How to Wire a Commercial Garage Door Opener

How to Wire a Commercial Garage Door Opener

You might find yourself needing to re-wire your commercial garage door opener. While it may seem complicated, if you follow these steps it should be a walk in the park!

The first step is to disconnect the power supply by turning off the circuit breaker

The first step is to disconnect the power supply by turning off the circuit breaker. Before turning it completely OFF, make sure you turn it ON and then OFF again so that the mechanism breaks the electrical connection. Some circuit breakers have a test button that confirms that power has been turned off. Make sure you’re satisfied with this test before proceeding further. You can now remove the cover of the garage door opener and test all wires with a meter to confirm if there is any residual current or not.

Next you will take the cover plate off

Next, you will take the cover plate off. The cover plate is a piece of metal that has two purposes:

  1. It protects the inside of the garage door opener from dust and other debris
  2. It holds on to one end of the chain.

To remove it, you must unscrew the three screws holding it in place and gently remove them without losing any of them. You may want to put them in a safe place temporarily while you look down inside and make sure there are no other screws or small parts in there. If all looks good, you can go ahead and set the cover plate aside so that you won’t lose it.

Now you just need to hook up the wires

Once you have the opener connected, it is time to focus on connecting the wire. You will only need to connect three wires, but make sure you get them hooked up properly. The red wire needs to be hooked up to the terminal that says “traveler”; the blue wire will go on the terminal that says “common” and the yellow wire needs to be hooked up to the terminal that says “limit.”

If these wires are not connected properly, it may cause a fire or short circuit on your opener. If this happens, you will find that your garage door does not work at all. Other malfunctions can happen if you do not hook up every single wire for this system as well.

Once you are done hooking up the wires, put back the cover plate and restore power.

  • Make sure the cover plate is the right size for your garage door opener. Test it out and make sure it fits snugly.
  • Make sure you don’t pinch any wires as you put the cover plate on. It’s easy to do if you aren’t paying attention, so take your time and secure the wires first before putting on the cover plate.
  • Once you have put back the cover plate, restore power to your unit by flipping back “On” or “1″ on your circuit breaker box.

While this process sounds complicated, it really isn’t that bad.

While this project might sound intimidating, it is actually fairly easy to accomplish. All it takes is a few simple steps and some basic electrical knowledge.

First of all, it is very important that you turn off the electricity supply to your garage through the control board for your home. Otherwise, there is a chance that you will receive an electrical shock. It can also be helpful to have a friend or family member help you with the installation process. If you have any doubts about what you are doing, it would be best to consult with an experienced electrician.