The most generic description of a garage door problem that I get from customers is “My garage door is not working”. Unfortunately it tells me nothing as to the reason that might be causing the failure. The second most generic description I get is ” My garage door won’t open ”.
The heading of this page is very general and is symptomatic of many issues, So, before reading on, consider a description that is more precise such as –
My motor tries to lift the door but stops less than a foot off the ground.
Or.
It goes up halfway then stops.
Or.
My door won’t come down.
Or.
My door comes down but goes up again.
The difference in the accuracy of your description can be the difference between a door that just needs a service or a serious mechanical issue. So take the time to observe your problem and be accurate about the description.
When your garage door won’t open there are several potential reasons that you need to consider. When it comes to finding the reason why your garage door has stopped working we start the process by eliminating what it isn’t rather than jumping to conclusions as to what it is. After all, you don’t want to spend $700 replacing your motor only to find out that you door still won’t open. Right?!
The quick list of things to look for.
- Confirm that it’s not a problem with your remote handset specifically.
- Test another handset.
- Test the wall button.
- Confirm that you have power to the motor.
- Switch it off for 15 seconds then turn it on again.
- Test the powerpoint with another device.
- Confirm that your motor is in drive mode.
- Confirm that it’s not a wireless interference issue. (if you can)
- Confirm that your manual locks are disengaged.
- Look for obstructions.
- Inspect all mechanical parts of your door.
- Inspect your torsion springs.
- Inspect your cables (sectional door)
Let’s start by focusing on the motor to see if it’s the cause of the problem.
The initial series of questions I would ask the customer goes something like this-
When you pressed the remote handset, did the motor respond in any way at all?
Such as, did you hear the motor making the usual sound or the light came on?
Did the motor try to lift the door but stalled?
Have you tried using your other remote handset?
Do you have a wired in wall button and have you tried that?
How my questions evolve from there will depend on the answers I get to those questions.
As I mentioned above, we are first trying to eliminate what the problem isn’t so we can narrow down our choices to what the potential problem is most likely to be.
So, with our focus still on the motor as the possible cause for why the garage door won’t open, let’s unpack some information we might learn from the questions above.
If you can hear the motor running but the door is not moving.
Confirm that your motor is engaged to the door. How this is done differs from type and brand of motor so I will have to assume that you know how to disengage and re engage your own motor. If that solves your problem then, Yay. If you are sure that your motor is engaged but it isn’t running the door then you may have a broken gear in your motor. The best solution is to order a new garage door opener because this is usually a sign of age or a stressed motor.
If you press the button on the remote handset and get no sound, no movement of the motor or the light doesn’t come on then (If you have a wired-in wall button) test to see if the door operates using that button. Wired in wall buttons bypass the wireless system, that the remote handsets use, and can tell you if it is a wireless issue or if you need to look for another cause. If you don’t have a wall-mounted wired in button then the next thing you should do is see if a second remote handset works with your door.
If the second handset runs the door then it looks like the problem is with the first remote handset. Try replacing the battery in the handset and see if the handset starts working again. (After changing the battery you may need to pair the remote handset to the motor. Refer to your motors owner manual for instructions on how to do this.) If the first handset still doesn’t work then you probably need a new handset.
If your second handset doesn’t work (same as the first) then there are a few potential problems to consider. First try turning off the motor at the powerpoint for at least 15 seconds then turn it on again. If you hear the motor click or the light on the motor flashes then you know you have power. Test your handsets again. If you hear no click or no light when you turn the powerpoint back on then you need to test your power point with another device to confirm you have power to that powerpoint.
Once you have confirmed that you do have power to the motor then you can move on to the next consideration. If neither of your handsets will operate the motor then you may have either a faulty motor, faulty receiver or interference from a device that is emitting a radio signal that is blocking your motor from receiving a signal from your remote handsets.
The most likely source of interference is from a faulty front door chime that uses wireless technology.
Some wireless door chimes, that are located at the front door of your house, are of poor design allowing the button to become stuck under their own housing when pressed. This causes it to send a low powered but constant radio signal into the surrounding area. As much as 50 meters in all directions. Unfortunately if your garage door motor falls within this range your motor can be tied up listening to this signal which makes it unable to detect the signal from your remote handsets.
You may need to take a walk to neighbouring houses to inspect their front door chimes for the source of the interference. It could be a good chance to ask them if they are having problems with their garage door openers as well. If they are having problems as well then it would help confirm interference as a potential cause. However, the lack of your neighbours having an interference problem does not eliminate interference as the cause of the problem on your door opener.
So let’s say you find a door chime with its button stuck in. Try manipulating the button to get it free. Then test your remote handset to see if the problem is resolved. If yes then , Yay. If you can’t find a door chime with the button stuck in then you are in the unfortunate position of not being able to prove or disprove that wireless interference is the cause of the problem.
Wireless issues can be a headache unless you have testing equipment to detect them. And in the absence of proof either way you are left being no closer to knowing if that is the problem or not. You could have a wireless issue or a faulty receiver on your garage door motor or a faulty motor or another issue altogether. So let’s move onto other reasons why your garage door might not be opening.
Check your manual locks
Inspect your door to confirm that the manual lock is not engaged.
Overhead sectional doors sometimes have spring loaded latched on each side of the door that can get caught up on the catches that are mounted to the vertical tracks that run parallel to the door.
On roller doors there are two locking bars that run from the center lock to the outer edge of the door where the tracks (curtain guides) are Mounted to the wall. Check to see if the locking bars are protruding through the tracks. If yes, then retract them using the handle on the back of the lock.
Take your time and look closely at all the mechanical parts of your door for anything that might be causing the door to be stuck in the down position.
Next step for sectional doors.
If you have an overhead sectional door then look for the torsion springs that are wrapped around the torsion bar that is usually located about a foot above the top of the door against the front wall. The torsion bar extends the full width of your door and then some. On the torsion bar you will usually find two springs. Each about a meter in length for a two car garage door.
The springs are tensioned by the installer when your door was installed and they counteract the weight of the door so the door is in balance and is easy to lift. Look at your springs to see if one or both of them are broken, as indicated by a 50mm or 2in gap somewhere along the length of each of your coils. If you see a break then you will need to have your springs replaced. Follow this link to the torsion spring page for more instructions on how to get this done.
If the springs look ok then follow the torsion shaft to each side of your door to inspect your cables. The cables are attached to the torsion shaft at the top and the other end of your cables are attached to the bottom of your door on each side. If one of your cables is broken then you will not be able to open your garage door and you will need to order cable replacement.
Next step for roller doors.
The torsion springs that, counteract the weight of a roller door curtain, are located inside the top of the door. This makes it very hard to see if your torsion springs are broken or not. Even for a garage door repairman. One way to test this is to try and lift your door by hand. First you need to disengage your motor / put it in manual mode. Much the same as you would if the power were out. Then go to the middle of the door and try to lift it. If your door is almost impossible to lift then you probably have broken springs and you will need to replace your door.
If you can lift your door with relative ease then it’s not likely that you have broken springs. Yay.
So at this point you should now have an idea as to the cause of why your garage door won’t open.
Feel free to leave your comments or questions below as your experience can be helpful to other readers.
If you need to book a home visit to carry out repairs then call The Garage Door Repairman.