We use our garage almost every day for various purposes. Some years ago, we upgraded our garage door into a motorized one. Nowadays, I am noticing some unwanted noise from our garage door & started checking myself.
Then I researched some hours & found some common reasons behind why my garage door isn’t working properly.
So, I sorted out the causes and want to share the 12 most common reasons your garage door isn’t working properly. In case you are facing any garage door problems, Let’s check out!
12 Of The Most Common Garage Door Issues And Problems
1.Blocked Photo-Eye
Most garage doors have a photo-eye installed that detects a person or object blocking the door or not because this feature is available on the garage door for 20 years. The photo-eye size is about a pea that is 4-6 inches off the ground in most cases.
- Shoots a laser across the width of the garage length & cut off the signal for lowering & raising the door if interrupted.
- A leak or rainstorm can damage or cut the cord attached to the eye.
- Dust & dirt can cover the eye & block the beam.
Thoroughly cleaning with tissue solves the issue sometimes.
2.Disrupted power source
- Sometimes people unplug the garage door opener power source & wonder why’d the garage door opener fails to open.
- Outlets go out sometimes without warning.
Check if the door opener is plugged into the working outlet. In case the outlet is not working, plug into another working device to make sure. Also, check the fuse, circuit breaker & GFCI.
3.Broken torsion springs
When torsion spring breaks, it makes a loud sound like a gunshot or firecracker. Torsion springs lifespan is lowest among other garage door parts. It breaks or gets damage at first, among other garage door parts.
Don’t try to open or close the door when springs break. Instead, try to replace it or call professionals.
4.Remote control malfunction
Sometimes the garage door opener remote doesn’t work & won’t open or closes the garage door. It’s called remote control malfunctioning. Possible reasons are –
- Out of Range or Coverage.
- The Garage door opens using a wall switch but not with a remote. Change the battery of the remote.
- The antenna of the Motor might not be receiving signals or got damaged. The antenna should be hanging down from the engine.
Reprogramming the remote might be another DIY solution for malfunctioning.
5.Loose or Snapped Cables
Cables can become loose from the garage door & in case the torsion spring breaks; cables can snap as a result. When the tension spring has snapped & the next thing that will happen is the Domino effect. The Domino effect is when tension cables will be cracked.
Snapped cables can harm the car or even the Wall. The same goes for someone who comes in contact with loose wires.
Instead of trying to fix this problem ownself, contact garage door repair professionals in this case.
6.Sensitivity needs adjustment
- When installing a new garage door or an older one, in case of sensitivity is too high or low, then the garage door wouldn’t open. The manufacturer’s manual has instructions for resetting the sensitivity. Adjustment on the closure force & switch limitation to correct levels will clear the problem.
- Another case is when the Photo-Eye’s angle sensitivity is wrong & not covering the right area. As a result, the garage door is not stopping from closing the door, leading to injuries. Realigning adjustment of Photo-Eye’s sensitivity will fix the problem.
7.The wrong limit setting of Garage Door Opener
Wrong limit settings lead to Garage door closes & open immediately after closing. The time limit settings instruct the Motor how far the door should move for closing properly. When the settings are wrong or off, the garage door might close adequately, but the motor sensor believes the door has hit any object instead of the ground or floor.
- Use a ladder to find the limit switch adjustment knob. Check the owner’s manual first to find out the ‘Up’ & ‘Down’ label on the knob.
- If the door doesn’t go up, adjust it through the down knob. If it doesn’t go down, adjust it down. On most models, a full turn of screw equals two inches of door movement.
- Little adjustment every single time, overdoing might lead to auto garage doors open or shut. Until it works, keep testing.
8.The Garage door is off Track
Due to extensive use over time, the garage door’s Track may blend, get damaged, or break. Any noise from the garage door means a misaligned track.
- Check for bends, gaps, or obstacles on the door.
- Check the garage door is rolling smoothly or not with its metal track.
- Also, check if the door gets stuck in the middle or slows down on the way.
To fix it, hold the Track to its frame & loosen the screws, now tap the Trackback into the position & retighten the screws. (Necessary items – A Rubber Mallet & A lever).
To stop the noise, grease the tracks of the door.
9.Something is blocking the Garage door
The garage door reverses automatically when it comes in contact with an obstacle. But if the door closes halfway & switches without any reason, something is blocking the garage door.
The sensor might not be functioning correctly because of rock, dirt, debris, or bits of trash.
Cleaning the tracks to remove those unnecessary junks will make the garage door working correctly again.
10.Locked Door
For extra security, older garage doors used to come with a manual lock. In case the garage door isn’t opening with the remote, then think of user error(manual locking).
Manual locks look like a knob, handle, middle of the door with two bars running from each side horizontally. Sometimes moving large objects in the trunk of a car accidentally hit the button & thus the garage door’s manual lock becomes active.
To unlock the locked door manually, turn the knob or handle to disengage the lock & a clicking sound will ring.
11.Wall Switch malfunctioning
All motorized garage doors have a wall switch function that can control the door & turn off/on the lights. Wall switch sometimes start malfunctioning because of –
- Power Supply – If the switch isn’t connected correctly or disrupted for any reason from the power source, then the Wall Switch might not work.
- Breaker Box – If the connection is secure & power is flowing in the cable adequately. Still, the Wall Switch is not working. Try resetting everything using the Breaker Box.
12.The Motor isn’t Stopping (Malfunction)
Naturally, after closing the Garage door, the Motor should stop running right away. In case the Motor is still whirling after closing the Garage door, then it is malfunctioning.
This issue usually happens after installing a new door or repairing the old door. An adjustment on the up-limit switch will fix this problem because the switch controls the Motor’s functions.
Conclusions
These 12 common reasons for the Garage door malfunctioning are widespread. Refrain from parking the car without any emergency until the Garage door is repaired.
If the problems are not vital, try to fix them at home. Otherwise, search for “garage door repair near me” through the internet or contact local expert door repair technicians.
Some repairs might take hours & some repairs might take a few minutes. But the central fact is repairing The Garage Door is ensuring the safety of your home.
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