Linear Garage Door Opener Troubleshooting: Step by Step Guide

linear garage door opener troubleshooting

It is no fun returning home to a malfunctioning garage door opener. If you own a Linear garage door opener, chances are you have experienced one or two issues with your opener before, and that is completely normal. Openers are equipped with safety and security features, which helps prevent injury and the opener from damaging. So, in this post, you will learn how to troubleshoot Linear garage door opener. Let’s get into it

Check if remote works.

The first step to troubleshooting your Linear garage door opener is to determine if the remote is in good condition. Most Linear opener remotes have a red LED on it that turns on anytime you press a button. If it fails to turn on, you should replace the batteries in the remote. Energizer CR2032 Batteries (Amazon) is a solid replacement battery that works very well with Linear garage door opener remotes.

Another way to check if the problem is with your remote is to activate your garage door opener with the wired wall station. If the opener activates, chances are you either have to replace the batteries or the remote.

Light Flashing Error Codes

Linear Pro Access, the manufacturers of Linear garage door openers, did an excellent job of how the openers provide error information to the user. The number of times light on the opener flashes tells you the problem that needs to be fixed.

For some models, the indicator light is a small LED, usually red, and located at the back panel of the garage door opener. You may need a step ladder to visibly see the light flashing. For other models, like the LD033 and LD050, errors are indicated with the Light bulb in the opener. This means you can clearly see the light flashing even when on the ground.

The second step in troubleshooting a Linear garage door opener is to identify the number of times the light flashes when you press a button on your remote or wired wall station. Perhaps, you can’t see the Lamp flashing because your garage door is closed and you are outside. In that case, I suggest you get out of your vehicle and enter your home through the main entry, and then into your garage. Now that you have eyes on your garage door opener, activate it by pressing the remote button and count the number of times the light flashes.

1 Flash – No Problem

There is no issue at all when the light flashes once. When you are programming Linear garage door openers to work with remotes, a single flash of the light confirms that the remote control code has been successfully stored in memory. That simply means you can now activate your opener with the remote. You get a single flash only when you are programming the opener.

2 Flashes – Wired Wall Station Issues

When the LED or the light bulb on your Linear garage door opener flashes two times, it means there is an issue with the wired wall station. Two things can cause this problem – it’s either the wires connecting the wall station are short-circuited, or the wall station itself is damaged.

Household pests like mice and rats can easily gnaw on circuit wiring, leaving it exposed for a short circuit to happen. So first, check the entire length of the cables for any signs of damage. If they are, you need to have it replaced.

 Also, you want to inspect if the wires are properly connected to the device. If you find any loose wire, tighten it. A loosely-connected wire can cause heat, which can damage the insulation of the wire or to the wall station.

If these tips didn’t solve the problem, then the wall station is faulty. A replacement is needed at this point. The Linear 3 Button Deluxe Wall Station (on Amazon) is the perfect replacement for your faulty wall stations. This is made, shipped, and sold by Linear Pro Access, so you know you are getting an original replacement part from the manufacturer.

3 Flashes – Safety Sensor Problem

When the LED or the light bulb on your Linear garage door opener flashes three times, it means the problem is from the safety sensor. Two things can cause this as well – First, there is an obstruction in the doorway, and secondly, safety sensors are misaligned. When this happens, the door will reverse when closing.

To troubleshoot, inspect if there is anything under the garage door or closer to the doorway. If there is something there, chances are it is blocking the signal from the sender to the receiving sensor. And that is the reason why the door isn’t closing. Get rid of anything in the doorway.

The two sensors on each side of the door are supposed to face each other. So check if they are properly aligned. A simple way to do that is to take a look at the sensor with the two LEDs. That is the sending sensor. Both the green and red LEDs should be on. If the red LED is off, then the sensors are not aligned.

If that’s the case, then clean the lenses on both sensors. And then adjust the sensors so they can face each other. Continue tweaking and adjusting till the red LED turns back on.

Also: Liftmaster Garage Door Opener Troubleshooting: Step by Step Guide

4 Flashes – Force Factor issues

When the LED or the light bulb on your Linear garage door opener flashes four times, it means the force of the opener is exceeded. Before we dive into the troubleshooting steps, you need to know what a garage door opener’s force is, and why it’s important.

Force of a garage door opener refers to the strength it requires to drive the garage door up or down under normal conditions. Your Linear garage door opener does not lift the entire weight of the door up or down; the torsion spring does that. The opener’s force simply gives it a push or pull.

What causes the force to be exceeded? First, when the torsion spring is broken, secondly, when the garage door tracks are damaged, and thirdly when the door is unbalanced. When any of these problems occur, it will require an excessive amount of energy from the opener to lift the door, and that can damage your opener. So to prevent this from happening, your Linear garage door opener will shut down.

Carry out these troubleshooting steps to get this problem fixed. It’s important to have your door closed before you follow these steps.

  1. Pull the emergency cord down and towards the garage door opener. This will disconnect the garage door from the opener.
  2. Slowly lift your door manually and then pay attention to areas where there is a resistance.
  3. Check the door tracks for any signs of damage. That may be causing the door to bind or stick.
  4. Fix the issue on your own if you are handy with tools, or call a garage door technician

To check if your garage door is balanced, perform these troubleshooting steps.

