You hit the button and the door goes up fine, but when you try to close it, nothing happens. Or it starts to close, then reverses back up. Or it closes an inch and stops. This is one of the most common garage door calls we run in Las Vegas, and in most cases, the cause is one of seven things. Here is how to walk through them in order, what you can safely check yourself, and when to stop and call a pro.
1. Blocked or Dirty Safety Sensors
Every modern garage door opener has a pair of photo eye sensors mounted near the floor on each side of the door opening, about 6 inches off the ground. If anything breaks the beam between them, the door will refuse to close as a safety feature. This is a federal requirement and it is working as designed.
What to check: Walk to each sensor and look at it. One should have a steady green or amber light, the other a steady red. If either light is off or blinking, the sensors cannot see each other. Common culprits: a broom handle leaned against the wall, a garbage can pulled in front of the eye, a pet toy, or the family car parked just close enough to block the beam. Remove any obstruction and try the door again.
2. Misaligned Safety Sensors
If nothing is blocking the sensors but one of them is blinking, they may have been knocked out of alignment. A bicycle bumping the bracket or a ladder leaning against it is usually enough.
What to check: Look at both sensors head on. They should be pointed directly at each other. Gently adjust one until its light goes from blinking to steady. If both lights are steady green or amber, try closing the door.
3. The Wall Button Lock Is On
Most modern wall button panels have a "lock" or "vacation mode" button that disables remotes and the keypad. If that button has been accidentally pressed, remotes stop working but the wall button usually still functions. If both the wall button and the remotes have stopped working to close the door, the lock is probably not your issue. If only the remotes have stopped, check for a lock indicator on the wall panel.
4. A Broken Torsion Spring
If your door opens fine but will not close, a spring is probably not the issue. But if it is not closing properly, feels unusually heavy when you try to lower it manually, and you hear a loud bang or pop from the garage recently, you may have a broken spring. Check above the door: a healthy torsion spring is a continuous coil. A broken one has a visible 2 to 4 inch gap in the middle.
If you see a gap in the spring, stop. Do not operate the door. Do not try to force it closed with the opener. A broken spring means the door is dangerously heavy and operating it can damage the opener, the cables, or the door itself. Schedule spring replacement and wait for the technician.
5. A Broken or Loose Cable
Each garage door has two lift cables running from the bottom of the door up to the spring shaft. If one of those cables has snapped, come off its drum, or frayed badly, the door will not close evenly. One side will drop faster than the other, causing the door to twist, and the opener will usually stop and reverse as a safety response.
What to check: Look at both cables with the door in the open position. They should be tight, evenly tensioned, and fully wound on their drums at the top. If you see a cable hanging loose, unwound, or frayed, stop using the door. This is a same day repair but not a DIY job. See cable repair.
6. Door Off Track
If the door looks crooked, one panel appears shifted, or you see a roller that has popped out of the vertical track, the door is off track. This is usually caused by a broken cable, a bump from a vehicle, or an opener force setting that is too high.
What to check: Look at the rollers along both vertical tracks. They should all be seated inside the track. If any roller is outside the track, the door is off track and needs service. Do not try to force it back on. See off track repair.
7. Opener Limit Switch Out of Adjustment
Every opener has a close limit switch that tells the motor how far down the door should travel. If that limit is set too low, the door hits the floor and reverses because the opener thinks it has hit an obstruction. If it is set too high, the door stops above the floor.
What to check: On most openers, there are two adjustment screws on the back of the motor unit labeled "up" and "down" or "open" and "close." Small adjustments to the close limit screw (usually a quarter turn at a time) can resolve this. If you are not comfortable adjusting your opener or are not sure which screw does what, call a pro.
When to Stop and Call Us
Here is the line. If the issue is a blocked sensor, a misaligned sensor, a wall panel lock, or a minor limit adjustment, you can probably fix it yourself in 5 minutes. If the issue is a broken spring, a broken cable, an off track door, or anything that requires you to put your hands on the hardware above the door, stop and call a pro. Spring and cable work is how people get hurt.
Frequently Asked Questions
When You're Ready
If the 5 minute checks did not solve it, the odds are good you have a spring, cable, or opener issue that needs a technician. Schedule service and we will be out same day in most cases. Every repair backed by our 12 month workmanship warranty.
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