Garage Door Won’t Open or Close? Here’s What Might Be Wrong

A garage door can be an exceedingly heavy and complicated entry to your home, which does a very important job of protecting it; consequently, when they fail, it can be very frustrating (and unsafe). There are several common reasons that a residential garage door will not operate. We will talk the likely offenders in layman’s terms, and then suggest what you can check or do at home, as well as when to reach out to the professionals.

Power or Electrical Problems

When the garage door operator has no power, it simply cannot run. The first thing to check is the power cord and outlet - the opener may have been inadvertently unplugged. Also check your breaker panel or fuse box. A blown fuse or tripped breaker can disrupt power going to the opener. If you are able to reset the breaker or plug the cord in and it works, great. If not, then you probably have an electrical issue.

DIY Fix: Reset the breaker or replace the fuse, and plug the opener back in.

When to call a pro: If the outlet appears dead, the breaker continues to trip, or you suspect there is a wiring problem, then you should call a licensed electrician or garage door technician to avoid damaging anything or injuring yourself.

Safety Sensor Problems

Most garage doors manufactured in the last few years have photo-eye sensors - most commonly two small eyes approximately 4–6 inches off the ground - that will stop or reverse the door if something interrupts the beam. If these sensors are blocked, dirty, or knocked out of alignment, the door may not close or may stop and reverse. Look along the bottom of the door to see if the sensors are aimed at each other and are clean.

Do it Yourself (DIY): Gently wipe down the lenses with a soft cloth and remove any toys, leaves or build-up found between the lenses. If you see one of the sensors blinking, they are likely misaligned. Try gently nudging the sensors slightly until both lights are steady.

When to call a professional: If after cleaning and realigning the sensors, or if they appear damaged, you will need a technician to align or replace the sensors. Sensors are sensitive and can only "see" each other clearly.

Track Obstruction or Misalignment

Your garage door rolls on rollers and tracks. Even the smallest object or bend can cause a jam in the door. Take a look at the tracks on each side of the door and check for debris - dirt, rocks, small objects or toys - anything that might be caught in the path of the door. Also, look down each side to see if the tracks are straight and evenly aligned vertically.

Do it Yourself (DIY): Remove all foreign objects from the tracks and clean any dusts or grime. If you see a dent or a roller fell off the track, gently push it back into place and/or hammer out a small indentation.

When to call a professional: If the track is severely bent or warped, or if the rollers come off repeatedly, stop using the door and call a garage door technician. An expert should replace severely bent tracks to prevent the door from jamming or derailing.

Remote or Wall Switch Issues

If the door isn't moving when you press the remote button or wall switch, the issue is with the controls instead of the door itself. First, try the wall-mounted button inside the garage. If the wall button operates but remotes do not, then check the remote battery, weak or dead batteries are very common issues.

DIY fix: Replace the battery in your remote transmitter. Also confirm that you are in range and nothing (like a closed garage or other electronics) is blocking the remote signal. If the remote still fails to transmit, you may need to reprogram it or replace it.

When to call a pro: If replacing the battery or remote did not help, there could be interference with the antenna of the opener, or the opener's electronics may be no longer functional. A technician is able to test your opener and remote system, and replace parts if required.

Broken Springs or Cables

Garage door springs and cables do the heavy lifting. If a spring or cable breaks, the door can become too heavy or unbalanced to open. Warning: Broken springs and cables are some of the most dangerous things to work with. When a spring breaks, you will usually hear a LOUD bang.

DIY fix: There really isn't a DIY fix: do NOT attempt to repair a broken spring or cable on your own.

When to call for help: If you suspect that there is damage to a spring or cable (for example, the door feels extremely heavy to lift or opens crooked), don’t hesitate to call for a professional. Technicians have the requisite training and specialized tools to safely replace springs and cables.

Lock Mode or Manual Lock

Sometimes the door is simply locked. Check the exterior of the door for the manual lock handle (this is common on older doors), and see if it is engaged. If the door is locked, then the opener will not work. Some newer openers have a "lock" button, or keypad lock mode, where by holding down the wall keypad lock button for a few seconds will activate deactivate this mode.

DIY fix: Ensure the door is not locked by checking the lock and, if needed, turn it unlocked. For keypad lock mode, try to hold down the lock button for a few seconds again to toggled that mode off.

When to call for help: If you have manually unlocked everything and the door still will not open, there is still a possibility that an internal lock switch has become stuck, and a technician can check to see if this is occurring to inspect the locks and opener controls to repair/reset anything.

In all of these situations, if after following these recommendations and the door still does not move, be careful! A garage door that is stuck either open or closed can not be safely operated, so instead of trying pliers, we highly recommend calling a qualified garage door repair service.

For friendly, expert assistance, call the OC Garage Door Guys! We are your local garage door experts based in Orange County; we can help you quickly identify the issue, and get your door back to operating smoothly again! Our expert, friendly technicians are available for everything from a simple adjustment to a full repair. Don’t let a stuck garage door ruin your day, and call OC Garage Door Guys today for honest, timely, and dependable garage door service you can trust!