Why Doesn’t My Garage Door Work 7 Garage Door Tips

 

Why won’t my garage door close, open, work…? We have all been there when for whatever reason the garage door malfunctions, and it’s frustrating. In hopes of helping homeowners, we have compiled a list of the most common reasons your garage door is acting up.

Photo Eye is out of Alignment or Blocked

A pretty good indication it is your photo eye causing the garage door malfunction is that your garage door will not close when the button is pushed, though it did open. From dirt to someone bumping it, anything can block or knock your photo eye out of alignment. Cleaning your photo eye is just like cleaning a mirror or window – use a soft cloth and cleaner to wipe away any residue. If cleaning the photo eye does not remedy the problem, make sure the “eyes” are in alignment. When checking the alignment, measure the height of each photo eye from the ground and use a level to make sure they’re pointing directly across at each other at the same angle.

Remote is Not Working

It’s the batteries –  may sound obvious, but your garage door remote needs power to work. If the batteries in your garage door opener are dead, the transmitter won’t be able to send a signal to your garage door to open. Changing the battery on your garage door remote is pretty simple. You remove the back of the remote and remove the battery. Ensure you put the batteries in the correct way, and you should be on your way to a working garage door and remote.

The antenna on the motor – check to make sure the antenna on the motor inside your garage is not damaged and nothing is blocking it. If it looks like there is damage to the antenna, you’ll need to call your garage door technician to come out and replace it.

None of the above – You’re still having issues with your garage door remote, try to reprogram your remote. All remotes have a learn button somewhere on them; press and hold the learn button for a few seconds until the indicator light starts blinking. While the light is blinking, press your remote button again to reprogram that remote. Double check the owner’s manual as this process does vary depending on your garage door model.

Your Springs are Broken

Torsion springs breaking are loud – sometimes described as a gunshot or a firecracker. But let’s say you missed that noise – you weren’t home – a good sign your torsion springs are broken is your garage door all of sudden won’t go up. Broken torsion springs are very dangerous; do not open your garage door until a professional garage door repair company comes out and replaces the spring.

Garage Door Limit Settings Isn’t Set Properly

You know this is the problem with your garage door when it goes down and immediately comes back up. This is an issue usually happens to brand new garage doors or older models. This limit range tells the garage door opener when it is closed. When the settings are too high, the door will hit the ground before the opener thinks it should and assume the door is hitting something in its path and automatically open back up.

Again, grab your garage door manual and see the resetting or adjustment procedures for your garage door limit settings. You may need to experiment with a few adjustments before finally getting the correct setting.

Disconnect Switch Was Enabled

Usually the disconnect switch is used during a power outage, so you can get in and out of the garage despite no power, but sometimes it can become unhooked causing the garage door to be disconnected from the motor. You will know the disconnect switch was enabled if your garage door motor runs, but the door does not move. Either way, you’ll need to reattach the disconnect switch to use your garage door motor again. Open the door all the way and then reattach this hook. Then try opening or closing the door again with your remote, and you should be good to go.

Garage Door Was Manually Locked

Some garage doors come with manual locks located in the middle of the door with two bars running horizontally from each side. By accident the button to the manual lock can accidentally be engaged. You will know this is the reason your garage door is not working if your garage door doesn’t open, but the opener motor runs for just a few seconds and then shuts off. Unlocking is as easy as turning the handle of the manual lock until you hear a clicking sound thus moving the horizontal bars away from the edges and secure the handle in the open position.

Tension Springs or Cables are Broken

When a tension spring or cable is broken, you will find that your garage door closes really fast. These springs and cables help the garage door to lower slowly and safely. If these tension springs or cables break, you might find that your garage door closes really fast, often with a loud bang when it hits the ground. This is very dangerous as there is nothing preventing the garage door from crushing something that might be below it. Contact a garage door repair company as soon as you can to have them come out and repair these cables or springs.

While there are times you may be able to DIY the garage door problem yourself, ensure you are keeping you and your loved ones safe and contact garage door repair companies when safety is an issue. We hope these tips have helped you, and if you need any assistance with garage door repair in Ripon, Fond Du Lac, Waupun, Lomira, Oshkosh, Omro, Weyauwega, Fremont, Appleton, Greenville, Green Bay and De Pere, Green Lake, Princeton, Westfield, Montello, Kingston, Marquette, Wisconsin contact Modern Overhead Door.