Garage Door won’t Close or Open? Try These Solutions

Garage door won’t close or open? Don’t call a repairman just yet.

If you park your car in the garage, often times, the garage door is the primary way you enter your home.

And just like with anything else around the house that gets a ton of use, your garage door gets a lot of wear and tear. 

So, if you’re having any issues with your garage door, these troubleshooting steps will help you find, and potentially fix any problems with your garage door before having to call a pro.

The first thing to do is a…

1. Garage Door Inspection

In order to find out why your garage door won’t close or open, the first thing to do is a visual inspection of all the parts and components around the garage door.

Sometimes a simple leaf blocking the safety sensor can cause the garage door to not open or close properly.  

2. Check the Garage Door Safety Sensors

Because of the location in which your garage door’s safety sensors are located in, it is very common for them to get blocked by dirt or debris.

And because the garage door’s safety sensors are meant to stop the door from closing or opening when there is something that blocks them; Something like a person, a vehicle or a leaf.

If there happens to be something blocking them, the sensors will automatically stop the door from closing or opening.

This safety measure helps prevent any injuries to someone walking under the door while its closing.

And it also prevents any possible damages to a vehicle that may be in the garage door’s path when it’s closing.

When inspecting the sensors, you can find them located at the bottom of each side of the garage door, along the door’s track.

If your garage door keeps opening when you press the button, there are two things to look out for when inspecting these sensors:

1. Ensure the safety sensors are not covered or blocked by dirt, leaves or debris of any kind. 

2. Ensure the safety sensors are aligned with each other.

When these sensors are misaligned; meaning that they don’t face directly at each other.

This misalignment can cause them to trip the garage door from opening or closing.

3. Check the Power to the Garage Door Opener

Most automatic garage door openers, just like any other electrical appliance around your home, must be connected to power.

Often times, the electrical outlet is located above or around the garage door opener, like in the picture below.

1. Check for the power cord and ceiling plug for a potentially disconnected plug.

2. Check your breaker box to confirm that the breaker switch corresponding to the power outlet for your garage door opener is turned on. 

If your unit seems to be getting power and the door opens by using the button on the inside of your garage but it doesn’t open with your remote control, then…

3. Check your garage door opener remote batteries.

A simple battery replacement for your car’s remote can potentially solve the issue.

4. Is your Garage Door Track out of Alignment?

Your garage door is guided by a track on each side of the door.

These tracks ensure the door is opened and closed correctly without any unnecessary bending or sliding that can cause any damage to the garage door or vehicles in the garage.

1. Inspect each track for any possible blockages or misalignment that may be preventing the garage door from opening or closing properly.

Along the track, the garage door is suspended by rollers which travel along the track when the garage door goes up and down.

2. Check and inspect for broken or misaligned rollers.

A broken or misaligned roller can tilt the garage door out of alignment causing it to not open or close as it should.

5. Check for Broken Springs or Cables

Along with the tracks and the power unit, your garage door relies heavily on different springs and cables that help push it up or down.

These springs and cables can sometimes break or get damaged, causing the garage door to not open or close correctly.

So…

1. Visually inspect the various springs around your garage door for any breaks or damage. 

2. Visually inspect for a broken or a loose cable.

Unfortunately, due to the tension held by these springs, this is one repair that we recommend you call a professional for.

Removing a broken spring without the proper tools or knowledge can cause further damage and/or injury to the person removing the spring.

6. Check the Garage Door Opener Unit

Your garage door is powered by a garage door opener.

This unit provides the mechanical push and pull that opens and closes your garage door.

And just like any other appliance, the unit or the components within the unit can malfunction or break over time.

So first…

1. Check for any signs of wear and tear within or around the garage door opener.

If your garage door opens by pressing the button on your wall but it does not open when pressing the remote control then…

2. Check that the garage door opener’s antenna is not obstructed from receiving a signal from your remote control.

Often undetectable by looking at it, the control panel for your garage door opener could have gone bad and it’s not receiving the signals from your remote control.

We have gone over the top reasons why your garage door won’t open.

As with any other equipment in your home, it is very important to routinely perform maintenance to avoid any possible issues in the future.

Leave us a comment if these tips helped you. We’d love to hear from you!