How to Balance a Craftsman Garage Door Opener

Test the garage door with its current settings. Using the wall-mounted opener, open and close the garage door, taking note of whether the door stops before the ground, hits the ground and reverses or fails to completely open.

Stand on a stepladder beneath the opener's motor head, the part mounted to the ceiling that also houses the light fixture. Find the limit adjustment screws on the left side of the unit and the force screws on the right.

Turn the limit screw labeled with a downward arrow counterclockwise one to add 2 inches of downward travel distance. Turn it clockwise to remove 2 inches. Add travel if the door fails to reach the ground, remove it if the door hits the floor and reverses.

Turn the limit screw labeled with an upward arrow clockwise to add 2 inches of upward travel if the door fails to fully open. Test the new limit settings and move the stepladder to the right side of the motor unit.

Adjust the force dials with a slotted screwdriver if the door continues to reverse or fail to reach the ground after setting the limit dials. Turn the downward force dial, labeled with a downward arrow, one numbered setting higher to add an extra kilogram of downward force. Turn it back a setting to remove force. The door should reach the ground without reversing using the least amount of force when the opener is set correctly.

Make the same adjustments to the upward force dial, labeled with an upward arrow, if the door stops while opening. Each numbered section adds a kilogram of force. Find the lowest possible force setting that still enables the door to fully open and test the opener again. You may need to make several adjustments before the door is balanced.