Check That The Sensors Are Aligned
Garage door sensors are either sending sensors or receiving sensors. The sending sensor has a yellow or orange LED light that should always be viable. The receiving sensor has a green or red LED light that will only be visible when functioning correctly.
Check that both the sending and receiving lights are on. If the receiving lights are off, adjust the sensors until the light appears. If the yellow and orange lights reappear and are solid, the sensors are aligned.
Try closing the garage door as usual. If it closes, the issue is misaligned sensors. If it does not close, continue onto the next step.
What To Do If Your Garage Door Won’t Close
Posted by Support GDN on April 15, 2021
If you are experiencing difficulty closing your garage door, it could be due to a variety of reasons, but theres often a simple solution for most of these issues.
It could be anything from the door not being properly aligned with the motor and track to a broken torsion spring or cable that needs replacing. There’s also the chance that you have an issue with one of your safety sensors like those used for automatic doors, and if so, it’ll need to be fixed before you can have any hope of shutting things down safely.
The garage door is one of the most important parts of a home, and it’s also among the most dangerous. When things go wrong, they can be detrimental to your safety. Garage doors are often heavy, and moving them requires a lot of force, which means that when something goes wrong with the mechanism or sensors, it can lead to serious injury. For this reason, it is best to get the issue fixed sooner than later to protect your family members and property.
In this article, we will look at some of the most common causes for why a garage door won’t close.
Troubleshooting Garage Door Sensors
If youve ever pulled out of your garage and discovered your door wont close, youve likely encountered problems with your garage door sensors. Although this isnt the only reason your garage door may not be operating correctly, its one of the most common.
Luckily, there are some easy ways to troubleshoot your garage door sensors without immediately having to call a service.
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How Do I Know If My Garage Door Sensor Is Out Of Alignment
Home | Blog Posts | How Do I Know if My Garage Door Sensor Is Out of Alignment?
Garage doors keep our lives on track as we open and close the entrance to our garage. With the click of a button or a quick combination on a keypad, the door raises or lowers, helping protect our possessions. When the garage door breaks down or will not open or close properly, it affects our daily lives.
A common problem with a garage door is when the sensor moves out of alignment. How can you be sure your garage door sensor is the culprit of a broken door? RCS Garage Doors is here to help you understand garage door sensors and how to test their functionality. From there, you can potentially fix the problem yourself or call the professionals to handle the repair.
Reasons Why A Garage Door Wont Close
When the garage door does not close, there could be faulty parts.
The most common garage door issues are:
- A cable came off the pulley
- The garage door is off the tracks
- Bent or misaligned tracks
- Faulty garage door rollers
Faulty safety eyes are also a common issue. Once again, the light will blink ten times to signal a problem with obstructed or misaligned safety eyes. To troubleshoot the safety eyes, follow the steps below.
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Contact Rcs Garage Doors Today
If you experience persistent problems with your garage door sensors, call the team of experts at RCS Garage Doors for residential and commercial garage door services. We put our clients first to make sure you are 100% satisfied with our services. With more than 20 years of experience, we are your local garage door professional serving the Charlotte, NC area. We have extensive training and the latest tools to service your misaligned or damaged garage door sensors.
To learn more about our services or schedule an appointment, contact us today!
How Do Garage Door Sensors Work
When your opener receives a signal to close the garage door, it checks for a clear infrared signal from the sensors. If it receives a clear signal, the door closes normally. If it doesnt receive that signal, then youll see flashing lights and the door will not close.
When the connection is free from obstruction, then your door should operate normally. If there is something in the way, a person, a basketball or another object those sensors wont be able to interact.
Here are some signs that something may be wrong with your sensors:
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Garage Door Limit Settings Need Adjusting
You may need to adjust the garage door’s limit settings if the garage door won’t close. Garage doors have a limit setting that determines how far the door should move before it is completely closed. The manufacturer usually sets this, but you can adjust it to your needs. The limit setting should be adjusted when installing a new opener or if something has changed in your home’s layout.
If the limit settings on your opener aren’t programmed correctly, when you attempt to close your garage door, it will automatically go up again. Adjusting the limit is pretty easy, but we suggest you consult the user manual specific to your garage door opener brand before attempting the task.
