Your overhead garage door is the largest and heaviest piece of moving equipment in your home. Most families use their garage door more than their front door as an entrance and exit to the home. As a result, the garage door is subject to regular wear and tear and occasionally will have functional issues. If the door doesn’t open or close or is experiencing some difficulty during the process, it’s always helpful to know a few things to look for that might easily solve the problem. Here are a few of the top reasons why your garage door won’t close or open.
Door Won’t Open When I Press the Button
Does the opener have electric power? Plug a lamp into the outlet the opener is plugged into. If it doesn’t light, check the fuse box or the circuit breaker. Keep in mind that a wall switch may control some outlets. If the problem is as simple as a power outage to the entire home, read our blog on How to Open Your Garage Door Manually.
If there is electric power to the operator, there are a few simple things you can check. Is the signal from the remote control to the receiver blocked? Remove any obstacles or try pointing the remote from a different area or angle. Are the batteries dead in the remote control? If so, replace them. Has the garage door possibly been locked manually from the inside? If so, disengage the lock. If it’s winter, is there a build-up of ice or snow under the door? If so, the door may be frozen to the ground. You will need to de-ice the area with warm water and salt.
The Opener is Running but the Door is not Moving
There is electrical power to the operator, and you can hear it running, but the door will not move. The door may have been manually disengaged. Check to see if the red emergency release cord has been pulled, disconnecting the door from the opener. If this is the issue, pull the red emergency release cord upward to re-connect the opener to the door.
Mechanical Issues
If none of the checks listed above solve the problem, then there is possibly some type of mechanical or electrical problem with the garage door or opener. The problem may need to be diagnosed by a qualified service technician. But first, let’s perform some checks on the door.
Pull the emergency release cable and try to manually lift the door. If the garage door does not lift, the reasons can include broken torsion springs, snapped cables, or the door track has become misaligned. A visual survey of these parts may reveal one of these issues. In this case, these repairs should only be done by a trained professional, so call a technician to help.
Door Reverses and Opens When I try to Close It
The most likely problem in this scenario is an obstruction in the path of the door. Check for and clear any obstruction in the path of the door. Check to see if the safety beam LED indicator light is blinking, which happens when there is an obstruction. This safety feature prevents the door from closing on someone or something. The sensors should be mounted 6 inches from the floor on either side of the garage door opening. If there is no obstruction, use a towel to clean the photo eye sensors, which sometimes become dirty. Confirm that the sensors are aligned evenly to each other to receive the signals and make any slight adjustments needed.
Joe Wilde Company Can Help
If the problem with your garage door or opener is not one that you can easily solve on your own, call our pros at Joe Wilde Company. Broken springs or cables should only be serviced by a professional technician. We offer Emergency Service 24-7. We keep our trucks stocked and our service professionals are ready to make all repairs. We service all brands, too! Contact us at www.joewilde.com/service-request or call us at (262) 782-0500.
To ensure a properly working door and operator, you should have them serviced every year. Call Joe Wilde Company to schedule an Annual Tune-Up Service to your garage door. Regular service can extend the life of your door and operator.
The help section of our website is always available! You can get quick answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about garage doors and openers on our website at www.joewilde.com/service-repair/frequently-asked-questions.