gdcorp 11 February 2011

When you garage door won't work from the remote controls but works properly from the wall console inside the garage you need to check the lock or vacation switch.

The lock switch is used to disable the remote controls. On Chamberlain garage door openers - includes Liftmaster and Sears systems the lock switch is indicated by a padlock. If the system is locked then the green indicator on the console will be flashing or the words "Lock Mode" will appear on the LCD display for Elite and Estate series openers. To unlock simply press and hold the LOCK button for 3 seconds and let go. The indicator should be on steady / Lock Mode text will disappear. Try your remotes as the should work now. The procedure is similar for Genie / Overhead systems but the indicator will go off when locked (instead of flashing).

On most systems the lock switch does NOT disable an outside keyless entry. You may want to test this on your system. When going out of town for an extended period you may want to unplug the garage door opener for added protection. It should be noted that on systems like the Liftmaster 3850 which have a battery backup that unplugging the system is not recommended since the battery would still allow approximately 30 cycles of the garage door.

Instructions for many garage door openers are on our website at Instructions and manuals and search for your model opener.

If you cannot resolve the problem yourself and are located in our service area we can schedule a service call.

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Comments

Ken (not verified) Sat, 12/22/2012 - 01:12

i have no way of getting in my garage to unlock the vacation mode and i dont have a key?? how do i open it?

gdcorp Sat, 12/22/2012 - 06:45

If you have what we term a vault garage (ie no side door) then you should have a vault release (aka outside disconnect) which is a lock and cable installed in the top section of the garage door. When you insert the key into this device and turn the cylinder will come out with a cable attached and allow you to pull the manual release just as if you were inside the garage. You can then lift the door manually. If you do not have the vault release then you may want to check for a window to gain access. We have drilled the hole for the vault release and used a hanger to "fish" for the release string with fairly high success. Then you install a vault release to protect yourself in the future. If you have a keyless entry (numeric keypad) the lock switch does not disable the keyless entry on most Chamberlain made openers which includes Chamberlain, Sears, and Lift-Master. Good luck

doors professionals (not verified) Thu, 01/29/2015 - 00:14

Hi there to every body, it's my first visit of this blog; this web site includes amazing and actually good data in support of visitors.

gdcorp Sun, 05/04/2014 - 05:05

If the keypad battery is good and you cannot get it to open the door then you will probably have to break in. On Chamberlain mfg product (includes Liftmaster, Sears and Chamberlain) the vacation mode does NOT lock out the keyless entry. If you do not have a side door you may want to install an outside disconnect (aka vault release) which is a lock cylinder with a cable attached which connects to the manual release on the garage door opener. It is specifically designed for a case like yours. The Liftmaster part number is 1702LM.

Mel (not verified) Sat, 11/29/2014 - 18:34

The lock feature does not work on my remotes, can,t figure out the problem because it used to work. any suggestion would be appreciated.

protect your home (not verified) Fri, 09/26/2014 - 06:10

Yes! Finally someone writes about garage door emergency release lock.

shizzy (not verified) Mon, 04/28/2014 - 20:56

Hi, I was trying to work this keypad code thing and I accidently locked myself out of the garage. From my research I am on vacation mode. I don't have a door attached to my garage so I cannot access the wall with the whole system. I only have two remotes and keypad outside. Is there anything I can do to open my garage other than breakin?

slate tiles (not verified) Sat, 06/20/2015 - 09:05

Spot on with this write-up, I actually believe that this website needs far more attention. I'll probably be back
again to read more, thanks for the information!

Rik Raphael (not verified) Mon, 01/25/2016 - 06:07

I have a Sears GDO with a simple one-button wall switch. The wall switch WAS normally steady green. It's now flashing green. None of the remotes work. The outside keypad works and the inside button mentioned before works. Both normally. I've read that the unit is in "lock" mode. I tried holding the green button down for 3, 5, and 10 seconds. No change. Any advice on how to get this out of lock mode?

gdcorp Mon, 01/25/2016 - 06:57

Rik: Usually if you push the smart button on the motor unit and immediately let go it will unlock the receiver. I assume you have tried to remove power wait and restore which sometimes works as well. Which model opener do you have? If you held the smart button more than 6 seconds the receiver should have cleared it memory. At this point the keyless entry would stop working. If you try a receiver reset you can simply add the remotes and keyless entry back in per the programming instructions. Most Sears model instructions are on our website - simply search for your model number (is should be 139.xxxxxxx) Brad

Liliana Scott (not verified) Thu, 12/29/2016 - 16:34

Hi,
Could someone please help? I have a Merik door opener (I believe it's the equivalent to Chamberlain in USA). The wall controller works (single button), but neither remote does. We know the remotes are communicating with the system because when we push the remote buttons, the motor light blinks, but the door won't open. Do you have any recommendations?
In advance, I thank you for your help.

gdcorp Sat, 12/31/2016 - 19:30

Liliana:
The Merik opener is mfg by Chamberlain. Try pushing the smart button on the motor head. Since you only have a single wall button the pushing of the smart button on the motor will act to unlock the receiver if it is locked. We have seen the same problem randomly on other Chamberlain and Sears / Craftsman openers without the deluxe wall console.

Brad

Susan (not verified) Fri, 05/05/2017 - 21:13

My Sears system is very cheap and has few features-- does have keypad at automatic door. It does not always close tight, so I worry that a skinny kid can be sent under to open it with the wall switch. Can I just disable that without stopping keypad entry? This is a detached garage.

gdcorp Sat, 05/06/2017 - 05:24

If the keyless entry is wireless (battery operated) then you could disable the wall button inside the garage by taking off (and taping) on of the two wires which are connected on the back of the wall button. For safety reasons it is always recommended to have a hard wired button in the garage but that is your call.

On the other hand if the keyless entry is hard wired with a ribbon cable connecting it to a small box with a wall button just inside the garage then you need to leave the wires on that wall control in order for the keypad to function. You could put tape over the button to reduce the chances that someone would use the wall button.

Brad