Last Updated on May 3, 2021 by Kimberly Crawford
Garage door openers are indeed awe worthy. Gone are the day of manual opening and closing the garage doors and shouting from the pavement to have it opened.
The market is competitive when it comes to this gadget. But it has one drawback: when you have an old model, it might not be programmed using a new remote control. Thankfully, Craftsman garage door openers have addressed that.
In this post, you will know everything you need to look out for and master when it comes to programming old Craftsman garage door. Useful FAQs are also featured for future reference.
Why is my Craftsman garage door not working?
If you are having an issue on your Craftsman garage door or if it seems to have stopped working, here are the probable reasons for this problem:
- Dead batteries: When batteries run dead, the transmitters that receive command from your remote control would not work too. As such, no matter how many press on the remote, it would not open.
- Springs are broken: Another reason is when the tension or torsion springs are broken. Tension springs could break whenever you manually pull the garage door down and you can hear a large thud. Torsion springs break when you open and close the garage door in short intervals.
- Enabled disconnect switch: When a power surge happens, the disconnect switch is automatically enabled to manually open and close the garage door. If you forgot to disable it when the power comes on, the garage door would not open.
- Misaligned photo eye: Each garage door has two photo eyes. They are located on the side of the doors. One receives signal from the transmitter and the other sends them. If one is misaligned, there is no command sent so the garage door would not work.
- Misaligned door track: The door track is essential for the door to slide up and down. If something is stuck or when it is misaligned, the garage doors would not move.
Materials or tools needed to program Craftsman garage door opener
To be honest, you do not need big tools to program your Craftsman garage door opener. All you need would be small screwdrivers if you need to open the system box.
A modern version of your old Craftsman remote control for updating and some spare batteries just in case your remote needs battery replacement. Aside from this, you will just be needing your fingers for pressing and holding buttons.
Steps to program old Craftsman garage door opener
Now that you have prepared the materials needed to program a Craftsman garage door opener, here are the steps that you should master to complete the task.
1. The first step is to locate where the Craftsman garage opener is
It is that large box mounted on the side of your garage doorway, causing it to move up and to close.
2. The next step would be finding the ‘learn’ button
It is usually at the backside of the door opener.
3. Press and hold this button for at least 10 seconds
The button should light up for at least 30 seconds. Just hold it down until it stops.
4. Now get your Craftsman garage door remote and press the top button
If it has more than one button, you can press any of them. Hold it down and keep the button pressed.
5. Go back to your Craftsman garage door opener
Find the SRT button. It is at the back of the box. Press the SRT button down while your other finger is still pressed on the top button.
6. Continue pressing both buttons down until the LED indicator starts flushing
It could take from half a minute to a minute. When the light starts blinking while you are pressing on the button, you would know that the new program has been set to the remote control of your old Craftsman garage door opener.
For security purposes, you can also add more remote controls to program for your old Craftsman garage door. Just follow the steps here. If you need a good visual for these steps, click here.
Related: How To Program A Liftmaster Garage Door Opener
Benefits of a Craftsman garage door opener
When it comes to garage door openers, Craftsman is one of the most reputable brands out there. So, what are the benefits of having a Craftsman garage door opener? Here is a list for your reference.
Upscale features
Craftsman garage doors can be installed using WiFi and can be operated handsfree with the use of Smartphone apps. The ease of having these features is not just for closing and opening the garage door, it also tightens security for your home because of built-in alarms that will sound if the garage door is open.
Convenience
Aside from using it with ease, Craftsman garage door openers offer convenience and peace of mind. Even if you rush for work, you could monitor from your app if you left the garage door open. If it is open, you can close it through your phone. And of course, you would not need to go out of the car to open the garage manually anymore.
Security features
Craftsman garage door openers come with password-encrypted rollers. You can change the codes anytime you want for an added layer of security. You just must employ some button pressing and some easy steps.
Safety features
There are a lot of apprehensions over manual garage doors because it could malfunction and could crush anything underneath it. This is especially risky for homes with small kids. To avoid these, Craftsman garage door openers offer automatic garage door openers that can censor the proximity of a car and can be opened or closed using finger tap.
Cost-efficient
One of the best things about modern Craftsman garage door openers is that they would not cause a large dent on your electric bill. The best evidence for this is to see it for yourself.
