Garage Door Opener Reverse Mechanism

[PghNinja]

Can a garage door opener have a reverse mechanism added after installation? Or would a new garage door opener be required?

It's a Craftsman opener, I don't have the exact model with me, so I'm speaking looking for a general yes it can / no it can't.

 

[Snoonyb]

It will depend upon the age, because there were first reverse function based upon "down" pressure on an obstruction, which because that degree of force could harm a child, was then upgraded to be an interlock that interrupted the "go" signal, and has been refined to automatic reversal when the circuit is interrupted.

 

[Steve123]

I assume that your garage opener does in fact both open and close. But I assume it is old. And it does have function where it reverses if it encounters an overload while closing (they had this even in the 70's). But possibly you don't have the electric eye across the bottom of the door. Its theoretically possible that Craftsman makes a retrofit photo-beam kit, but I would very much doubt it.

 

[nealtw]

Have you checked the back of the unit for adjustment screws. If the down force is set at the highest setting the will negate the reverse function.

 

[Snoonyb]

Can a garage door opener have a reverse mechanism added after installation? Or would a new garage door opener be required?

It's a Craftsman opener, I don't have the exact model with me, so I'm speaking looking for a general yes it can / no it can't.

The model # can be found on the front housing plate, and you can look it up from that and find all the accessories available for that model #.

Sears/craftsman door operators are a CHAMRON product, Chamberlain Mfg., since the late 1960's.

 

[slownsteady]

I'm no expert in the field but it seems to me that you just add the "electric eye" to the circuit. The motor is already capable of reversing.