Is your garage door not closing at all – in other words, it is stuck in its opening position? Or, does it close and then comes back again? Or, does it come down but won’t close all the way?
As you can see, there are quite a few variations to the same problem. And no such problem is good news. If a garage door stays open – even if it leaves a small gap from the ground, security is at stake. Small animals – not always the cute ones, may come in – let alone the dirt and dust.
And while you are dealing with all these questions and the garage door problem, there’s one more thing to consider. Should you call a garage door repair technician? Or, should you spend your day trying to fix the problem yourself? There’s no easy answer to that either. Why? Because in the case of the former, you may end up paying the garage door service cost for a problem that may turn out easy to solve. Then again, this may not be an easy fix. Or, a safe one. And you will be found in a tough spot. What should you do?
Let us tell you the main reasons why garage doors (usually) won’t close and once you figure out what happened with yours, you will decide whether or not to call a tech. How does that sound?
Is something blocking the garage door?
Check if something is blocking the garage door and doesn’t let it descend. Although the photo eyes are set to do that job, something may be found higher than they can see. The usual culprits, in situations such as these, are the garage door tracks. Over-accumulated debris and flying objects landing on tracks may block the garage door movement. If this is your case, it’s something you can fix.
Are the photo eyes in place?
Take a closer look at the photo eyes. Garage doors often don’t come down or won’t close all the way when the photo eyes are broken, disconnected, or misaligned. If you know a thing or two about garage door repairs, you may know how to fix the situation. If you have no idea of how to align the safety sensors, or are broken and must be replaced, it’s best if you call a tech.
Is there power in the garage?
Garage door opener problems are usual culprits too. Start by checking the power in the garage. If there is, disconnect the opener and see if the garage door moves manually. If it does, there’s something wrong with the opener. In this case, it’s best to call in a pro.
Is the garage door clicker working?
To exclude the clicker from the culprit list, check its battery first. Replace it, if you must, and see if the garage door works. Also, leave the garage door clicker on the side and push the wall button. If the garage door comes down when you push the wall button, there’s a clicker problem. If not, you will need an automatic garage door troubleshooting expert, fast.
Are the travel limits properly set?
The travel limits must be set to allow the garage door to stop when it reaches a certain opening and closing point. If your garage door comes down but not all the way, you may need to readjust the down travel limits, from the opener box.
