The Safety Sensors Are Faulty Or Misaligned
This is another problem that makes a garage door close partway and then open again. It happens when either of the safety sensors fails to emit or receive a signal. One way to tell the sensors are faulty is if the garage door wont close and the overhead opener, wall panel or sensors themselves flash, even though nothing is blocking the door. Faulty sensors must be replaced.
Do you have a garage door that wont close unless you hold the button down? If so, the safety sensors may be misaligned. Before you assume theyre faulty and replace them, try cleaning the sensors and adjusting their aim. This may be all it takes to get your garage door working properly again.
The Motor Has Been Deactivated
Sometimes when a garage door wont open or close, it does not actually mean there is anything wrong with the door, your remote or even one of the opener-assembly parts. The issue could all boil down to the simple goof of a disconnected motor. To solve this, you can reconnect the motor.
The motor switch is there so you can open a garage door without the opener in the event of a power outage. Sometimes, however, the cord that connects to the motor switch will get caught and pulled, thus disabling the motor.
In some instances, it might be because of human error. Have you ever inadvertently pulled a cord or flipped a switch? That very action could be the source of your problem.
Why Is My Garage Door Reversing Back Up
Overhead doors start down and reverse back up when the opener thinks their is an obstruction in the way. This is likely due to the safety eyes being blocked, the maximum force sensor being activated or an obstruction actually in the door path.
Blocked photo eyes trigger the door to reverse for safety reasons preventing a small child or animal from being crushed under the door. If the safety eyes fail to work the maximum force sensor serves as a backup. If more force than usual is needed to close the door it will also reverse back up to prevent crushing the obstruction.
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Safety Box Or Board Test
Contemporary garage doors have a safety feature designed to react and open immediately when someone or something is placed under them. It is an excellent way to prevent hurting kids or pets when walking there accidentally.
When your door wont close appropriately, and you suspect something is wrong with this system, you should check the safety feature with the simple box or board test. Adjust the limit on your garage door and then put a box under it. Another option is to lay a board on the ground.
Then, you should try to close your garage door. If it reacts and starts opening before reaching the box or board, there is no reason for worry. Otherwise, your garage door is a potential danger, and you need to fix it to keep your family safe.
The Keypad Is Out Of Sync
The remote is not the only activation device that sometimes needs to be reset. If your remote works but the keypad doesnt, it might be time to reset the code. In most cases, this issue can easily be handled with the help of a users manual. You could also consult a troubleshooting guide to address the problem.
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Garage Door Has Been Locked Manually
Some garage doors, especially older ones, are supplied with manual locks. If the motor of your opener runs for a few seconds before shutting off and the door won’t open, it could be that you have accidentally engaged the manual lock. The lock is designed to add extra security to the door, but sometimes by accident, the lock can easily be activated. It’s a simple fix just turn the handle until it clicks.
The Sensors Are Misaligned Or Obstructed
Most modern garage doors have another safety feature that uses photo-eye sensors for protection. These sensors sit a few inches above the ground on both sides of the door. They use tiny cameras to see if anything is beneath the garage door as it closes. If anything is in the photo sensors path, the garage door will not close. It could also stop in its tracks or reverse its direction to protect whatever is underneath it.
First, see if anything passed through the sensors when you tried closing the garage door. Clean the floor beneath your garage door and try closing it again. If the problem persists, take a soft rag and gently wipe the photosensor lenses. There could be dirt or debris obstructing the sensors vision. You should also make sure the two sensors lenses are facing each other. If they are out of line, the garage door wont be able to close all the way or at all.
Check out Continental Doors photo-eye troubleshooting video for more information on fixing this issue.
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Something Is Blocking The Door
If something is blocking your garage door, this is an easy explanation. But oftentimes, you dont know something is blocking your garage door.
Earlier, photo eyes were mentioned. They detect objects that can block your garage door. But photo eyes dont only detect objects directly under your garage door. They detect objects up to a certain area.
Maybe your car isnt parked in fully or an object is too close to the door. Try and move as many items as you can. If nothing works, then it could be a more serious issue.
Adjust The Garage Door Tracks
Misaligned tracks can prevent your garage door from going all the way down.
The door will have difficulty traversing the tracks since some areas are narrower than others.
You can see if your garage door tracks are aligned through ocular inspection.
Youll also notice a grinding sound coming from your garage door as it moves.
More importantly, youll see a gap at the bottom of your garage door as a result of damaged or misaligned tracks.
