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My garage door won't open, what could be wrong?

Posted by Dani Havenstrite on Fri, Oct 28, 2011 @ 12:31 PM
 

Here are some of the most common issues people have with their garage door.  Many garage door problems can easily be fixed with these quick trouble shooting options, but many others do require a specialist. 

 

1. Your operator is not plugged in, or their is not power supplied to the outlet. This is a common issue that is frequently overlooked.  Make sure your garage door motor is plugged into a working outlet.  If you are unsure if the outlet has power, try plugging in another appliance to make sure the plug is working.outlet

 

2. Your photo eye's connection is disrupted. Most garage door openers are equipped with photo eyes, which detect if a person or object is in the way of the door as it is closing.  If the connection between the sensors is disrupted, the door will stop closing to minimize injury or damage. Check to make sure there is nothing in the way of the photo eyes.  Occasionally the eyes can get dirty, so clean the eyes with a tissue. Photo eyes are electronic so make sure they don't get wet. 

garage door photo eyes


 3. Your torsion spring is broken. This is a very common problem with garage doors.  The springs that help lift the door are rated for a certain number of cycles.  When the springs snap the motor can no longer lift the door on its own.  You should not try to open the door if your spring is broken.  A door with a bronken spring can be very dangerous and should be handled by a professional. We do sell springs over the counter but strongly advise having one of our garage door experts replace your broken spring. 
 

broken garage door spring
4.  Your cables are snapped.  When an torsion spring breaks, it releases a very large amount of energy and can seriously injure a person or damage a vehicle or wall. Very often when a spring breaks the cable will also break.  If you see that the spring is also broken see above.


5. My remote or keyless will not work but the wall button does.  If your remote or keyless entry are not working try changing out the batteries.  Remotes usually out-live batteries and this may be a simple fix to your problems.  If this still does not fix your problem then try to re-program your remote or keypad.  Click here to view our operator's page to find instructions to program your remote or keyless entry.  If this still does not fix your problem then you may need to replace your remote or keypad.  We carry most brands in our store and can get you a new garage door remote today.   garage door remote

 If you are having a problem not listed above then please call our specialists at (775)-322-4621 and we will get your garage door running again as soon as possible.  You can also come to our office at 1290 Holcomb Ave. in Reno to view all of our products.  We pride ourselves on getting your door running as quickly as we can. 

 

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Comments

veve the motor will not engage genie chain drive
Posted @ Monday, July 16, 2012 11:40 AM by sam
Hello. When I push the button on my door opener, the door will open only 6 inches and stop. If I push the button again, the door goes down and tries to come back up again, but stops again at 6 inches. If I push the button and wait for the doow to touch the ground and then help/pull the door up manually when it tries to go up, the door will open completely... What's the problem?
Posted @ Friday, November 30, 2012 7:16 AM by Marc
The first thing you want to check is the spring above of the door. Is it broken? Springs only last 5-10 years and usually need replacing during the life of a door. 
 
If the spring isn't broken the next thing may be the motor. If you have an older Genie/Overhead Door screw drive motor it is possible that the traveler that attaches the door to the rail has worn down. If this is the case it is easy to replace the traveler on the operator.  
 
If you have a lift master operator it is likely that the gears in the motor have worn out. The solution would be to either get the gear kit replaced, or to install a whole new motor.  
 
If it doesn't appear to be any of these problems then It is possible that the tract may be bent a little and therefore it is catching as is goes up.  
 
