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Top Reasons Why Your Garage Door Won’t Open

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.


Archives

Contact The Doorman

    Tami Fiorito
    Tami Fiorito
    11:51 19 May 22
    The best! They came out and repaired my garage door within 3 hours of calling them, with parts and labor I was charged... $55! Same day service and totally reasonable fee! When does that ever happen? For once, the unforeseen stumbling blocks that life throws in ones path that usually turns into disaster, stress and a huge financial hit; thanks to The Doorman, turned into an insignificant bump in the road.read more
    Sil Bee
    Sil Bee
    21:19 14 May 22
    I needed a new garage door opener. I called them and Andre was sent out. Super nice and friendly guy. He explained... everything and was thorough. I would hire this company again!read more
    Jeff Templer
    Jeff Templer
    17:08 13 May 22
    Had a broken spring in my large garage door. Called these guys, who quoted me $400 to $500. When the technician... showed up he said it would be $1300. I sent him away, and called the well known guys from Pompano who fixed it (replaced both springs) for $550.read more
    Candace Young
    Candace Young
    23:00 19 Apr 22
    Today we had a issue with the garage door and we were told to call this place....they happen to have a cancellation and... was able to show up...the fact that they did within the hour was great...we had a terrific man miquel who explained to us that the system we had was old which we knew and how the new units are easier to use and repair.we were thrilled with the installation and very happy with the new system...read more
    Linda Nardone
    Linda Nardone
    21:19 25 Jan 22
    This company is great. My spring broke trapping our cars inside at 1pm. Called the office and a service man was here by... 3pm and replaced the springs and got us back up and running. Joanne in the office is a doll and Julio the tech was friendly, knowledgeable and fast with the repair. Highly recommend for any garage door needs.read more
    Sarah Attaway
    Sarah Attaway
    15:31 08 Dec 19
    The absolute best. They came out on a Saturday and were able to fix my garage door in less time than it took for me to... tell my neighbor what was wrong with it when she saw them working on it. Fixed the problem, programmed a new remote, and fixed the outside keypad all for less than the other companies wanted just to show up to and give an estimate. I can't say enough good things about these guys. They are reliable, more than fair priced, and warranty their work for a year. 100000% would refer them to all of my clients, neighbors, and friends. Thank you to Julio and Eric!!read more
    Jenna Grange
    Jenna Grange
    14:23 30 Oct 19
    My garage door spring snapped this morning and I called the Doorman and spoke with Jim the owner who was very nice and... able to send someone out within 30 minutes of me calling. Eric came out gave me a quick estimate, had what he needed on the truck and had my springs replaced and door back up and running within about 30 minutes. He also made a few minor tweaks to my door to ensure it’s running great. Amazing company with fair and honest pricing. I highly recommend them and would definitely use them again. Thanks Eric!read more
    Vitali L
    Vitali L
    23:17 22 Oct 19
    Extremely prompt service! I called around noon and at 2pm i had a new garage door opener installed! Very good price... and prompt professional service! Thank you!read more
    HOWARD DEICHERT
    HOWARD DEICHERT
    17:05 08 Oct 19
    Fantastic company....the only garage door company you would want to use. Very professional and friendly and will go the... extra mile to make sure things are take care of. Jim Is the BEST!read more
    Gina Podolan
    Gina Podolan
    02:15 04 Jul 19
    I did my homework and found The Doorman to replace my old garage door with a hurricane proof new one. They promptly... replied to my emails and explained the details, which were many, and came out for an estimate which was reasonable as compared to other bigger vendors. Jim and Keith did not try to oversell me and helped me choose the best door in my budget. They custom built my door to specs and took care of all the permits which was great. Keep in mind it did take a few weeks to make the door, so order in enough time for delivery you want. Best part was Cory who installed my new door very professionally and very friendly too and did an amazing job! I was not very excited about buying this; however, now I am very pleased and love how quiet and smooth it runs and also looks clean. Worth every penny and will call them if service is needed as they were very prompt and courteous. Happy customer!read more
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