To remedy the issue, unscrew the screws holding the tracks and adjust the position of the tracks.
Secure the screws back once youre done adjusting.
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Reprogram Remotes And Keypads
Transmitters and wireless keypads are linked to your garage door opener through the receiver and logic board. The learn or program button on the back of your unit allows you to sync devices to that particular opener. If someone were to press and hold down the learn button, everything linked to that opener would be erased. Power surges from near-bye lightning strikes have also been known to reset circuit boards.
If you press your remote control and the door doesnt move at all, your transmitters could be the source of the problem. Reprogram your remote and wireless keypad to your opener following the instructions in your owners manual.
Garage Door Opener Isnt Connected
A disconnect switch is found on every garage door opener. This is for when your homes electricity goes out, and you must open the door rather than use the motor manually. The switch is usually coupled to a knob that must be turned or a rope that must be pulled.
Because sensors must see each other clearly, they may need to be aligned if they are blinking. Loosen one sensor, adjust it until the small light remains steady, and then re-tighten it.
Check the tracks and rollers to verify if your sensors are working. If the garage door still doesnt close past a certain point, look at the tracks to see any obstructions in the way.
The same thing can happen if a track is deformed or if a roller is destroyed. Ensure sure there are no signs of damage on both tracks. You can usually bend it back into position using clamps or a few well-placed hammer hits if you come across a damaged portion.
Check sure the overhead track from the garage door opener is also checked. Check the rollers and lubricate them with grease. A garage door can be fooled into thinking it is hitting something if several stuck rollers are present.
The trolley is the device that links the garage door to the opener. This portion is commonly identified by a rope dangling from it. The rope engages and disengages the door from the garage door openers chain.
Open the rear flap or remove the light cover on your garage door opener while up a ladder. Two plastic adjustment screws labeled for UP and DOWN should be seen.
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The Garage Door Springs Are Broken
Garage doors rely on various springs to help them open and close with ease. If one of the extension springs is broken, it can make the door go crooked so it doesnt close all the way on one side. A quick visual inspection should reveal whether any of your garage door springs are broken. If so, youll need help from a professional to perform the repair.
You Need To Check For The Presence Of Any Blockage
If your garage door is hard to open or reverses immediately after closing, the simplest thing you can do is check the threshold for anything that blocks it. Your garage door will sense even the slightest blockage, which will cause it to go back up to maintain safety and prevent damage.
If, however, the threshold is clear and the other possible causes mentioned above did not fix the issue, it could be a whole other problem. Read the instruction manual of your garage door opener or consult a garage door service professional to help you.
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Lock Mode Has Been Inadvertently Activated
If you return home to find that your garage door wont open as prompted, it might be because you held the button down too long as you were leaving. Sometimes human error causes a stuck garage door. Pushing the lock button is a minor error with a quick fix.
With some garage openers, a feature exists that allows you to put the opener in lock mode. You can activate this feature by holding down the button on your keypad for several seconds. Once locked, a normal press of the button will not activate the door. To bring the door out of lock mode, simply hold the button down again for several seconds.
Maintenance Tips To Help Prevent Future Garage Door Issues
Taking care of your garage doors doesn’t have to be time-consuming or difficult. If you want them to last as long as possible and not break down at the worst possible moment, you should have a maintenance routine in place.
Keeping your garage clean and tidy is the first step if it is cluttered and dusty, door operation issues can be expected. An annual spring clean and making sure that the items in the garage aren’t too close to the door will help.
If you hear any strange noises coming from the garage door mechanisms popping, screeching, rattles, etc., investigate them and find out the cause as soon as possible.
Routine maintenance to carry out on your garage door should include:
- Clean off leaves, dirt, and debris from the tracks to make sure they are free of debris and oil buildup
- Check your garage door’s springs every year for wear and tear
- Test your springs by lifting the door manually, then releasing it
- Keep an eye on your garage door opener battery life replace it when necessary
- Check for rust on the springs, cables, or pulleys
- Lubricate all hinges, latches, and rollers to prevent squeaking
- Replace any broken or worn-out parts as soon as possible
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A Tiny Obstacle Is Present
If a door reverses upon closing, there could be something in the way that poses as an obstruction. This does not necessarily have to involve the photo-eyes, either. Various items that would fall below the beam of the photo-eye can cause a door to reverse itself, such as foliage, paper and even used gum.
After all, a door is programmed to only close on solid ground and reverse course if anything foreign is encountered along the way.