  1. Pull the emergency cord down and towards the garage door opener. This will disconnect the garage door from the opener.
  2. Open the garage door manually, to about halfway.
  3. Now leave the door. For a balanced garage door, it should stay in that position without going up or down. If that’s not the case, then your garage door is unbalanced.
  4. Now lift the garage door to its fully open position. The garage door should stay up when you leave it. Else it is unbalanced.

Call a technician if your door is unbalanced. Attempting to balance your door on your own can lead to severe injury if you are not experienced. However, after troubleshooting and your garage door is in good condition, you may have to adjust the force factor of your garage door opener.

How to adjust the force factor on a Linear garage door opener

Here’s how to adjust the force factor for these particular models:  LDCO800, LDCO850, and the LDCO852 

  1. Press and hold the Up and Down button on the back panel for 3 seconds. Both the green and red LED, as well as the opener lights, will flash twice. It means opener is in the Force Factor settings.
  2. Press the up button to increase the force factor, or the down button to decrease it.
  3. Press the Learn button to save changes. The lights will flash twice again to confirm changes have been saved.
  4. Perform the Safety Reversing Test after adjusting. Place a brick under the garage door, at a position where it is in the way of the door.
  5. When the door hits the brick, it must reverse within 2 seconds. If it doesn’t, decrease the Force Factor and repeat test till the door reverses.

Here’s how to adjust the force factor for these particular models:  LD033, LD050, LS050, and LC075

Adjusting the Close Force

  1. Locate the open and close force adjustment dials on the sides of your opener
  2. To increase the Close Force, turn the Close Force Adjustment dial 1/8 turn at a time, in the clockwise direction, until the door closes fully without reversing.
  3. To decrease the Close Force, turn the Close Force Adjustment dial 1/8 turn at a time, counterclockwise, until the door stops in the middle and reverse while going down.
  4. Perform the Safety Reversing Test after adjusting. Place a brick under the garage door, at a position where it is in the way of the door.
  5. When the door hits the brick, it must reverse within 2 seconds. If it doesn’t, decrease the Close Force and repeat test till the door reverses.

Adjusting the Open Force

  1. Locate the open and close force adjustment dials on the sides of your opener
  2. To increase the Open Force, turn the Close Force Adjustment dial 1/8 turn at a time, in the clockwise direction, until the door opens fully without stopping.
  3. To decrease the Close Force, turn the Close Force Adjustment dial 1/8 turn at a time, counterclockwise, until the door stops in the middle while going up.

NB: Performing the Safety Reversing Test is a crucial step. Failure to do so may result in a severe injury or even death if the force is set too high. Also, do not use the Force Adjustment to compensate for a Binding or Sticking door.

Also: Chamberlain Garage Door Opener Troubleshooting: Step by Step Guide

5 Flashes – Vacation Switch Error

When the LED or the light bulb on your Linear garage door opener flashes five times, it means vacation mode has been activated; hence the garage door won’t open. Linear garage door openers have a feature called the vacation mode. This is a handy security feature for homeowners who are traveling, on vacation, or simply not at home. With this feature activated, no one can get access to your garage, not even with your remote.

To be able to open your garage door with your remote, simply unlock the vacation switch on the wall station. Problem solved.

6 Flashes – Mechanical or Electrical Failure

When the LED or the light bulb on your Linear garage door opener flashes six times, it means the motor has run for more than 30 seconds. Linear garage door openers have been designed to know how long it takes to fully open or close a garage door, and the maximum time it takes is about 30 seconds. When it exceeds that, the lights will flash six times.

Call a Linear garage door opener expert in your area to come and fix it. This is usually a mechanical or electrical failure and requires an expert to handle it.

7 Flashes – Encoder Detected an Error

When the LED or the light bulb on your Linear garage door opener flashes seven times, it means encoder has detected an error. Two things can happen when this error is detected. It is either the garage door reverses anytime you activate it, or it won’t open at all.

The first thing to check when this happens is an obstruction in the doorway. If there is anything under the door that may not have been detected by the safety sensor, when the garage door hits on it, it will reverse within two seconds. The lights will flash seven times to indicate this error.

After that is checked, the next thing to inspect is the garage door rails. Check for any binding or sticking. If the tracks are bent, that can get the rollers stuck and not moving. Straighten any dent found after the inspection so that the garage door can move freely.

If the error occurs again after going through these troubleshooting steps, contact a qualified garage door professional.

Troubleshooting the Battery Backup of Linear Garage Door Openers

If you own the LDC0800, LDCO850, and the LDC0852 models, there is a battery backup that keeps your opener running during power outages. Unsurprisingly, batteries encounter errors too. However, they are not indicated, but light flashes but beeps. So when you hear your garage door opener beeping, it is an error related to the battery.

2 Beeps – Battery Low

When the battery goes low, you’ll hear two beeps from your opener. To troubleshoot this, check if the AC power cable is connected properly. If it isn’t, connect it. It takes about 10 hours to completely charge the battery.

3 Beeps – No Capacity

When the LED or the light bulb on your Linear garage door opener beeps three times, it means it can’t hold a charge. The battery has lost its ability to store power. You have to replace the battery immediately when you find out. The Linear Battery Back-Up (on Amazon) is an excellent replacement for your Linear garage door opener. And it’s simple to replace your dead batteries too. Just plug it off the opener and plug in the replacement battery.

5 Beeps – Battery Shorted

When the battery gets shorted, the garage door opener will beep five times. To troubleshoot this, check the wires of the battery for any signs of damage. If the cables are in good condition, you have to replace the batteries.