Garage doors should be serviced ever year or two, if it has not been serviced in awhile it could be number of things including not having enough lubrication on the moving parts or the limits/springs may just need some adjustments.
Posted @ Friday, November 30, 2012 3:04 PM by Dani Havenstrite
Hello,My garage door only opens about 2 feet but the motor continues to run for a short time. The door then drops back to the floor. What is the problem?
Posted @ Sunday, December 02, 2012 12:30 AM by Michael Poplin
My garage door will open with the remote for one of our cars but when we use the opener that is built into our other car or the remote key pad on the outside of the house it will not work. What could be the problem?
Posted @ Wednesday, December 12, 2012 9:15 PM by Josh Divoky
You should probably try to reprogram your keyless entry and home-link system in your car. You can find instructions on our "programming instructions" page. Home-link systems can be very temperamental. If you have instructions that came with your car follow them. If this doesn't work then I would give our office a call and we can walk you through the steps. 775.322.4621.
Posted @ Thursday, December 13, 2012 1:07 PM by Dani Havenstrite
I have a craftsman door opener it would stop about 6-8 inches when opening, when the door was reshut and reopened it was ok, now when i push the opener or the keypad the unit just clicks what could be wrong ???? 
Posted @ Sunday, December 16, 2012 1:32 PM by Jennifer
The gears in the operator have probably been stripped out. This is common in Craftsman operators. Your options, if this is the case, is to replace the gears in that operator or replace the whole operator unit.
Posted @ Monday, December 17, 2012 12:31 PM by Dani Havenstrite
Hi. Garage door won't budge. Can't move it even with the latch released. I noticed the pulley cables had popped off. Nothing stripped or shredded. When I attempt to open the door the bracket that leads to the motor buckles and immediately stops the door from opening. Any suggestions?
Posted @ Tuesday, December 18, 2012 8:59 AM by Bill
Check to see if the spring above the garage door is broken. A lot of the time when the cables come off it is because the spring has snapped. If this is the case, then there is nothing balancing the weight of the door and it will be very hard/dangerous to open. If not, then those cables still need to be put back in place in order for the door to be lifted with or without the operator.
Posted @ Tuesday, December 18, 2012 10:39 AM by Dani Havenstrite
My garage door opened today on its own during a high wind rain storm. Now, no matter what button I push it won't operate. I tried the wall button and both car remotes. Any ideas?
Posted @ Friday, December 21, 2012 2:50 PM by Carisa
my wall button in the house and in the garage do not open the garage door just stopped working and yes i do have power in the outlet where the unit is plugged in and the light on the unit doesnt work 
Posted @ Saturday, December 22, 2012 11:16 AM by sal butera
I had a garage door problem, came to your website and found my answer. Thanks so much! 
 
