Misaligned Bent Obstructed Tracks
The tracks or guide rails should be level, even and plumb to ensure smooth operation. Tracks that are improperly installed or have been hit by a vehicle can cause problems with door operation.
Tracks should be set wide enough that the rollers move freely, but not too wide that the rollers have the potential to fall out. Tracks can also be angled outward or outbalanced causing the door inch up and down during operation.
Tracks can also become obstructed causing the rollers to grind and catch during travel. The horizontal and vertical track pieces form a joint near the top of your door opening. If track is bent or obstructed this joint gets too far out of alignment causing the door to catch as it travels through the curved radius.
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.
How Do Garage Door Sensors Work
Sensors are a great component in garage door openers. They are so pivotal that some garage door openers wonât work without them. But how do garage door sensors work?
Garage door sensors work by emitting an invisible beam of infrared light across the entrance of your garage. This light automatically triggers the door to stop and reverse when interrupted.
Ever wondered how your garage door has never shut down on your feet? Well, thatâs the work of the garage door sensor. They force the door to stop and automatically reverse when an object is directly beneath the door
Garage door sensors are a great safety feature. Sensors detect obstructions in the path of the door and trigger it to stop and reverse. This prevents the door from shutting down on you, your pets, and any other objects.
The sensors are placed about 4 to 6 inches above the ground, therefore, ensuring that even the smallest obstruction is detected.
Also Check: Garage Door Repair In Tampa
Still Wont Work Use The Self
This should probably be your first course of action when your sensors or garage door opener malfunctions.
Some garage door openers have a very helpful self-diagnostic feature that highlights the problem once it occurs. These garage door openers automatically run a scan and show you the exact problem.
LiftMaster garage door openers with Security Plus 2.0 have such a feature and will always tell you in case a problem arises. Chamberlain and Genie garage door openers have a similar feature as well.
Other models have different telling signs such as flashing the learn button inside the opener when thereâs something wrong. Some garage door openers even have a sensor status LED to show you whether the sensors are working perfectly.
Always check on the self-diagnostic feature when you notice a problem and before you embark on a reset or sensor bypassing.
There Is An Error In The Limit Settings
If your garage door wont close all the way, or it reverses after it touches the ground, your opener may have an error in its limit settings. The limit setting is the calibrated distance that tells the garage door opener how far it needs to send the garage door to reach the ground. This setting can drift over time and require recalibration.
If the setting is too high, the opener will mistake it as an obstruction, which will trigger the automatic reversal safety feature. If the setting is too low, the garage door might stop before it reaches the ground, leaving a gap between the door and the floor. This error can be tricky to fix, so call a professional to recalibrate your openers limit settings if this seems to be your problem.
Also Check: Cost Of Garage Door Opener Installed
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.
How To Bypass Your Garage Door Sensors Permanently
Are your sensors regularly malfunctioning? Tired of frequently having to fix them? You can permanently bypass garage door sensors.
This method involves tricking the sensor that they are aligned. All you need is a cutter and tape as youâll be doing some electrical work on the sensors.
The method only works if the sensor malfunction is a result of misalignment. So if you regularly knock off your sensors and often have to align them back, this is the method for you!
It involves tricking the sensors that they are aligned and that thereâs no obstruction on the door path. Youâll therefore need perfectly functional sensors for this method.
Step 1: Close the garage door and disconnect the garage door opener from the main power supply.
Step 2: Using a cutter, cut the wires of the door sensor, giving an allowance of about 7 inches attached to the sensors. Using the tape, seal the wires attached to the house.
Step 3: Mount the sensors together facing each other and aligned. You will then proceed to rewire the sensors to the overhead unit.
The garage door opener should have 4 holes for wire connection. The holes are colored differently starting with red, white, white, and finally black. You will use the black hole and the white hole adjacent to the black hole.
Your sensors also have two wires each â white and black. Wire together the white wires into the white hole and the black wires into the black hole in the motor unit. Your sensors are now rewired into the motor unit.
Recommended Reading: Metal Garage With Living Quarters
The Disconnect Switch Was Enabled
If you can hear your garage door motor running for what seems like the full amount of time it normally would take to open or close the door, but the door doesnt move, chances are the disconnect switch has been enabled. Every garage door opener comes with a disconnect switch in case you lose power. This allows you to open or close the door manually so your car isnt stuck in the garage until the power comes back on.
This switch is usually attached to a rope that can be pulled or a knob that can be turned to disconnect. Sometimes, this switch can accidentally come unhooked causing the door to be disconnected from the motor.
However, if you lose power and use the disconnect switch, youll need to reattach it to use your garage door motor to open and close your door again. Open the door all the way and then reattach this hook. Then try opening or closing the door again with your transmitter, and you should be all set. It will be easiest to reattach this hook when your car is not in the garage, as youll need to place a step ladder underneath the motor to reach it.
What To Do If Liftmaster Is Not Responding To Remote Or Wall
If your LiftMaster garage door is not opening or closing when you use the remote control or the wall-mounted control, then the problem is power.
Follow the simple steps below to check the power supply of your LiftMaster:
Also Check: Garage Door Noise Reduction Kit
Use The Manual Release Cord
For our last DIY fix – use the manual release cord. Its located on the garage door opener and it should release the garage door opener from the doors so that you can lower the garage door by yourself manually. Your door should have a handle on the bottom section of the door. This will help you lower the door once released from the opener.
