Install a Garage Door Opener

• Step 1 Study the manual

  Garage door openers vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so thoroughly read the detailed installation instructions included with yours. This project covers the basic steps for chain-driven garage door openers attached to sectional garage doors.

• Step 2 Assemble the main parts

  

  Put together the pieces of the opener assembly, following the installation instructions that came with the garage door opener. In most cases, you'll attach the trolley to the rail (the trolley is the component that rides along the rail to move the garage door). Then position the motor unit on the rail and bolt it into place, using the bolts that come with the garage door opener kit.  

• Step 3 Install the chain

  

  Place locking pliers in front of the trolley to hold it in place temporarily. In the gap in the door end of the rail, insert about 12 inches of the chain/cable, and then install the idler pulley and trolley stop bolt. Attach the loop at the end of the chain/cable to the trolley, and then attach the cable along the rail. Carefully tighten the chain, as described in the installation instructions.

• Step 4 Hang the rail

  

  Find the location for the header bracket on the wall above the center of the garage door, high enough to allow clearance for the door when it opens — see the specified distance in the installation instructions. If the location isn't on a structural support such as a stud, nail a 2x4 cross brace across two structural supports. Then mark the bracket's bolt holes on the support or brace and drill pilot holes large enough for the lag bolts that came with the kit.

  With the garage door closed, bolt the header bracket to the wall. Cushion the motor unit on the carton on the floor near the door, or support it between two sawhorses. Insert the garage door end of the rail into the bracket and secure it with the clevis pin that comes with the kit.

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• Step 5 Hang the motor unit

  

  Rest the motor on a ladder so the rail is level. Open the garage door and, if necessary, reposition the motor unit so there's at least 2 inches of clearance between the rail and the upper surface of the garage door (you can rest a 2x4 on top of the garage door, under the rail).

  Find the places on the top or sides of the motor to which the hanging brackets attach. Then identify the overhead structural support to hang the motor from, keeping in mind that you want the two hanging brackets form a V (with the motor unit at the base) so they provide better support.  The overhead structural support can be an existing rafter or collar tie in an unfinished garage, or a metal bar bolted to a rafter through a finished ceiling. Measure the distance between the motor unit's mounting holes and the overhead support.

  Cut the two hanging brackets in the kit to length, drill pilot holes in the support and attach the hangers to the support with lag bolts. Then attach a hanging bracket to each side of the opener.

• Step 6 Wire the garage door control

  For the garage door control, choose a point out of a child's reach and away from moving parts of the door. As described in the installation instructions, attach one end of the bell wire to the terminals and then attach the control box to the drywall or gangbox. To avoid cracking the control box, don’t over tighten.

• Step 7 Install safety features

  

  To install the emergency release rope, thread one end of the emergency release rope through the red handle and the other end through the release arm of the trolley. Adjust the length so the handle is 6 feet above the garage floor and knot it in place. If you cut the rope, seal the end with a flame so it doesn't unravel.

  To install the sensors that prevent the garage door from closing on an obstacle under the door, clip the brackets for the photoelectric sensor pair onto the tracks of the garage door, no more than 6 inches above the ground. If you must mount them to a wall, mount them to the framing or other solid surface. Bolt the sensors to the bracket with the bolts and wing nuts included in the kit, so that they face each other.

  Use insulated staples to run the sensors' wires up the walls and across the ceiling to the motor unit, following the installation instructions. Plug the opener into a 3-pronged outlet and check the lights on both components that indicate whether the components are aligned. Adjust if needed.

• Step 8 Install the bulb

  To install the light bulb, open the hinged clear plastic bulb cover on the motor unit and screw a bulb into the socket. The maximum wattage is near the socket.

• Step 9 Connect the garage door

  

  Following the installation instructions, attach a horizontal reinforcement brace to the garage door, if needed, and then attach the door bracket vertically on the center line of the door.

  With the garage door fully closed, pull the emergency release handle to disconnect the inner trolley from the outer trolley. Slide the outer trolley 8 inches back from the pulley. Fasten the straight door arm section to the outer trolley with a clevis pin and then fasten the curved section to the door with its clevis pin. Align the holes on the two door arm sections and bolt them together. Cut off the excess of the straight arm. Pull the release handle at a 45- degree angle toward the motor unit.

  With the motor unit plugged in, use the control panel to open the garage door. The emergency release handle will automatically reengage.
  

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