What to Check When Your Garage Door Won't Open or Close Properly

A garage door opener usually consists of the opener itself inside the garage, a mounted control on the wall of the garage and a remote garage door opener that you either carry on you or install in your car. If you are experiencing trouble with opening or closing your garage door, any of these parts might be at fault. There might also be something wrong with the door itself. If your garage door doesn't seem to open or close properly, there are a few things you can examine to determine what needs to be fixed for your garage door to function properly again.

Repair your remote control

If your remote garage door opener doesn't open your door, even though your mounted control is functioning normally, you need to examine the remote separately. The first step is to change the batteries in your remote. If it still doesn't work, you might need to reprogram it. How you should reprogram your remote might be different for different brands of garage door openers, but a common procedure is to press the button on the opener inside your garage. When the light is blinking on the opener, press the button on the remote. This will program the opener to recognise the remote as a new unit, which might override the previous malfunction.

Watch the springs

Another reason why your garage door isn't opening is the springs that control the lifting of your garage door. If you try opening your garage door by pressing the remote, and the garage door moves without opening, you should examine the springs on top on the inside of your garage door. If the springs are rusty, or if any of them seem to be loose, this might be the reason to why the door doesn't have the capacity to lift itself up. If you do find problems with your springs, you should contact a professional. The springs are hard-wired, and if they were to come loose at the wrong time while you're trying to replace them, you could injure yourself badly.

Examine the sensors

One issue with opening and closing that could compromise the safety of your garage door is if the sensors on the bottom of the door aren't working properly. You can tell if something is wrong with your sensors if the door isn't bouncing back when there's something in the way. You can test this by putting a wooden plank or another robust object under the door and then try to close. If it doesn't bounce back, then you should examine the sensors. Clean the sensors with a cloth to remove dirt or build-up that might affect their ability to sense if there are any objects underneath the door when it's closing.