Common Reasons Why a Garage Door Is Not Opening Properly
The most common garage door issue that many garage owners experience is the one that affects its operation. Different reasons can cause your garage door to not open properly and we’ll discuss each of them in this article. At Express Garage Door Repair, our technicians can help you diagnose your garage door issue and fix them right away. We offer various garage door repair services for residential and commercial garages.
Power Source
When you’re in a panic, it’s easy to jump to the conclusion that you’re experiencing a complicated garage door issue. In reality, your problem may be as simple as an unplugged garage door opener.
- Power outage – A power interruption means no electricity for your door opener to work.
- Connection – Make sure that you plugged your garage door opener into a socket.
- Working outlet – See to it that the electrical outlet of your opener has a power supply. To check, plug in another appliance. If it doesn’t work, then it means that the socket has no electricity.
You can also plug your opener into another working socket. If it still won’t function, then you may have a broken opener.
Why Does My Garage Door Only Open Halfway?
A garage door that won’t open all the way requires urgent attention. The following are signs to look out for and things you can do about the problem.
The garage door can be operated manually
While automatically operating your garage door is convenient, there are still instances wherein you need to operate your door manually. This includes when your door is stuck halfway. To shift to manual operation, simply pull the red emergency release cord. A tick will signify that you’ve disconnected your automatic door opener. And then lift your garage door manually until it’s completely open.
Blocked sensors
When cleaning your garage door, it’s vital that you include the safety sensors in the maintenance process. If you don’t, dust and debris will soon cover the sensors and affect your garage door’s performance.
Misaligned sensors
Likewise, sensors that are out of alignment may also prevent your garage door from functioning safely. Your door may stop closing even though nothing is in the door’s path or continue closing despite your car, pet, or child in the doorway.
Weather Effects
Rain, hailstones, and strong winds are some weather elements that could damage your door. It could lead to corrosion, dents, and an off-track garage door.
If you can’t fix the issue, simply call our technicians at Express Garage Door Repair. We are one of the most trusted garage door repair companies in your area.
Your Remote Control Is Malfunctioning
Listed below are some factors that can explain why your garage door won’t open with the remote.
• You might be out of range – Try to move closer to your garage door opener so it can better receive signals from your remote.
• The antenna on the motor could be damaged or blocked – Remove electrical devices that could cause interferences. You may also relocate or install an antenna extension to improve signal reception.
• Battery change in the remote – Your opener remote won’t work if it has dead batteries. In that case, simply change the battery so your remote will function again.
If all of these solutions fail, you may need to reprogram your remote.
Other common issues
The Garage Door Wall Switch Is Not Working
The first thing to check if your garage door wall switch is not working is if it’s connected to a power source. If it is yet your door still won’t budge, monitor the LED light to see if it’s signaling an error with the wall switch. Call a garage door technician to fix the issue.
The Garage Door Is Locked
Like any other door, your garage door will not open if it’s locked. Maybe someone in your family locked the door from the inside when you left. In this case, simply tell them to unlock the door or use your emergency key to gain entry to your garage.
The Garage Door Is off the Track
An off-track garage door means it doesn’t have a guide as it goes up or down. Operating on this door is extremely dangerous since your garage door may suddenly close down. When that happens, you could be in a serious injury or your door may incur more damages. Call a technician right away to help you put your door back on its tracks.
Your Cables Have Snapped or Popped Off
It won’t be long before your cables snap after your spring breaks. That’s because these two work together in raising and lowering your garage door. If you have broken cables, call a garage door cable repair specialist to help you replace the cables.
Your Garage Door Torsion Springs Are Broken
Garage doors are extremely heavy such that when the torsion springs break, you would hear an extremely loud noise. This sound indicates that you should stop using your garage door since it can be extremely dangerous. Rather, you should call your local garage door spring repair specialist immediately to help you fix the damaged springs. Never attempt to replace the springs on your own since you could end up in an accident.
The Garage Door Motor is Running But You Cannot Open the Garage Door
In case you hear the opener motor running but nothing is happening, then something is wrong with either the sensors or the cables. For the safety sensors, make sure that they’re installed properly. For the cables, adjust or replace them if they are loose or broken, respectively.