You’ll need to use a ladder to locate the limit switch on your garage door opener. You can adjust the limits by turning the screw clockwise or counterclockwise to increase or decrease, respectively. You are best to make very slight adjustments rather than letting the garage door slam up and down. Test your adjustments by opening and closing the door until it is working properly.
Issues With The Garage Door Openers Remote
It could be when your garage door doesnt close that the remote opener could be the cause. If your garage door won’t close, one of the most common reasons is that the batteries in the remote have died and need to be replaced. To test if it is an issue with the remote, open and close the garage door using the wall switch. Most big brand remotes, such as Chamberlain and LiftMaster, use a CR2032 3V battery similar to those you would use in a watch.
But if your remote still isn’t responding after replacing the battery, you may want to check for interference from other devices as it could also be an issue with the signal being blocked or jammed. If the garage door won’t close or open when you use the remote, it could be that tree growth or other obstacles are blocking the signal. Try using the remote from a different angle and trim back any foliage or tree branches that you think might cause the signal to be obstructed.
Could it be that you are out of range? It’s always worth crossing it off your troubleshooting list. Another possibility is that the antenna is damaged or out of place make sure that it is hanging down from the motor.The final option if none of these work is to reprogram the garage door opener remote.
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How Do I Reset My Marantec Garage Door
If your Marantec garage door is still malfunctioning despite taking the measures above, resetting it could be the ultimate solution. If you suspect a security breach, resetting your garage door is also an ideal go-to.
Consider resetting to clear your garage door openers memory, then fill it with new information. This entails resetting all the openers components, including the remote control, wall console, travel limits and force-adjustment settings.
Here are the steps to follow to reset your Marantec garage door effectively:
How Do I Program My Intellicode Or Security Plus Transmitter
The code changes every single time you press the button. It is a rolling code transmitter and there are 4.5 billion combinations, so it is never on the same frequency twice! If youve lost a transmitter you can delete out all of the transmitters programmed into you garage door opener by holdingdown on the learn button, or smart button until the light stops blinking. The learn, or smart button is behind the light lens or on the back of the motor head and is close to the floppy antenna wire. Some models require you to unscrew 2 bolts on the light lens to be able to remove the lens and access the learn button. On the newer model Genie Openers there are a set of buttons located at the bottom, outside cover of the motor head:1 square and 2 triangle buttons . The smart button for Chamberlain openers is usually on the terminal board.
To reprogram each transmitter, push the learn button momentarily and the red or amber light will start blinking. It will blink for up to 30 seconds. In that time press one of your transmitters 3 or 4 times until the garage door starts moving. For Chamberlain/Liftmaster/Craftsman openers the learn button is colored. After momentarily pressing this button, press the remote and hold for 5 seconds. Keep the transmitter at least 3 feet away from the antenna.Perform the same process with each transmitter.
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Make Sure The Sensors Are Unblocked
Well start off with the simplest solution. The sensors need to be unblocked. You will not be able to close your garage door if the sensors are blocked. The safety sensors use infrared beams that are invisible to humans.
A beam that is obstructed will prevent the doors from closing. The presence of an object in the way of a sensor does not necessarily mean it is blocked. For example, if the sensors are very dusty and dirty, they could prevent the doors from closing.
The following steps will help you unblock your sensors and fix this problem.
- Make sure there are no obstructions in front of the sensors
- Make sure the sensors are clean by wiping them with a rag.
- Make sure they are free of dust and dirt.
- To test the garage door opener, press the button. Continue to the next section if it still doesnt close.
Garage Door Torsion Springs Are Broken
A torsion spring, also called a tension spring in some cases, is a type of spring that has many applications and is most commonly used as the part of a garage door opener. It consists of a helical coil that gets twisted to store energy which is then released when you open or close your garage door.
Torsion Springs are one of the most common parts of residential garage doors that need to be replaced and the main reason why many householders call out a garage door repair company.