Posted @ Friday, December 28, 2012 10:06 AM by Michael
If the operators are not making any kind of noises then my guess is that you may have a bad board on the operator. Some times unplugging and plugging them back in can temporarily fix the issue. The issues you both described are very unusual and are hard to know anything for sure without having a technician looking at it.
Posted @ Friday, December 28, 2012 11:23 AM by Dani Havenstrite
I replaced gears after door would not open, it worked for 30 mins. (I ran it about 5-6 times). The next day, I go to operate door, the opener just humms, door doesn't open/budge...nada. What's wrong?
Posted @ Saturday, December 29, 2012 7:07 PM by Myni
It sounds like you did not grease the gears properly before you ran the door. This will cause the gears to become stripped again.
Posted @ Wednesday, January 02, 2013 3:24 PM by Dani Havenstrite
I've unlatched my door and I can't open it manually either! It doesn't appear to be locked or have any restriction, the door bows a bit toward the center if I force it, but it won't budge.
Posted @ Tuesday, January 08, 2013 9:09 AM by Dana
You probably have a broken spring on your garage door. The spring holds the weight of the door, when it is broken the door is very difficult to open.
Posted @ Tuesday, January 08, 2013 11:10 AM by Dani Havenstrite
My garage door wont open and a clicking noise is heard when I push the manual open. I've checked all the steps to test for cable, springs,and photo eye... thanks for your help
Posted @ Friday, January 11, 2013 5:49 AM by STAN SMITH
Thanks for your help!! It did turn out to be the spring, unfortunately all the attempts to force the door open broke the door too ~ Yikes!!
Posted @ Friday, January 11, 2013 11:58 AM by Dana
ok...so I replaced/greased gears, garaged door won't open. Replaced capictor (smelled a burning smell), door still will not catch/open. I've adjusted switches, still won't open. Now Smell burning smell after 30 min. of pressing button on wall, and LED light blinking 5 times. ^%$#@!!
Posted @ Monday, January 14, 2013 10:35 PM by Myni
Check to see if the spring is broken, if it is then the operator would not be able to lift the door and it could cause a smell if it is trying and failing. Otherwise it sounds like the board in the operator may be going out.
Posted @ Tuesday, January 15, 2013 10:47 AM by Dani Havenstrite
Thank u so much for your help....this website has been extremely helpful. I feel like I'm so close to fixing the problem. The trolley piece goes back n forth, but won't pick up the door. I keep adjusting switches, force button and tension screw...to no avail. (Spring is not broken). I looked at circuit board, do not see any disconnects.
Posted @ Tuesday, January 15, 2013 11:11 AM by Myni
It sounds like the operator is just not connected to the door. Where the red cord hangs down you need to reattach the trolley to the operator.
Posted @ Tuesday, January 15, 2013 11:22 AM by Dani Havenstrite
i have a genie garage door opener this morning it does not open.i try trouble shoot by check power check all the connection even on the wall and sensor every thing seems find.onething i notice theres alight blinking inside (green) one more that i wonder if i press the wall to light the light turn on need help some one.
Posted @ Thursday, January 17, 2013 1:45 AM by lynwood
Update: this info is to help anyone experiencing the problm I was having. So, the door would not go up because it was not engaged. I pulled on that dang string a hundred times...but I was pulling in wrong direction. I was tugging it toward opener...and I did hear a clicking sound, so I figured it was engaged. Hint...if u want to chk if door is engaged...try to lift it open. If u can open it, it is not engaged. Also, 5 blinking LED lights does not necessarily mean Rpm sensor or circuit board replacement...as in my case. My lights stopped blinking after I engaged door (Liftmaster 1280r). Just my two cents. Anyhoo..door is working and screw the repairman who told me my motor was bad and he could replace and install new opener for $500.!! If I could do it, anyone can. Much thanks to the expert advice on this web site!
Posted @ Thursday, January 17, 2013 2:20 AM by Myni
THANK YOU DANI H.!!!!! One good tug down on rope did it.
Posted @ Thursday, January 17, 2013 2:33 AM by myni
I think that the only problem with garage doors is when they break. The garage door repair process is terrible sometimes. Although, there are companies in Calgary that do a good job for less.
Posted @ Thursday, January 17, 2013 2:30 PM by Steven Jarris
I have a Genie garage door opener. The door won't open or close & when I try to run it the opener is making a loud grinding noise. It's a screw drive & it looks fine. What could be wrong?
Posted @ Saturday, January 19, 2013 9:55 AM by kevin
I have a craftsman door opener, the other day both remotes stopped working, the wall units work fine just the remotes aren't. The opener is an older model & doesn't have a keyless entry or eye sensors the model # is 41a3066..
Posted @ Sunday, January 20, 2013 12:17 PM by Velvet
I have the genie garage door opener mentioned above. The door will close using the wall switch & manually but still makes a grinding sound when I try to open it & it will not budge. Does anyone have any idea what's wrong? I don't have a manuel for this opener.
Posted @ Monday, January 21, 2013 12:32 PM by kevin
Craftsman opener - try changing the batteries and reprogramming the remotes. (Click learn code button once and remote button twice to program).  
 
Genie Operator - if it is a screw drive you may need to replace the traveler mechanism. If it is difficult to open when disconnected from the operator then you may have a broken spring.
Posted @ Tuesday, January 22, 2013 11:15 AM by Dani Havenstrite
My garage door opens a foot and then stops. When I push the button twice, it goes up more and then stops. I have to repeat this 3-4 times to get it open all the way. Is this just a lubrication issue? It goes down just fine. However, the unit is at least 10 years old.
Posted @ Thursday, January 24, 2013 8:47 PM by Tom
In the cold weather my garage door will not open properly. It will open 6" then stop...replaced srping last year which helped in warm weather, but as soon as temperature drops below +/-35 degrees....
Posted @ Thursday, January 31, 2013 9:09 AM by matt
I have craftsman garage door opener.My remote works intermittently,When coming home it usually opens.When leaving, I have to use wall opener,on outside,i can't close door with opener, sometimes if iextend opener back across threshold of door,it opens.What's wrong? Is it remote or opener?
Posted @ Thursday, January 31, 2013 11:46 PM by calvin
Tom & Matt - When trouble shooting why a door wont open there are a lot of possibilities. It could be a broken spring. It could be that the door is catching on the track and when the operator feels that resistance it stops. This could also happen if the door is not lubed properly. A more likely cause is that the limits or springs need adjusting. It could also be that the board in the operator is starting to go bad. If it is a craftsman operator it may be that the gears are stripped and therefore the operator is not able to catch the chain as it opens.  
 
