7 Tips for Fixing Garage Door Keypad Issues
Since the days of the single, wall-mounted push buttons from years past, garage doors have come a long way with new smart features and better security. Control panels or garage door keypads have become a modern convenience where you enter a four-digit pin to enter the garage.
Everything adds to the convenience when it works, but what happens when you have issues with the garage door keypad? Let’s have a look at some tips to deal with it.
Tip #1: Check the Batteries
With a keypad not working, check the batteries of the garage door keypad. You have to replace the battery every two years. After you have replaced the battery, you will have to reset it.
Hold down the “Learn” button until the LED light goes out, which takes about six seconds. At that point, you have cleared the pin and can it to whatever you would like.
In most cases, the batteries don’t die all a sudden. You have plenty of warning signs like having to press the button harder or having to press it multiple times.
Tip #2: Check for Frayed Wires
Extreme weather or years of use can lead to frayed wires. To check if your garage door keypad has a frayed wire, first look at the device.
With the keypad not working, the garage door opener may not be functioning because of damage to the wires. Remove the cover to look at the back of the device.
Many times, the keypad not working happens because of loose contact with the keys and the wires.
Tip #3: Clean the Inside and Outside of the Keypad
When a garage door keypad sticks, it happens because of a buildup of gunk. You have to clean the keypad well with an old cloth or rag.
Apply some appliance cleaner and get between the keys. This will help to set off the garage door opener.
Tip #4: Don’t Enter the Pin Code Over and Over
Doing this will increase the risk of damaging your garage door keypad. Instead, look for the learn button if you have a keypad not working.
After you have hit the learn button, you need to apply a locking code. You can locate the code in the instruction manual. The locking code differs from your personal pin.
To find the learn button, look for a button on the back with a color that is either purple, green, yellow or orange.
Tip #5: Reboot the System
You have cases where the garage door keypad won’t work for whatever reason. In some cases, you can perform a simple reboot of the system bring it back up and running.
Rebooting the garage door opener clears the cache of stored memory. While it acts as a simple fix, it returns things to normal.
To begin, turn off and unplug your garage door opener. You want to unplug it completely from the wall and leave it for five minutes. This serves as the catalyst for rebooting the system.
Unplugging and replugging forces the computer to restart, and this clears it of potential problems in the software. Doing this forces the computer to reload and re-execute the program with a fresh start.
Tip #6: Beware of Surface Interference
Easy to overlook, when a new garage door keypad doesn’t work, the issue could come from having it mounted on a metal surface that interferes with the wireless connection.
Take the keypad down off the metal surface. Enter the pin code, and if it opens, this means that you need to mount the keypad on a plastic or wood buffer between the device and its mounting surface.
Tip #7: Replace the Keypad Altogether
You have cases where a garage door keypad won’t work no matter what you do. Keypads sit in the outdoors exposed to the elements 24 hours per day. They have to endure the ultraviolet rays from the sun, snow, rain and wind.
Any of these weather conditions can worsen the lifetime of your keypad. This costs between $60 to $90 to replace.
You may want to program the keypad before mounting it to make it easier. Install it at least 5 feet off the ground out of the reach of small children who may see it as a toy.
Remember, pressing the numbers on the keypad too many times could permanently damage it, but automatic garage doors can also be dangerous to children even if that wasn’t a risk.
Call the Pros with your Garage Door Keypad Issues
Understanding how to fix simple issues with a garage door keypad can make your life simpler. However, if you’re having issues that you can’t seem to solve, you may want to call in the pros from Pros Garage Door.
Especially with the bigger problems with a garage door, it requires specialist knowledge to assist. We respond promptly, and we’re local to Cinnaminson, NJ and the nearby areas. Call us today and we will be happy to assist you with.