The Roller Tracks Are Misaligned
Does your door slow down as it opens or closes when it passes a specific spot? Can you hear a squeaking, grinding or grating sound during operation? Your roller tracks might be out of line.
Your garage door has little wheels on both sides that allow it to move up and down through the roller tracks. The roller tracks need to be straight and aligned for proper functioning. If one of your roller tracks suffers even minor damage, it could throw your garage door out of alignment, which can slow it down or threaten to stop it in its tracks altogether.
Use a long level to see if any section of the track has gotten bent or misaligned. If you detect that the two sides of the tracks are not plumb, youll need to call a professional to repair them. Left unaddressed, this issue can get worse over time, leading to more costly repairs. Having straight roller tracks will keep your garage door opening and closing with ease for years to come.
Read Also: Garage Door Openers At Walmart
Garage Door Maintenance Tips
The door itself cost a lot. The repairing cost is also higher. But you can give your garage door a trouble-free long life if you just regularly maintain it.
Here are some effective maintenance tips for your garage door:
Every time you use the garage, you should observe it while in action. Observe whether it is smooth or jerky. Notice whether its making any grinding noises or operating silently.
Observing such issues regularly is the best preventive measure you can take to give it a longer life.
- Lubricate Moving Parts
Just to keep the garage door moving smoothly and silently, a small amount of lubrication goes a long way! Every now and then you should lubricate the chain of the garage door openers, rollers, and tracks.
- Tighten Up The Loosen Hardware
The door goes up and down more than 1000 times each year, several times a day. Due to these huge movements and vibrations, some parts or hardware may loosen up. If unchecked, this may lead to more serious problems.
So, its a good idea to inspect that hardware and tighten them up if found loose.
- Check the Auto Reverse Feature
Its a safety mechanism designed to protect children and pets. You should check this feature at least once a year to see whether its working properly or not.
Test it by placing a brick or piece of wood directly underneath the door and try to close it. It should reverse immediately detecting such objects.
- Inspect Door Balance
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my garage door keep going up and down?
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.
Recommended Reading: Why Won’t My Garage Door Close
The Garage Door Limit Settings Isnt Set Properly
Sometimes, youll notice that your garage door closes all the way and then immediately goes back up instead of staying in the closed position. This issue usually arises with brand new garage doors that were just installed or older models that may need to be reset. If this happens, the most likely culprit is the open and close limit settings of your garage door opener.
This limit range tells the garage door opener how far the door should move before its fully closed. If your settings are too high, the door will hit the ground before the opener thinks it should and assume the door is hitting something in its path. It will then automatically reverse to prevent crushing whatever is beneath it.
There are knobs or dials located somewhere on your garage door motor that you can use to adjust the limit settings. The exact location and resetting procedures will vary depending on the brand and model of garage door you have. Your owners manual should have more specific information on how to adjust your limits. You may need to experiment with a few adjustments before finally getting the correct setting. If you find that adjusting the limit settings isnt working, it might be time to call a technician to come and help get your garage door to stay closed.
Liftmaster Garage Door Opener Wont Close Door
Ive been a huge fan of LiftMaster Garage Door Openers for years. I like them so much because they work very well and last a long time. So this winter when I started having trouble with my door opener I was a bit puzzled and frustrated. However, as youll learn below the solution to this problem was extremely easy to fix and something you should know for the future.
The Problem: The door would always open fine but then would have trouble closing. Sometimes it would close part way before stopping and reversing and other times it wouldnt open at all. Another clue to the mystery was if you held the wall switch the door would completely close. However, the remote would not be able to close the door even if you held the button.
The Solution: Adjusting the Protector System® sensors fixed my problem and the door now operates correctly.
Also Check: Craftsman 12 Hp Garage Door Opener
The Tension Springs Or Cables Are Broken
Garage doors have tension springs and cables that help to slowly and safely lower your door while closing. If these tension springs or cables break, you might find that your garage door closes really fast, often with a loud bang when it hits the ground. This is very dangerous as there is nothing preventing the garage door from crushing something that might be below it. Its best to call a garage door professional as soon as you can to have them come out and repair these cables or springs.
Once the springs break, quite a bit of tension is put on the door cables, and they will often break next. When these cables break, they will snap and forcibly fly out like a broken rubber band. Think about how much it hurts to be snapped by a broken rubber band, and then multiply it by a hundred to account for the size and weight of the garage door cables.
Refrain from parking your car in the garage until the garage door is repaired. Additionally, try not to open and close the door while its in this condition. With that amount of possible force coming from the springs or cables, they could potentially damage your vehicle or other property in the garage as well as cause serious injury. Its especially important that you and your family stay away from these cables or springs until everything is repaired.
What To Do When Your Garage Door Won’t Close
Uh-oh! Your garage door is stuck. Whats next? What do you do when your garage door wont close? Do you call a professional maintenance worker right away, or do you do some tinkering on your own? On one hand, you could end up paying a lot of money to fix a relatively simple problem, on the other you could worsen the situation.
Here are our recommendations for what to do when your garage door wont close:
Also Check: Volvo Xc90 Garage Door Opener