If You have a car, you probably have a garage used to park your car.
What happens is, one fine morning you jump into your car to leave for your work, and hit the remote button to open the garage door, but nothing is happening.
Your garage door is not getting opened, it refused to move. I can imagine the level of frustration, especially if you are getting late and can’t use public transport.
Well, nothing to get annoyed about, most of the problems garage door would not open is due to small and simple issues which can easily be fixed right away.
But, if there is some serious issue, maybe or may not be you are aware of them, then it can take your time, and you may get delayed in your work.
Garage doors come in different sizes and types, the problem they face is almost the same many times.
So, In this post, I am going to tell you why your garage door won’t open and how to fix it in the right way.
Most common reasons why garage door would not open
Before you jump toward fixing the issues why your garage door would not open, let’s try to diagnose the most common reasons.
Photo Eye gets Damaged
In most of the old garage doors, there is a photo-eye, that detects if the person is lowering the garage door.
The photo-eye shoots a laser beam across the garage, if that beam is interrupted, does not reach through, or cut off the signal, it would not detect if the person is lowering the garage and with that, it could shut the garage door.
The photo-eye is installed around 4-6 inches off the ground, in some cases, the cord to that eye can be cut off or damaged, or a leak can happen.
In some cases, it could be dust that blocks the beams shot off by the eye.
Any the case it is, you should check the photo eye, clean it thoroughly, check its cord, and if it is cut off, connect the wires and make the photo-eye function all over again.
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Battery+ Power is interrupted:
Yes, it happens, I am not joking. The first thing you should make sure after your garage door would not open is to check if the garage door opener is plugged into a working outlet.
It happens that your outlet is out of power, that’s why the whole system is not functioning.
If everything is in place, and you still are unable to open your garage door, then check the fuse.
With a small change in the voltage, the fuse can trip and can lead you to have the issue of not opening the garage door.
And maybe your remote batteries are dead. Batteries come with an expiration date, and when it reaches, they stop functioning and responding.
You can check the transmission receive of the garage, and if you could open the garage manually by pulling the garage opener, then it is your batteries behind this happening.
If it is the batteries, take a deep sigh of relief, you are get ridden off the issue with just a battery change.
Locked Inside Door
Sometimes you get extra arrangements done to prevent your garage from intruders and burglars. In these managements, sometimes we install inside slide lock.
These are not locks, act like deadbolts and you manually have to release them to make your door open. But it is your garage, how can someone do that?
Maybe some of your family members did that and did not tell you about it.
So, check in the sides, on the bottom, if there are some extra arrangements, if they are there, manually open them, or press hold the button for around 10-seconds.
Worn out Springs
Worn-out springs can be a reason your garage door would not open.
It’s the torsion springs I am talking about, the springs that take part in the opening and closing of the garage door on your commands.
These springs are spread horizontally over the door’s width, and with time they wear out and can be the reason for your door not opening.
Well, how would you know if it is the springs behind the happening?
It is not like the springs worn out in just one day. They take time, if it is the springs, you already would be hearing the fire cracking sound when you open and close the garage door.
So, if it is what you had been hearing before, now they are already dead and not responding to your command.
Once these springs break you can’t open the garage door and will have to hire professionals to replace the springs.
One more thing, don’t ever try to replace or fix these torsion springs yourself, you will be the reason for more damage than good, hire a professional to get this done.
Video Guide
The cables
The cables that you hardly notice when opening and closing the garage door can be a reason behind your door would not open.
These cables are spread on both the sides of the garage door, align with the torsion spring, and once they break, your door would not open, how hard may you try it.
Well, in the cable case too, it is not like, it happened in just one day, the cables start to loose slowly, and once they are loosened completely, you will see them losing their support in aiding in opening or closing the door, if this happens they will make your door slam to the ground.
This cable’s installation is harder even the torsion spring. Yes, don’t ever commit to replacing them yourself, unless you are a professional and running a professional business.
Hire a professional, it is a very tricky thing, it will take time and money.
Limit Settings
One more reason your garage door malfunctions are the limit settings.
These settings tell the garage door how far to move the door to close it properly, if these settings are out, the door will hit the ground immediately, and will think of hitting an obstacle in the middle and start backtracking again to avoid the damage.
Maybe the settings are not off but you need to adjust them. Check your garage door user manual, and see their settings and where are the adjustment knobs, in some cases, it can be the top of the garage door.
Once you find the adjustment knob, turn it up if the door is not opening, and if it is not opening, turn it down if it is not closing.
Go with the minimal adjustments in the starting, and check if things roll smoothly.
Disconnect Switch
I am sure you are already aware of the function of the disconnect switch. This switch is usually used when there is no power or a mechanical fault in the opening or closing of the garage door.
If any of the mentioned problems cause the door not to open, this disconnects switch comes in handy and helps you open and close the garage door.