Lighting
Another plus for Craftsman garage door openers would be their built-in LED lights surrounding its frame. This is handy during dark winter nights or when your garage light gets busted.
FAQs
Now that you know how to program your Craftsman garage door opener, you also must be acquainted with some helpful FAQs to guide you should future issues arise. As such, here is a rundown of the frequent questions asked about programming an old Craftsman garage door opener.
How much time does it take to program an old Craftsman garage door opener?
Installing the device could take from six to eight hours, max. But programming, resetting, and erasing pre-programmed settings would only take a few seconds to a few minutes. It is also important that you check the model of your Craftsman garage door opener since they come with different programming buttons and configurations.Â
Related: How To Program A Genie Garage Door Opener
What are the three buttons on a Craftsman garage door opener?
Usually, garage door openers only have two buttons, but Craftsman offers garage door openers with three buttons. Each of the buttons receives a unique signal from the transmitter. From the left, the first button is used to activate the garage door opener.
The second button is used to activate the access gate and the third button is pressed to activate another garage door operator like another remote control, a phone app, or other wireless receivers.
Where is the SRT button on a Craftsman garage door opener?
The SRT button is needed in programming your old Craftsman garage door opener. Usually, the SRT button is located at the back panel when you open the main unit. It is adjacent to the white wires near the wall control. You should also check the model of your Craftsman garage door opener because the keyless models do not have one.
How do you program a Craftsman garage door opener with a purple button?
Craftsman garage door openers models from 2003-2011 feature a purple ‘learn’ button. They are specifically made to receive 315mHz frequency. Purple learn buttons are compatible with the following remote controls:
- 371LM
- 371AC
- 373p
- 895 MAX
- 375LM
Programming ‘learn’ buttons fairly follow the same steps. As such, you must follow these steps:
- Press and release the purple button for just five seconds. Do not hold the button down or all pre-programmed settings shall be erased. Check if the LED lights flick for 30 seconds.
- In that 30-second window time, press any button in the remote control. You may have to press a couple of buttons or one button for several times before it could pick up.
- As soon as the remote LED indicator blinks twice, it means that you have successfully programmed your purple button garage door opener.
- If nothing happens, check the remote if it can operate your garage door up and down. If the door does not move, repeat the process.
How to program old Craftsman garage door opener with DIP switches
DIP stands for Dual Inline Package which is found in older models of Craftsman garage door openers. They are usually located inside the remote control, near the batteries. It is encased in a slide cover. When you open the cover, you will see at least eight rows of tiny switches.
To program Craftsman garage door openers with DIP switches, here are three steps to follow:
- First, match the external receivers of your old remote and your DIP switch. They should be leveled in the same direction.
- Check for the position of the two switches. The switches could be up and down arrows, left and right arrows, or +, -, and 0.
- Using a pencil tip, match the configuration of the old remote to the new remote. Put the DIP back in the casing and test if your garage door opens and closes. If it does not work, repeat the process, or reset configuration.
How do I reset my old Craftsman garage door keypad?
Even if you are using an old Craftsman garage door keypad, you still need that extra layer of security. For that, you must reset the code every now and then. Here are three easy steps to reset your old Craftsman garage door keypad.
- Locate the ‘learn’ or ‘smart’ button on the motor unit of the garage door opener.
- Within a 30-second window time, press and enter your new four-digit code.
- After entering your new code on the keypad, wait for the LED indicator of the motor unit to blink. Release immediately as soon as it blinks.
Why is my Craftsman garage door not closing completely?
There are only three reasons as to why your Craftsman garage door is not closing all the way. Here are the three most common reasons why this happens:
- The door’s rollers are busted or rusting.
- The safety sensors of the garage door are damaged and need replacement.
- The close-limit switch may need re-adjusting or it is set wrong.
- There are obstructions blocking the rollers to slide.
Conclusion
To wrap it up, programming your old Craftsman garage door opener does not need rocket science solving or heavy lifting. All you need to do is to memorize a few simple steps to make the programming work.
The good thing is that modern remote controls are compatible with any model of Craftsman garage door openers. This is a big plus because this means that you can control your garage door at ease. You can even notch it up a bit by exploring hands-free ways to operate it.