Calvin - If it is only happening with the remote then it is most likely the remote. Try changing the battery in the remote. If this doesn't work then try replacing the remote. If it is still causing you problems then it is probably the board in the motor going out.
Posted @ Friday, February 01, 2013 6:27 PM by Dani Havenstrite
garage door only work with wall remote nothing happen when using cars remote or remote that came with unit. at first u could use all remotes for opening door but would'nt close door down please help me
Posted @ Wednesday, February 06, 2013 8:43 PM by fred
Hello, my garage was only opening about 1/4 of the way each time I hit the button. I thought it was the sensor and I was able to use it a couple times while trying to adjust the sensors, but now it just does a jerking motion when I hit the button. When operated manually the door seems to work fine. The garage chain will also cycle fine when it isn't attached to the door. It's a cheap aluminum door that was just replaced 1-2 years ago. The spring looks fine but makes a clanking sound when I open the door manually. Thanks for your help!!
Posted @ Friday, February 15, 2013 3:18 PM by Christopher
My door opens normally when button is pushed on the remotes or the wall but won't close unless the button on the wall is pushed and held until door is completely closed. If I lift my finger off of the button before its completely closed, it opens again and won't complete the close cycle.
Posted @ Tuesday, March 12, 2013 10:14 AM by M
We have a old genie garage door opener. This morning I ran out to the car and it went up and down fine. When my husband tried going out, it wouldn't move. The wall button doesn't do anything nor does the remote. The light that is on the where the motor is housed has stayed on but there is no noises. Help!
Posted @ Tuesday, March 12, 2013 3:40 PM by Kari
Have an old tilt door with side extension springs. Chain Drive opener will only open about 15% but closes no problem. Do I need new springs or is my motor clapping out?
Posted @ Monday, March 18, 2013 5:15 AM by dg
Posted before re door opening 15%. 
Meant to advise if I help lift the door with even 1 finger, it opens fine. The whole unit is old, the springs are also old. Any thoughts?
Posted @ Monday, March 18, 2013 5:57 AM by dg
Hi, I have a steel line garage door, and it was working fine the other day nd now it just happens to have stopped, it won't open or close. (but you can push and pull manually) it also has a clicking noise from the pully box thing. but just won't move. please help :(
Posted @ Tuesday, March 26, 2013 1:16 AM by Hannah
The power in the comunity went off for a while and I opened the garage door manually to move the car out. I thereafter lowered the door manually and left. Upon return with the power restored,I tried the remote to open the door which didn't work. I manually opened the door and now the neither the remote or wall switch will open or close the door. The motor is running but I can't re engage the gear on top to open ot close the door. I pulled the rope and thried to engage the gear but it just whirls.
Posted @ Thursday, March 28, 2013 11:22 PM by J
I have a Genie Intellicode. I can't open it automatically but motor sounds like definitely wants to. I can open it manually, close it manually, and also close it automatically. I noticed one of the wires was disconnected (where there is one on each end telling the door when start and stop). I connected it still didn't solve it. What am I missing before I spend the big bucks?
Posted @ Tuesday, April 30, 2013 5:53 PM by Chris
All of a sudden, my Garrage door stopped opening /closing. It does make sound trying to close/open. 
Please advise what I should look for. 
 
Immediate help is appreciated
Posted @ Thursday, May 02, 2013 2:07 PM by Ravi
We had a bad stirm on Friday and ever since we cant get our garage openers to open our garage they still close the garage though. We have reprogrammed everything the wall unit opens the doee fine. Any idea on what it could be? Our garage motor was jut purchased in August.
Posted @ Saturday, May 11, 2013 1:48 PM by Laurie Crone
I have a craftsman, while the garage door were closing the garage door dropped. While checking to see what happen I discovered the master link came out. I replaced the master link and now the door acts like it want to open but it want open. I check the springs and gears and photo eyes, all is ok. I hear a humming or bussing sound while the door is trying to open and the change jumps. The garage door will open manually. Please help!!!
Posted @ Monday, May 13, 2013 11:55 AM by Paul
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