For average Florida homeowners, the garage is the most frequent and convenient entrance and exit to the home. With multiple cycles performed every day and regular exposure to the elements, your garage door is bound to experience wear and tear that may prevent it from opening properly when prompted.
When your garage door won’t open, the source of the issue could be a variety of different sources, from minor garage door opener setting issues to major component failures that compromise the safety and functionality of your door.
Whether your garage door refuses to open entirely, starts to open then reverses, or won’t open manually, homeowners should know the most common reasons why a garage door won’t open properly and understand which issues can be easily addressed and which require professional attention.
Common Explanations for Why Your Garage Door Won’t Open Automatically
Garage doors rely on a system of moving parts to effectively and smoothly raise and lower the door when instructed. When your garage door won’t open properly, don’t panic. It’s best to first investigate simple malfunctions that can affect garage door performance.
Some common and minor reasons why your garage door may not be opening are:
Photo-Eye Sensor Malfunctions
Located at the base of your garage door is a pair of photo-eye sensors. This safety feature is responsible for reversing the direction of a closing garage door if it detects an item in the pathway of the door. Photo-eye sensors can easily become misaligned, interrupting the beam between the two units and indicating an “obstruction” in the door’s downward pathway. If your garage door won’t close, check that the sensors haven’t become misaligned or are dirty.
Improper Sensitivity Settings
Typically an issue for newly installed garage doors, improper sensitivity settings are a feature of the garage door opener, allowing the machine to know how much force is needed to lift and lower a door. If the settings are off or weren’t switched from factory settings, the opener will recognize the door as too lightweight to require lifting force or too heavy for the weight allowance of the opener. When this setting is off, the garage door won’t open.
Garage Door Opener Isn’t Receiving Power
A simple reason why your garage door won’t open automatically is that the power source to the opener has been disconnected. Check that the opener is still plugged into the outlet and that your garage is receiving power.
The Door is Manually Locked
When you’ve checked every other basic explanation, inspect your opener’s lock mode and the door’s manual lock if it has one. Sometimes newer garage door openers will manually lock if you hold the wall-mounted button down for several seconds. Once locked, a single press of the button won’t prompt the door to open. Also, check whether the manual lock installed on the garage wasn’t accidentally engaged.
Opener Keypad is Out of Sync
If your garage door opener works, but the wall-mounted keypad won’t trigger operation, then you might need to reset the opener code. Refer to your garage door opener owner’s manual for more information on resetting the code.
Worst-Case Scenarios: Reasons Why Your Garage Door Isn’t Opening
After troubleshooting the most common and basic causes for why a garage door won’t open, it’s best to investigate the condition of your garage door system and determine if a more severe issue is causing malfunctions.
When the problem’s source isn’t dead remote batteries, photo-eye sensor issues, or opener setting issues, check for the following:
Broken Torsion or Extension Springs
When you press the opener remote button and the motor is running, but the door won’t open, your spring system might be damaged. Broken torsion or extension springs are the most common garage door repair issues for Florida homeowners. Garage door springs are rated according to maximum garage door cycles. When that lifespan is up, the spring can snap unexpectedly. This system counterbalances the weight of the door, but with damaged springs, the door won’t be able to open. To determine if the spring is damaged, check for large gaps between the coils.
Snapped Cables
Along with the spring system, the cables help facilitate smooth and easy garage door opening and closing. Typically, once the springs are broken, the cables will also break. If the springs are damaged, the cables are the only part that prevents the heavy door from slamming to the ground. This can cause significant property damage and damage to the door itself.
Misaligned Garage Door Track
Tracks provide a clear pathway for the door to open and close. If the track becomes even slightly misaligned, it can slow and eventually prevent the door from opening. Damaged tracks typically make squeaking sounds as the rollers move along the area.
Stripped Opener Gear
As garage door openers age, the regular strain of opening and closing can cause the motor’s gears to strip. When a gear has stripped, homeowners can typically hear the motor whirring and trying to lift the door, but it won’t move. Sometimes the gears can be replaced. In other instances, the entire garage door opener needs replacement.
While it’s often tempting to visit your local hardware store to buy replacement parts and tools to repair damaged garage door components, these garage door issues that prevent the door from opening are severe and should only be repaired by a professionally trained garage door technician.
Trust The Doorman of Southeast Florida for Effective Garage Door Repairs
A garage door that won’t open can be inconvenient and hazardous. But with prompt, reliable, and helpful garage door repairs from The Doorman, you can get back to your business or your routine throughout southeastern Florida without hassle. We respond quickly to all garage door repair service calls with fully loaded trucks, ready to inspect and diagnose garage door issues and develop appropriate repair solutions.
Learn more about our garage door repair solutions today. Call us at 561.600.9606 to speak to a team member or complete our online form to schedule services.
