Knowing what is wrong with your commercial or residential garage door can help you determine when it’s time to call in our experts. A common problem that appears time and time again is garage doors not being able to open.
We’ve created a list of reasons why your garage door won’t open to help troubleshoot any issues that may arise.
1.Your Garage Door Transmitter Batteries Are Dead
If the batteries in your garage door transmitter are dead, it is unable to send a signal to the receiver to open. Our advice is to first check the receiver on the wall in your garage to open the door. If it opens, then the transmitter most likely needs a battery replacement. If this is the case, your other transmitters may need a replacement as well, considering they were installed at the same time.
2.Garage Door Sensors Are Misaligned
Garage doors that have been installed after 1993 have sensors on both sides of the entrance. These two sensors transmit an invisible beam between the two to determine if there are any obstructions in the garage door’s path. This is to ensure it closes safely. If you notice nothing is blocking the two sensors, it is likely that they have become misaligned.
3.Garage Track Is Not Aligned Correctly
Having a garage door track that is misaligned can be a serious issue. In order for your door to move, and safely, the metal track that the door slides on needs to be aligned. If you notice there are gaps between the rail and rollers, or perhaps the rails have bends in them, you have a problem.
4.Garage Door Springs Are Broken
This is an easy one to diagnose, should it happen while you are around. When a spring breaks it is accompanied by a loud bang, similar to a gunshot sound. Despite what people may think, it is not the garage door opener that operates the heavy lifting, it is all in the work of the heavy-duty springs. If either spring is damaged, the garage door will struggle to lift open.
5.Garage Door Limit Isn’t Set Properly
You may notice when you close your garage door that it closes completely, however immediately opens back up. The culprit behind this nonsense is often the open and close limit settings. This limit lets the garage door opener know how far the door should move before it’s closed completely. Settings too high result in the door hitting the ground before the opener thinks it should. This means that when the door hits the ground, the opener actually thinks the door is hitting something in the way and opens back up immediately to prevent crushing the obstruction.