This switch is connected to a rope or a knob, and if someone, accidentally activates it, that can lead to your door not opening.
If this is the reason why your garage door is not opening, reattach the cord to the motor, and your garage door would be functional all over again.
Misadjusted Sensitivity
A garage door stuck closed can be due to misadjusted sensitivity of the opener.
The sensitivity settings allow the opener to know how much force is required to raise and lower the garage door. And you will be applying that much force.
If the door is stuck closed, it might be because of arbitrary factory settings that do not suit your door.
You can fix the misadjusted sensitivity by yourself if you are good at mechanical things, but most of the time an average consumer can’t, so for that too, you will have to hire professional expertise.
Misaligned Door Tracks
To prove this point, let’s recap how the garage door functions. It is the operating mechanism that activates the door.
Its cables lift the physical door, the springs make the tension and manage it, but guess what, it is the tracks that center the whole process.
If there are no physical tracks on the garage door, you can’t open and close the door.
These are the tracks that guide the door and make it centered, to straighten it on both sides.
There are two tracks installed in the garage door on both sides, if any of the tracks are slightly misplaced, initially it slows down the movement of the door, and as time goes by the problem can stay there and turn worse.
For instance, if there is a little bend on the track, it will pull on the door, which will duplicate on the other side too, and the problem can be on both sides.
But what makes the tracks misaligned? In most cases, it is worn and tears, or physical damage, maybe you smashed your car with the garage door, and it slightly went bent.
How would you know that it is the misaligned tracks due to which the garage door is not opening?
Actually, initially, it starts from slight squeaking noises which go louder with time, and one day you will see the door has stuck closed, not opening, after some squeaking noises.
If that’s the case with you too, call a professional and get the misaligned tracks fixed.
Tiny obstruction
If you see your door goes reverse when you try to close it, that means something is blocking its closing.
Well, in this case, that’s not the photo-eye that is blocking the closing, maybe something below the beam is causing the door to reverse itself.
You know that a door is programmed to close on solid grounds, if it feels that it is not the solid ground, it will go reverse. That means, a tiny object, is making the door falsely alarmed.
So, try to clean the object, if the door goes on reversing, it could be dirt on the foliage or any other thing in the way.
If even after cleaning those obstructions, you find that the door is still not closing, this is where you should call a professional or expert.
Lock Mode has been Activated
If you come back home and you see that your garage door is not opening on prompt, that means, you have activated the lock of the garage door.
When you press the remote button for too long, I mean for at least 10-seconds, the door is now locked.
With some garage openers, they would not allow you to open the door with just one tap of the finger.
Now, you will have to hold the press button for at least 10-seconds, the way you had closed it to the time of leaving the home.
Problem with the stripped gear
If you have been using a garage door for a long time, now, you can face issues anytime.
Maybe you are using it for a long time without issue, but it is wearing out, and at some point, maybe you would not be able to close it open like the way you had been doing for years.
With stripped gear, you would not know the actual issue. You can’t configure easily what is the problem, or what is wrong with it.
So, it is the professionals who can spot and diagnose the issue, so, if you don’t find any issue maybe your garage door is facing this issue.
Stiff Rollers
If it is the winter months you are facing the garage door would not open, then maybe it is the stiff roller.
The garage door roller gets stiff in the winter month, and you should lubricate them regularly.
Get a garage door spray from a local store, if it has happened to you know, and fix the issue easily.
Out of Sync Keypad
Most of us think that it is only the remote that takes part inactivation of the garage door, but most of us don’t think the keypad is also a major contributor.
If you see the remote control works fine but the keypad does not, it is the time you should reset the code.
Just read the user manual, and you will see how to reset the keypad, get it done and you will see your garage door is opening right.
What if I can’t get into my garage?
There can be more than one reason for that, maybe the battery is dead, the spring is broken, or the racks
are misaligned. You can check all the reasons above why your garage door would not open.
If you see no issue or problem in your garage door but it is still not opening, check the power, power-cuts too can lead to the garage door would not open.
If there is no issue mentioned, then the only way you can fix the issue is, to call a professional.
The garage door motor is running, but the door isn’t opening?
Check if the cables are aligned, not broken or worn out. If they are fine, check the photosensors, I am sure it is the photosensor issue, if you fix that, your garage door will be opened right away.
Conclusion
It is really frustrating if your garage door would not open when you are getting late for your work or returned back from the work, exhausted and immediately want to park your car to get some rest.
So, sometimes, it is just a minor fault, an electricity issue, your remote might not be working, or some other issues, which can be fixed right away.
If it is not a minor issue, maybe it is something serious you have been overlooking for a long. If it is a serious issue, like misaligned tracks, and many others.
In this long guide, we tried to mention some of the top reasons why your garage door would not open. I am sure you will diagnose the problem, and fix that right away.
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