What Went Wrong When the Garage Door Won't Open?
Professionals in garage door repair and garage door installation services have lots of great experience working with just about every configuration of residential garage door you can imagine.
Professionals in garage door repair and garage door installation services have lots of great experience working with just about every configuration of residential garage door you can imagine. They have seen doors that reflect all architectural styles and income levels - and all the problems that can go with them. Sometimes, your dog takes a special liking to the automatic opener eye sensor and messes it up somehow. Other times, it may be that your son was hanging off the door while it was being raised by the outdated opener, which caused some hard-to-diagnose problems with the whole assembly. Whatever it is, garage door repair professionals know what to do. The question is, do you?
Homeowners can take care of some of the more routine garage door maladies, but there comes a time when doing it yourself means doing more harm than good. This blog post should help you better understand what you are dealing with to better determine if it is something you can handle.
Garage Door Opener Transmitter Batteries
It’s best to always start proper troubleshooting by beginning with the easy stuff. Typically, user error, power cables not being plugged in, or dead batteries needing replacement are the kinds of things that go wrong before the rest of the garage door or opener parts fail. If your problem is that the transmitter in your car has abruptly stopped working, you need to see if the batteries are the issue. One way to eliminate this possibility is to see if the wall panel still works. If it does, then the transmitter is an issue. Remember to change all the batteries in all your transmitters at the same time to avoid these problems! Also, ensure you correctly line the batteries' positive and negative ends. Incorrect battery alignment can make a good battery seem bad.
Photo Sensor Eye Problems
Kids love playing with automatic garage door openers. Lost on them is the fact that the garage door weighs more than they do and can come crashing down fast if something goes wrong. Children of the past were especially fond of seeing if they could scoot underneath the door just before it was too late. Thankfully, modern garage door openers have sensors to prevent that kind of potentially dangerous play. Of course, you do not want to abdicate responsibility for keeping kids safe, but knowing that such a system is in place just in case is reassuring. The garage door opener's sensor eyes emit an invisible beam between them, which registers the presence of an obstruction underneath the garage door. When that happens, the door will stop its downward progress immediately. Safety sensors on garage doors became the law back in 1993 after some tragic incidents involving children and garage doors.
So, knowing that, if you ever have a situation where the garage door opens but does not close, check those sensor eyes. They can be dirty, out of alignment, or some aspect of the wiring may have become faulty. The sensor eyes can get dirty very quickly because they are close to the ground in a garage. It is made of glass so take care when cleaning. A scratch could permanently ruin it. When aligning the eyes, measure and use a level. Make sure you are precise in pointing the two sensors at each other exactly. If this does not help, it may be time to call a pro.
Garage Door Track is Not Quite Right
The track must be set up correctly to maintain a working garage door. Moving a garage door on a slightly misaligned or gapped track may be possible, but eventually, something bad will happen. The weight of the door will cause it to do damage as it moves. The track may become more warped, or the rollers may wear much faster. The motor may even burn out due to having to work harder.
You may be able to see exactly where the track is out of whack just by looking. If not, try to locate the problem by noticing at what point the door stops moving freely; it may begin to make a strange sound, slow down, or even shake the door.
You will need a special tool for this kind of repair: the rubber mallet. First, you have to loosen the screws holding the track in place and then hit the track with the rubber mallet to push it to where it should be. Use a level and tap the track with only as much force as it takes to move the track and no more than that. You do not want to bend it. Once aligned properly, tighten the screws. Never just align this one track and ignore the rest; you must now evaluate the other parts of the track to make sure they are all properly aligned.
However, if the door does not move at all because the track is damaged, you should call the professionals—repair may no longer be possible. It is much better to leave the installation of a new garage door track to the pros.
The Transmitter Simply Does Not Work
Again, this may sound obvious, but I must go ahead and say it: Are you too far away from home when you try to use the transmitter? If you can't see your house but are pressing buttons, chances are you are simply too far out of the transmitter's designed range. If you want an extremely long-range remote control, hook your garage door to the "Internet of Things" and control it with an app.
If distance is not the problem, look at that antenna, which should be hanging down from the garage opener on the ceiling. It should be unobstructed and undamaged.
If you are experiencing the strange phenomenon of the garage door opening and closing at odd times, it could be that a neighbor is using the same frequency to communicate with their own garage door opener. If that is the case, you need to change the frequency the opener is using. While it is possible the entire unit is fatally flawed and needs to be replaced, the neighbor frequency conflict is a lot more likely to be the real problem. Changing the frequency should be easy; your user's manual will likely contain adequate instructions.
Another fix that a layperson should be able to handle is reprogramming the remote. Every manufacturer has a different procedure, so check your respective manual for instructions on how to accomplish that.
Garage Door Spring Repair
If everything else is fine, but the door still won't go up, it may be the garage door springs. These should be very easy to spot. If they are torsion springs, they will be located at the top of the garage door. They are thick coils that twist and untwist as the door is raised and lowered. If your garage door uses extension springs, they will be thinner coils that stretch and contract as the door is moved. Extension springs will be located off to each side of the garage door. You will probably hear something the moment the spring breaks. These springs can be quite dangerous. The opener does not do all the work; the spring takes up most of the slack. That is why these things are so powerful and potentially dangerous. If you are dealing with a broken spring, immediately stop using the automatic opener. Just call for some professional help.
Garage Door Limit Settings are Off
If you recently had a garage door installed or have a very old garage door, you may notice that the door can be closed but then automatically move back up on its own. This is due to improper installation or the setting drifting over time. This should be an easy fix for you, but the settings are different for every model of opener. Refer to your owner's manual. If this does not work, then, of course, call for some help.
Disconnect Switch Engaged
If your garage door opener motor is working fine, yet the door is not moving at all, it is probably disconnected from the door. Garage doors have a release mechanism that allows people to manually open the door in case the opener malfunctions or there is a power outage. Usually, the door is disconnected by pulling on a red handle hanging on a red cord hanging from the motor or assembly. To re-engage the door, pull up on the cord until you hear a click indicating it has re-engaged.
Worn or Broken Garage Door Cables
The garage door cables and springs help move the garage door slowly and safely. These tension cables are an integral part of the garage door and must be replaced immediately if they are damaged or broken. This safety feature prevents the garage door from crashing to the ground.
If this is the problem you are facing, you do not want to move the door at all, so try not to park your vehicles in the garage until the matter is resolved. An experienced garage door repair technician should almost certainly do this.
The Manual Garage Door Lock is Engaged
All older garage doors have manual locks located in the center of the door. These are hard to miss; they will probably look like a knob. From the inside, all one has to do is press a button on this knob to lock the door manually. If that occurs, the opener will function properly, but the door will remain closed. You must get inside and unlock it or use a key from the outside; this is a simple fix that all homeowners can take care of.
Need reliable garage door repair or installation services in Phoenix? Contact Lucky Boy Garage Door, your trusted experts. Let us keep your home secure and functional!
