Why won’t my garage door open or close?
My Garage door won’t open…
Broken Spring on garage door. The spring on your door balances the weight of the door so it can be lifted easily by hand or by the motor. Garage door springs last between 5,000 – 10,000 cycles. This can be anywhere from 5-10+ years depending on how much the garage door is used. Some doors have 1 spring and some doors have 2 springs. Your motor might be able to lift the garage door if you have 2 springs and only 1 is broken. We highly recommend not running your door with a broken spring you will likely burn the motor up as the motor is trying to lift more weight than it is supposed to.
The Cables are broken. The cables are what lifts the door up and brings it down. They attach to the bottom bracket on the door and wind around a drum at the end of the torsion spring shaft. Often the cables on the door will break or come off if the spring is broken. Check and see if the spring is broken. If not then the Remote or outdoor keypad might not be working. If your wall button on the inside of the garage still opens your garage door but your remote does not then likely your remotes is out of battery or needs to be replaced. Changing the battery in the remotes is a fairly easy fix. The back of the remote should slide, pop, or screw open.
Wall button is not working. Most wall buttons light up, if the wall button is not lit up then there is either no power to the motor. Check and see if the motor hanging from the ceiling is plugged in, or if an outlet is working. A GFI could also be flipped to that outlet if the light it not on the wall button. Newer openers also have a lockout switch on the wall button. If the lockout switch is on then the wall button will not be lit up.
My door will open but it won’t close…
Photo eye issue. When you go to close a garage door and it starts to close and then comes back up, or if it just won’t close at all it is likely a photo eye issue. The photo eyes are located about 6-8” off the floor of your garage help detect if something is in the path of where the garage door is supposed to close. They are a safety feature required by law on all residential garage doors. These eyes can get misaligned or dirty very easy. Most phot eyes will have one green light and 1 red light that indicate if they are a receiving eye or a sending eye. Both lights should be solid. If the lights are flashing then you know you have an issue. Check and make sure they are aligned. Also wipe the lense off with a tissue to clean it. Spiders will sometimes build little webs on the barrier around the eye. These leses can also go bad if none of this works and they are still not working.
Computer Board in Motor is bad. Like any advanced technology garage door openers have computer boards or logic boards as they are typically called. These can malfunction over time and need to be replaced. Logic boards are very specific for the openr that they are in and are not universal. We recommend only replacing logic boards in openers that are less than -10 years old.
Gear Assemblies – Older garage door openers have plastic gears in them that can go bad over time, especially if the garage door springs are not balanced. These issues are typically seen in older Liftmaster/ Craftsman openers. Your door will either make a noise and not move, have a sagging chain/belt, or even you might see plastic shavings on your floor. The gears can be replaced, however if the opener is more than 8-10 years old we would recommend a new motor replacement.
Advanced adjustments - Limits, Sensitivity, track misalignment. Garage doors need to be serviced annually, which is often overlooked, but should be an important household annual task. They are a very large, heavy device with a lot of parts that need adjusting. With proper service on a garage door, the life of the door will lengthen drastically. Most advanced adjustments require a professional to ensure they are done correctly to prevent further damage to the opener and door.
When your garage door won’t open or close, there are several common reasons that could be causing the issue. One frequent problem is misaligned safety sensors. These sensors are located on either side of the garage door, near the bottom of the tracks, and are designed to prevent the door from closing if something is in its path. If the sensors are not aligned properly, they can mistakenly prevent the door from closing all the way. You can troubleshoot this by checking if the sensors are facing each other directly and are free of debris. Gently tap the door track back into place if needed to realign them, ensuring the door closes properly.
Another common issue is related to the garage door springs, specifically the torsion spring. The torsion spring is a critical component that helps lift the heavy weight of the garage door. If the torsion spring is broken or worn out, the door may not open or close as it should. This is a serious issue that requires the attention of a professional garage door technician, as attempting to fix a garage door spring on your own can be dangerous. A technician can safely replace the spring and ensure that the door operates smoothly.
Problems with the garage door opener’s motor or the remote control can also prevent the door from opening or closing. Sometimes, the garage door opener motor may not be receiving power, or the remote control might need to be reprogrammed. Check the wires from the motor unit and ensure they are connected properly. Additionally, you might need to reprogram the remote control or keypad. If these troubleshooting steps do not resolve the issue, it might be time to call a professional garage door service company. They can diagnose and fix more complex problems, ensuring your garage door opens and closes reliably. If your garage door is not opening or closing properly, addressing these common issues can help restore its functionality and provide peace of mind.