Why A Garage Door Won’t Open

May 05, 2023

Have you ever encountered difficulties with your garage door and been left feeling frustrated? You are not alone; many homeowners experience issues with their doors failing to open, so understanding the cause of this can be paramount. In reality, there are a variety of reasons why your garage door may fail to operate properly, ranging from basic troubleshooting problems to more complicated ones.

Read more as we will go through the most common reasons why a garage door won’t open and what you can do to solve the issue.

Dead Batteries

The first thing you should check if your garage door won’t open is the batteries in your remote. Dead batteries are often the cause of a malfunctioning garage door. If your remote has a dead battery, it won’t be able to send a signal to your garage door opener, preventing it from opening or closing.

To check if your remote is the issue, try manually opening the garage door using the switch located on the wall beside the garage door opener. If it opens successfully, replace the batteries in your remote transmitter and try opening the door again.

Misaligned Sensors

When it comes to garage doors, they are outfitted with sensors on both sides of the entryway that guarantee that if an obstruction is in its way, the door won’t close. If one of these sensors is not properly aligned, your garage door will fail to open. Should you notice blinking LED lights on either sensor, this may imply misalignment and needs rectification right away! To resolve this issue, adjust each sensor until those LED lights have ceased their flashing state altogether. Now’s the time to get rid of any dirt or debris that might be hampering the sensors. When you’ve finished cleaning and realigning them, reset your garage door opener and test it out again.

Broken Springs

Garage doors have torsion springs that help with the lifting and lowering of the door. Over time, these springs can break or become worn out, leading to problems opening the door. If you hear a loud noise when attempting to open the garage door, this could be an indication that the torsion springs have broken. Learn more

Replacing garage door springs can be dangerous and should only be done by a professional. Trying to replace them on your own can result in serious injuries. Contact a reputable garage door repair company to fix the problem.

Damaged Tracks

The tracks of a garage door are essential for its successful opening and closing. If these rails become damaged, the door may get blocked and cease to function properly. To avoid such a situation, look for any visible signs of damage on the tracks, such as indentations or scratches that could impair their ability to operate correctly.

If you observe any damage to your tracks, it is advisable to contact a specialist for repair or replacement; trying to fix the problem yourself could cause additional harm and make matters worse.

Broken Cables

If you hear a loud noise when trying to lift your garage door, it could be an indication that the cables attached to the springs have snapped. These cables are essential for helping with the raising and lowering of doors smoothly.

Taking on the dangerous challenge of replacing garage door cables should be left to a professional. Attempting to do it oneself can lead to severe harm, so find a reliable repair company that specializes in these services and let them take care of the issue for you.

The Lock Is Engaged

If you have mistakenly engaged the manual locking feature with a key, your garage door may remain closed. To unlock it and open your garage door again, look for a handle placed in the center of the doorway that activates its lock function.

To free the lock, rotate the handle until it is facing upwards. Once it is disengaged, try opening your garage door again to see if this solution worked.

How A Professional Can Help If Your Garage Door Won’t Open

If your garage door is still malfunctioning, it is in your best interest to contact an expert. They will have the ability to evaluate the issue and provide a solution that ensures your door works correctly once again. To guarantee you receive quality service, be sure to use a reliable repair company with extensive experience fixing all types of doors and opening systems. A superior garage door service provider should quickly determine what is wrong with the system while giving you efficient solutions that can solve any problem.

Overcoming garage door malfunctions can feel intimidating, but with the help of a professional technician, you will have your entrance fixed up in no time. Before attempting any repairs yourself, make sure to do extensive research and locate a reliable business for proper repair services.

Conclusion

Having a garage door that won’t open is both irksome and common—an issue many homeowners have experienced. Typically, this problem arises from dead batteries, misaligned sensors, broken springs, damaged tracks, frayed cables, or even something as straightforward as forgetting to unlock the door.

If you can’t resolve the issue or diagnose its cause, it is advisable to contact a professional garage door repair company. Furthermore, regular maintenance of your system may help reduce the occurrence of future problems.