try going back to incandescent bulbs or maybe just another brand of LEDs.
Posts: 1597 | Location: Virginia, USA | Registered: June 02, 2007
Given the lights are on, but the opener is throwing a Sensor code, I'd check the wiring first (sometimes the vibration can break or loosen the wire connection either on the opener or the sensor), and the sensors themselves second.
Luckily replacement sensors are cheap ($32 bucks at Home Depot).
I shall respect you until you open your mouth, from that point on, you must earn it yourself.
Posts: 3391 | Location: Southern Maine | Registered: February 10, 2008
Also, have you had the spring adjusted recently. If you're using the door all of the time, you generally have to have it adjusted every 3-5 years. Manually raise it to waste level and it should stay there, if not it needs to be adjusted. I had this problem with a new Chamberlain and spring adjustment was the problem, door opener sensed too much friction for it.
Pull the sensors and connect them directly to the door unit. This way you can bypass any wiring issues in the wall or between the opener and the sensors.
You’ll need to point the sensors directly at one another. Then use masking tape to wrap them up so they stay there when your wiring to the head unit.
This will be the first test Chamberlain has you do with that error code.
If everything starts working, that means there’s a wiring problem. That’s gonna be my guess.
The same exact thing happened to me for a brand new install a couple weeks ago. My original wiring was messed up and I had to rewire between the garage door opener and the sensors.
Evil exists. You can not negotiate with, bribe or placate evil. You're not going to be able to have it sit down with Dr. Phil for an anger management session either.
Well.....new project of higher emergency today, our garbage disposal decided to start leaking just this morning (I hope it was just thus morning). Time to research the garbage disposal threads. I still have the "new" sensors for the opener, they are from 2014. I just reused the old ones when I installed a new opener 7 years ago.
Posts: 2621 | Location: Iowa by way of Missouri | Registered: July 18, 2002
Originally posted by Scuba Steve Sig: Well.....new project of higher emergency today, our garbage disposal decided to start leaking just this morning (I hope it was just thus morning). Time to research the garbage disposal threads. I still have the "new" sensors for the opener, they are from 2014. I just reused the old ones when I installed a new opener 7 years ago.
Waste Kang is the recommended disposal. I've had good luck with the S/S ones that Costco sells, forget the brand they are. Given that info, I'd change the sensors.
Originally posted by jimmy123x: Waste Kang is the recommended disposal. I've had good luck with the S/S ones that Costco sells, forget the brand they are. Given that info, I'd change the sensors.
Forgot all about Costco, I know The Kang is the SF endorsed product, but I needed this done today as I wouldn't have time during the week and it was leaking profusely. I went with the ISE Badger 9000 3/4 HP from our leaking 16 year old ISE Badger 1/3 HP so I wouldn't have to modify the plumbing. The ISE Evolution is 3/4" off. Went in smoothly, reused the plug and mount. One less thing on the list of stuff to break in the house...for awhile.
Posts: 2621 | Location: Iowa by way of Missouri | Registered: July 18, 2002
I managed to find the other set of sensors I put to the side years ago and taped them to a board and hooked them up and the opener worked fine. I wired them in MacGyver style to the real locations and it works! I'll clean up the wiring tonight or tomorrow, but we're cooking with gas now.
Posts: 2621 | Location: Iowa by way of Missouri | Registered: July 18, 2002