If your garage door keeps reversing, a tiny object, dirt or foliage is likely obstructing the door. If you remove all the obstructions and the door is still reversing, you should call a service.
Obstructions that homeowners often overlook are not just found on the ground, as the tracks can also get lined with items that could halt and reverse the closing of a door. If gum, dirt or foliage get lodged into one of the tracks at any point, the door might automatically reverse on contact. To prevent this from happening, inspect the tracks about twice a year, and clean them if necessary.
Garage Door Reverses Before Closing
Two problems can cause a garage door to reverse before it touches the floor:
Garage door openers use adjustment screws to control closing force. When a door reverses before reaching the floor, it is often the close-force setting needs adjustment.
The friction of door rollers inside the tracks fools the door opener into thinking the door has reached the floor. The opener needs adjusting for less sensitivity.
Damaged or rusted rollers create extra friction and make the door opener think it has reached its point.
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Tension Springs Or Cables Are Broken
Your tension springs and cables help your garage door safely reach the ground. If your springs or cables are broken, your door wont close. If your door does close, it will crash on the ground.
This issue is extremely dangerous. If you suspect the problem is in your springs or cables, call a garage door repair service immediately.
What To Do If The Garage Door Wont Close All The Way
Nina Smith
Nina is a writer with more than 5 years of experience. She is experienced in such topics as home warranty and home maintenance. She enjoys giving a piece of helpful advice, so don’t hesitate to ask her in the comments.
Having a garage is an essential addition for any homeowner who owns a vehicle. However, if the garage door stops half the way or the garage door wont close, the benefit of having a garage minimalizes. Your vehicle remains unsafe, and any intruder can potentially get access to your home as well. Thus, it is important to close the garage door completely. In case your garage door doesnt close all the way, consider the methods mentioned in this article as a remedy, including:
- Garage Door Sensors May Have An Issue
- Tracks and Rollers
- Remote Used To Close Garage Door
- Limit Screws Retraction Issues
- Consult Your Garage Door Manual
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Why Wont My Garage Door Close
Garage doors consist of several components that all contribute to smooth, quiet and reliable operation. If any part of the system is blocked, becomes loose, falls out of alignment or is otherwise prevented from doing its job, it can cause your door to get stuck while closing. Here are some of the most common reasons a garage door wont close all the way, along with some simple DIY solutions you can use to get your door working again:
Clean The Lens Covers
Your garage door naturally acts as a backstop for debris. Over time the lens covers of your safety eyes can become clouded from contacting dust, leaves and cobwebs. Moisture can also get inside the safety beam casing if it isnt seal properly causing a film buildup just like the headlights on a car.
Cloudy dust covered lens covers block the beam of light from hitting the internal sensors. Use a damp cloth to clean both the inside and outside plastic lens covers. as part of seasonal garage door maintenance.
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The Close Limit Switch Might Need To Be Adjusted
A limit switch is a device that stops an object when it comes in contact with an actuator. Once your door reaches that point, it will stop closing. This is the mechanism that tells your door to stop once it reaches the ground. Otherwise, it would keep trying to close.
If the limit switch is not set properly, it can cause the door to stop early. Generally speaking, there is a screw on your opener that can be adjusted to determine how far down it goes. Adjust the screw and see if it makes a difference.
Check The Tracks And Rollers
If your sensors are functional but the garage door still wont close past a certain point, check the tracks to ensure there arent any obstructions blocking progress.
A bent track or damaged roller can have the same effect. Inspect both tracks to ensure there arent any signs of damage. If you find a damaged section, you can often bend it back to position with clamps or carefully-placed hammer strikes.
Be sure to check the overhead track coming from the garage door opener as well.
This is a good time to check the rollers and grease them with white lithium or silicone-based grease. Several stuck rollers can trick a garage door opening into thinking the door is hitting something.
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The Sensors Are Faulty
If both sensor lights aren’t lit up, it could be due to a wiring problem. It might be because a wire has come loose or even caused by a rodent chewing on the wire. On some garage door models, the sensor will flash orange to indicate a wiring issue. You can inspect the wires and see if you can find the wiring issue yourself. If the wiring is the issue, you might need to hire an electrician to fix the issue. Of course, if you have wiring skills, you should be able to complete the task yourself.
If you can’t see anything wrong with the wires, it could be that the sensors are at fault and need replacing.They are easily found online or at your local Home depot. The replacement sensors should cost less than a hundred bucks, but if you hire a professional to install them, then factor in the expenses for labor.