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A remote that has to be pressed twice, or only works from the driveway rather than the street, is almost always asking for a battery. It is a two-minute job that owners often put off because the case looks sealed, the cell type is unclear, or there is a worry that the remote will forget its code. This guide covers all three, and finishes with the symptoms that mean the battery is fine and something else is wrong.
Which battery does a garage door remote take?
Handheld remotes in Australia mostly use one of two families. The first is the flat 3 V lithium coin cell. CR2032 is the one you will meet most often; CR2025 and CR2016 are the same diameter but thinner, and some slimline remotes use them so the case can be thinner too. The second family is the small 12 V alkaline cylinder, sold as 23A (also written A23 or MN21) and its slimmer cousin the 27A (A27). Older and larger remotes sometimes take a 9 V block or a pair of AAA cells instead.
The only reliable source is the remote itself. The cell type is usually moulded into the inside of the case or printed on the battery, and the manual for the remote model lists it. If neither is readable, take the old cell to the shop and match it by the code on its face rather than by eye, because a CR2025 will sit in a CR2032 holder and work badly. Wall-mounted keypads and the opener's own battery backup use different batteries again; the backup pack is covered in our opener battery backup guide.
Coin cells and small children
A swallowed lithium coin cell can cause serious injury within hours. Keep the old and new cells out of reach while you work, and dispose of the flat one straight away. Supermarkets and hardware stores commonly have a battery recycling bin near the entrance.
Flat battery or a remote that needs re-coding?
Before you open anything, read the symptoms. A tired battery fails gradually and behaves the same on every button, while a remote that has lost its pairing fails suddenly and completely.
Points to a flat battery
- Range has been shrinking for weeks: it used to work from the street and now needs to be at the door.
- The remote's LED is dim, flickers, or does not light while a button is held.
- It works after sitting in a warm pocket but not first thing on a cold morning.
- Every button on the remote is affected the same way.
- The remote is more than a couple of years old and has never had a new cell.
Points to re-coding or another fault
- The LED lights brightly, but the door never responds, even from directly under the motor.
- It stopped working right after the opener was replaced, reset, or had its memory cleared.
- One remote is dead while the others in the house still work, and a fresh battery changes nothing.
- All remotes are dead at once but the wall button works: that is a receiver, antenna or lock-mode issue, not a battery.
If the second list fits, skip to our remote programming guide for the learn-button steps, or the remote not working guide to sort a dead remote from a dead receiver.
How to change a garage door remote battery
Opening the case without breaking it
Remote cases open in one of three ways, and forcing the wrong one is how clips get snapped. Look for a small screw on the back first, often under the keyring loop or a sticker; remove it and the halves separate. If there is no screw, look for a slot or notch along the seam. A coin or a plastic card twisted gently in the slot pops a snap-fit case; avoid a metal screwdriver, which chews the plastic. The third style is a sliding cover on the back, usually with an arrow, that pushes off with a thumb. Merlin, B&D, ATA, Gliderol and the other brands all use one of these, but which one varies by model, so check the remote or its manual before you lever anything.
The swap
- Photograph the open remote before touching the battery so you have the orientation and the position of any loose button rubbers.
- Note which face of the coin cell is up: the flat, marked side is positive on a coin cell, and the holder usually has a + moulded beside it. Cylinder cells have + and - stamped on the ends.
- Lift the old cell out with a fingernail or a plastic pick. If a clip holds it, ease the clip rather than pulling the cell through it.
- Handle the new cell by its edges. Skin oil on the faces of a coin cell is a common reason a fresh battery reads flat.
- Seat the new cell the same way round as the old one, then check the LED lights when a button is pressed before you close the case.
- Close the case, refit the screw or press the halves together until every clip clicks, and test from the driveway and again from the street.
Two-battery remotes
Some remotes stack two coin cells or hold two cylinders. Replace both at the same time with the same brand and type. A new cell paired with an old one drains to match it.
Do you need to reprogram after a battery change?
Normally no. The remote's code is stored in memory that does not need power, so it survives the minute the battery is out. If the remote does nothing after the swap, the cause is almost always mechanical: the cell is upside down, not fully seated, or the wrong thickness and not making contact. Reopen the case and check before you assume the code is lost. On a few older models the remote does drop its pairing when the battery is out for a long time, and a learn-button session at the motor head puts it back.
Getting more life from the next battery
- Keep the remote out of the sun. A dashboard in a Perth summer cooks both the cell and the rubber buttons.
- Do not leave it in a bag or pocket where a button can be held down; a remote transmitting all night is flat by morning.
- Wipe the contacts with a dry cloth when you change the cell so corrosion does not rob the new battery.
- Buy cells from a shop with turnover. A coin cell that has sat on a shelf for years has already lost part of its charge.
- If one remote drains cells much faster than the others in the house, its button contacts may be sticking and the remote is due for replacement.
When to call a technician
Call when a fresh battery, correctly fitted, changes nothing; when the case is cracked and the board is exposed; or when the remote is a discontinued model and you cannot find the matching cell. Elite's garage door remotes service supplies a replacement matched to your opener for $95 per remote plus $120 to attend and program, incl. GST, and checks the batteries in the remotes you keep while there.