Garage Door Won’t Work, Things to Check

Garage doors can undoubtedly have issues and some are more common than others. If your garage door won’t work at all or will not work as it is supposed to, there are certain things to check before calling a garage door repair expert. We are talking about components and issues like photo eye blockage or alignment, door path blockage, manual lock, batteries and so on.

Blockages and Photo Eyes

If the problem with your garage door not working revolves around safety sensors, the issue might be easier to resolve than you think. Because the sensors are able to identify blockages and obstructions that are in the closing garage door’s path, it could be the case that there is just something in the way, like a toy, twig, branch, or something similar. You can make sure that nothing is in the way of the garage door. But if the path is clear and free of blockages, then there might be a malfunction with the safety sensor. This could be the result of improper positioning, meaning the sensors are not properly aligned. They are typically placed between 4 and 6 inches off the floor in accordance with standards for safety. In other cases, the sensor’s photo eye lens becomes damaged in some way. This could happen because of a bump or impact. For instance, a trash can might have hit them. Sometimes, a car can do this, too. It could also be that moisture caused damage. As you can see, there are a couple of different scenarios which can occur.

Batteries

Maybe the photo eye lens is not what the problem happens to be. Maybe the issue you are dealing with involves the remote control. In a garage door opening system, you typically have two batteries. Both batteries are needed to have a smooth-operating garage door. But keep in mind that your remote opener’s batteries will have a normal lifespan of approximately two years. So, if it’s just been a while, the batteries might need to be replaced. If your garage door opener is beeping, it could indicate a battery problem. You should be able to find manufacturer’s instructions to replace your battery, but let’s say you have a bad backup battery. Generally speaking, you will unplug your opener from the wall outlet. You will then need to unplug the battery from the garage door opener. Then, you are going to want to remove it from the mounted position. Set up the new battery in place of the old one and then plug it back into the opener. You will need to use the connector cable to do this. Of course, if you don’t feel comfortable doing this, call a garage door expert!

Manual Lock

In some cases, you might need to manually lock your garage door. Perhaps there is a power outage, so you don’t have the option of pressing a button and having your garage door close, but you don’t want to leave your garage exposed to potential criminals or even to bad weather that could negatively impact the items in your garage. To manually lock the door, you will pull down the red cord. You are going to pull it toward the garage door’s opening. You will then pull up on the door and you will be able to see it lock into place. If the problem is a little different, your garage door opener has a button you can hit and the track will make the spring go back into place which reconnects the door to the trolley. It all depends on what type of manual lock problem you are dealing with. Now, if you can’t open your garage door because of the manual lock, then keep in mind some basics: for instance, you are going to want to disconnect the garage door opener’s power cord before doing anything. You don’t want any power going to the opener. You might need to detach the garage door from your opener. Let’s say, for the sake of an example, that you have a screw drive opener. For this type of garage door opener, the shuttle release lever will be engaged in an ascending position. You are going to want to pull down on the emergency release cord to disengage it, and this is going to release the garage door from its opener system. You will then be able to lift the garage door using the handles.

Hopefully you now have a better idea of what to look for in terms of garage door problems prior to calling an expert. Simply moving blockages and debris from under your garage door can make it function as it is supposed to. Checking to make sure that your batteries are still working is sometimes a very basic fix for various issues. It is our hope that this guidance and advice are going to help you to think of possible fixes and allow you to avoid calling a professional, at least, if it is not entirely necessary for you to do so. If you don’t feel comfortable working on issues with your garage door, it is a great idea to call an expert for assistance. This person should be able to provide you with an inspection, consultation and price quote and they should be insured and licensed to do the job. If you are in our service area, feel free to call on us with any questions!