They will gradually lose their tension over time which is why most people replace them around every 10-15 years. The torsion springs on your garage door have a maximum number of open and close cycles. The standard is 10,000 cycles, with each cycle corresponding to the garage door being opened and closed one time. Limiting the times that the door closes and opens will increase longevity and keep them regularly maintained and rust-free.
However, there can be other factors that lead to a broken spring, such as being overloaded with too much weight, for example.
Signs that your torsion springs need replacing include a sagging or uneven garage door, loud noises when opening and closing, difficulty in raising or lowering the door, or if you notice that your garage door takes longer to open or close than usual.
While the actual process is relatively straightforward for replacing the torsion spring for your door to get it working properly, it can also be hazardous.
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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.
Garage Door Keeps Going Back Up
We’ve all been there, your garage door starts to close then goes back up. Ugh! Your garage door keep going up because something is being transmitted correctly. However, figuring out what that issue is, can be very annoying. Hopefully, we can guide you in the right direction to figure out why garage door starts to close then goes back up. There are a few reasons why this happens.
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My Garage Door Will Not Go Down Using My Transmitters I Can Only Get The Door Down By Holding Down On The Wall Button
When the infra-red sensors are malfunctioning, usually one of the sensor lights will be blinking. The problem is either due to a blocked path between the sensors, dirty eyes, loose wires at the sensors or at the motor head, or just bad sensors. The transmitters will not work to close the garage door. You will find that the door will only move an inch or so in the close direction and reverse. When this happens your garage door will only close by holding down on the wall button, or wall console, until the door fully closes. This method is the only way to override the safety and close the door.
To try and correct the problem, make sure the eyes on the sensors are clean, the wire connections are securely fastened at the sensors and motor head, and the eyes are directed at each other. Also, try unplugging the garage door opener and re-plugging the unit back into the outlet. This acts as a reset and may reset the sensors. If nothing works, it may be that you have to replace the sensors. You can find new sensors on our Web site in the category section or by going directly to Infra-Red Sensors.
How Do I Close The Garage Door Manually
If you cant get your garage door to close with the opener you still have a few options. Make sure nothing is in the path of the opener or stuck in the track. Then press and hold the wall button until the door closes completely then release the button. Holding the wall button down overrides the safety reverse system.
Note: Pressing and holding the remote transmitter or keypad wont work only the wall control button.
A second object includes disconnecting the garage door opener trolley from the door. Pull the red release cord until the trolley disengages. Then you can manually close the door by hand by pulling it down. This method was originally designed for door operation during power outages, but can also be used for stubborn openers that wont close the door.
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How Do You Change The Code On A Marantec Garage Door Opener
Among the convenient features accompanying Marantec garage door openers is the wireless keypad that reinforces your garages security through a PIN code. The wireless keypad is a suitable alternative to remote controls, which you can easily misplace.
Even better is that you can easily change the PIN code if you suspect that your garages safety is compromised. Here are the steps to efficiently change the code on your garage door openers keypad:
More importantly, confirm whether the LED light has stopped blinking once you enter the new PIN code to indicate successful reprogramming.
Misaligned Or Damaged Garage Door Track
Garage door tracks are a vital component of the garage door. These tracks are installed on the side of your garage and have one or two rollers that allow for smooth opening and closing of the garage door. If you notice that your garage is not closing correctly, it may be due to a misaligned or damaged track.
The tracks of a garage door can become misaligned over time, which is why it’s essential to check the tracks periodically. Garage door tracks can be misaligned for several reasons, including wear and tear on the track itself or if something has fallen onto it.
The first thing you should do is to make sure that nothing is obstructing the track. Clean any dirt and debris from between the garage door and the track and lubricate them with light oil or petroleum jelly. Check and replace damaged parts of the track, including screws, bolts, and brackets.
Signs that your garage door tracks are misaligned include difficulty opening or closing the door, uneven gaps between the floor and wall when closed, and excessive noise when operating.
If the garage door can still move, you should be able to fix the issue yourself. Begin by loosening the screws that affix the track to the frame. Using a rubber mallet, gently tap the track to its correct position. Use a level to make sure that the tracks are aligned. Tighten all screws and bolts that hold the track in place.
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