This is my complete guide to garage door not opening troubleshooting tips.
I listed 11 tips to resolve this commun issue of garage door opener failure.
My goal?
To bring you easy & DIY solutions to save you times&money.
So if you're curious about these solutions, you'll like my article.
Let's get started!
How To Get Unstuck With Your Garage Door (Not Opening)
1 - Manually Open the Door
First, you should try to manually open your garage door (yes, even if this seems obvious).
Doing so will help you to identify if there is a problem with the mechanics of the door. For example, if there is something stuck on the track, you won't be able to open the door manually.
2 - Visual Inspection
Then, you can do a visual inspection.
Thanks to this, you can easily identify potential problems. For example, if there is a dent in the door or a remote that is in obvious need of repair, you will be able to tell that there is an issue just by looking at it.
But how ?
- I advice you to visually inspect the garage door from the inside as well as the outside.
- Also, do not forget to inspect the remote.
- Another thing : during this inspection, make sure that nothing is blocking the sensor. If something is blocking the sensor, this will prevent the signal to open the door from reaching the door. And this could be the reason why the door does not open when you use the remote.
3 - Power Supply
Your garage door is still not opening ?
Ok,
Garage doors run on a power supply, just like any other piece of equipment that uses electricity.
- So what you can do next is to check the breaker box to make sure that a breaker has not been flipped. If one was, flip it back into position and try the garage door again.
- Another solution is to make sure that the garage door is plugged in. If the door opens manually, there is no visual damage and it doesn’t make a noise when the button on the remote is pushed, this is a likely culprit.
4 - Interior Lock
Most garage doors have a lock on the inside of the door.
You can lock it and it happens that the garage door is then unable to open.
- To fix this, simply walk inside the garage and see if the interior lock on the garage door is locked in place.
- If it is, unlock it and try the remote again.
5 - Remote
Sometimes, the problem is with the remote itself.
- Try using a spare remote to determine if the problem is the remote.
- If it is, there are a few reasons that the garage door remote might not work properly. Garage door remotes go through their own wear and tear. If the remote looks a little worn, has had a few things spilled on it, and the garage door opens perfectly fine with the spare, it might be time to order a new remote.
- If the remote looks as though it is in good condition, try replacing the batteries.
- Other option : some remotes give no indicator that the battery is going to die. A great way to test this is by looking at the LED light on the remote. If the light lights up as it normally does, the battery is fine. If it does not, the battery might need replaced. This is an easy, cheap fix.
- Lastly, check that the sensor is not blocked if this was not done during the visual inspection. When the button on the remote is pressed, it gives a signal to a sensor that is often found at the top of the garage door. This sensor picks up the signal, and then tells the garage door to open. If it is blocked by brush or a low tree limb, the garage door will not receive the signal that it needs to open.
6 - The Tracks
Every garage door is on tracks that run along the area that the garage door opens and closes. These tracks keep the garage door in place, but sometimes there are problems with the tracks.
- Carefully inspect the entire length of the tracks to determine if this is the problem. The garage door should be lined up perfectly on the tracks. Sometimes the door will come off the track, and it will not be able to open.
- Another common problem seen in older garage doors is that the tracks need lubricant. If the wheels are having a hard time moving up and down the tracks when manually opening the door, a special lubricant designed for garage doors is an easy solution. Be carefull though, you should only use specific lubricants on these tracks.
- It is important to note that if there is a problem with the tracks, the door will not open manually either. Instead, it will feel as though the door is stuck when a person tries to pull up on it.
7 - The Motor
The motor on a garage door is not built to last long.
So, looking at the motor can identify this problem.
- Unscrew the back of the motor and look for signs of damage or leaking.
- If any part of the motor is wet, something is leaking. This will usually mean that the motor will need to be replaced.
8 - Tracks Are Blocked
Sometimes, a small item can get stuck along the tracks.
To determine if this is why the garage door isn’t opening, inspect every inch of the tracks to see if something is stuck.
If there is a blockage, remove it.
The door will not open manually if this is the problem. It might not open at all, or it may only open halfway and not any further. How far the door opens often depends on where the tracks are blocked at.
9 - Damaged Door
A bent or damaged door can happen when someone backing into the garage door or children playing basketball in front of the garage.
Once the door is damaged, it will often affect how the door operates. Due to the damage, the door might not be able to move along the tracks as it did before.
- This frequently happens if the door is damaged along the edges, such as the sides or the bottom. A quick glance at the garage door can determine if this is the problem.
- If it is, the dent can be popped out or the door can be hammered back into place. More severe damage may require a full garage door replacement.
10 - Springs
Garage doors are connected to a large spring at the top. This spring, also referred to as a torsion spring, helps lower and raise the garage door.
While replacing one for a DIY project is not recommended, a person can easily get on the ladder to see the torsion spring for themselves before calling a garage door repairman.
If the garage door was open and came crashing down, it was most likely the torsion spring. This happened because the spring broke while it was holding up the door.
- Get a flashlight and take a close look at the spring to make sure that there are no visible signs of wear and tear, and that it is still attached to the garage door.
- The coils should be snug together when the door is closed.
- If everything looks as though it is in order, the problem is more than likely not the torsion spring.
Recommended read: Garage Door Opener Repair Guide
11 - Manual Release
Most modern garage doors have a manual release cord. This is a bright cord that hangs down at the front of the garage.
You might not even realize that you have a manual release cord until you find yourself in this situation, but it is important to know where to find it.
- Once you have found it, pull the cord and test the remote again. If the manual release cord gets pulled, it makes it only possible to open the garage manually. This is a great safety mechanism in case a garage door remote gets stolen. But sometimes it gets pulled on accident.
- If this is the problem, one more pull should get things back on track.
Now I Would Like To Hear From You...
I hope you enjoyed my garage door not opening troubleshooting tips.
Now it's your turn:
- Have you already live this situation when your garage door is locked ?
- What have you done ?
Let me know by leaving a comment below.
