Liftmaster 3800 Light Problem

[wbrian63]

Several years ago, I installed a LM3800 opener at my shop and didn't use the remote light gizmo.

Recently, I installed another LM3800 at home, and decided to use both of the remote light units for better lighting in the garage.

The remote light that came with the newer opener works as designed: when the door opens, when triggered by the motion sensor on the wall control and when triggered by the Lamp button on the wall control unit.

Installed the remote light from the old opener and programmed it in the same manner as the first.

It came on when the garage door was first opened, then stayed on (didn't turn off when the other remote light did). This AM, when the better half left for work, the light was still on. When I came out to the garage about an hour later, the light was off. It came on when I walked into the garage, remained on when I opened the garage door, and was still on 3 hours later when I returned home.

If it matters, this light is furthest from the LM unit, but we're only talking about a standard residential 2-car garage, so I wouldn't think distance is an issue.

Any ideas?

 

[pattenp]

I'm of no help because I too have one of the haunted LM3800 lights. It seems at times to have a mind of its own. I've disconnected power and have reprogrammed it countless times, and over time it gets back to its old ways. My light is 6+ years old.

 

[JakeKohl]

I have had the same problem - it has a feature that senses when you walk in and out of the garage with the door open so it will turn the light on when you walk in and (supposed) to turn it off when you walk out. The problem is - it gets confused rather easily. I don't know if it is because I step over the door beam or what (or walk around and use the side entrance). Regardless, I turned off that feature about 6 months ago and haven't had the light get stuck on since. The process for turning that off is buried in the manual somewhere. It still works when you open/close the door - but that is all.

 

[12ozd]

Here's the manual, page 22 has the info.

 

[pattenp]

I turned off the motion detection on the two I have along time ago and one light stills gets out of whack. It will turn on but not off. I can't even turn it off using the control. But after an hour or so it will finally cut off. It's just random, may be once or twice a month the light does this. The second LM3800 is in another garage and I don't have any problems with that one. There must be some interference that messes up the one from time to time. But I sure can't figure it out.

I have had the same problem - it has a feature that senses when you walk in and out of the garage with the door open so it will turn the light on when you walk in and (supposed) to turn it off when you walk out. The problem is - it gets confused rather easily. I don't know if it is because I step over the door beam or what (or walk around and use the side entrance). Regardless, I turned off that feature about 6 months ago and haven't had the light get stuck on since. The process for turning that off is buried in the manual somewhere. It still works when you open/close the door - but that is all.

 

[s10xtremist]

All of this is too complicated! I tapped into the door operator's built-in light to trigger a relay, then ran some wires in parallel from the relay to the wall switch for the garage's main lights (Two plain twin-bulb 8' fluorescent fixtures). I removed the operator's light bulb. The garage lights come on when the operator opens/closes the door, or when you break the safety beam when the door is up. The wall switch still works as normal. This is especially helpful when parking at night and not having to rely on that one dim bulb mounted in the operator.




Yes, I braided the pushbutton and safety beam wires. This has always been my "calling card" on my garage door installs.

 

[JakeKohl]

I turned off the motion detection on the two I have along time ago and one light stills gets out of whack. It will turn on but not off. I can't even turn it off using the control. But after an hour or so it will finally cut off. It's just random, may be once or twice a month the light does this. The second LM3800 is in another garage and I don't have any problems with that one. There must be some interference that messes up the one from time to time. But I sure can't figure it out.

Welp...I think I caught your curse. First, there are two "motion" settings. One is the motion sensor on the wall button unit, the other uses the obstruction eyes at the bottom of the door opening. Those eyes will also turn the light on or off when you walk in or out of the garage. That last walk-in walk-out feature was the one that I turned off and the light no longer seemed to jam in "on" mode. I took me a couple of months and this forum to even realize that the light was turning on and off every time I walked in or out of the garage because I usually do this in the daytime and with the interior florescent lights on. I also tend to alternate between using my side door and the open garage door to enter/exit, so I'm sure it couldn't keep track of whether I was coming or going with a simple beam.

However, this past weekend, the light was on Sunday night when I closed the door and never turned off. I had to mount a ladder and unplug it last night to reset it. That hasn't happened in a long time...ooooo, but, wait....we had a big power outage a week ago - I wonder if that reset the settings on the walk-in/walk-out beam detection? I'll have to check that tonight.

 

[JakeKohl]

All of this is too complicated! ....

Um, yeah. complicated? relays, braided wiring, rewiring lights in the garage

 

[workhurts]

I have similar issues with two lights. I even de-activated the motion sensing thing on the button control thingy. They'll turn off at random times and start going on and off every minute or so. I can usually get them to behave if I turn them off/on/off/on/off/on really quickly ... seems to reset something.

In fact, I'm thinking of ways to remove them and put an internet gateway in that controls a different set of lights and just doing away with them.