A garage door that will not close, or will not open, feels like a big problem. Often it is a small one: a sensor bumped out of line, a lock switch someone pressed, a dead battery. Here are the nine most common causes in the order worth checking, along with the point where you should stop and call.
Safety check first. Before anything else, look at the springs above the door and the cables beside the tracks. If you see a gap in a spring, a loose or frayed cable, or a door hanging crooked, stop here. Don’t run the opener and don’t pull the release. Those failures are covered in our guides to broken springs and off-track doors and snapped cables.
1. The photo-eye sensors
This is the most common reason a door starts down and then reverses. The two small sensors near the floor on either side of the door send an invisible beam across the opening. If anything breaks the beam, the opener reverses. Residential openers made for sale in the United States since January 1, 1993 have been required to include this kind of entrapment protection under the federal standard at 16 CFR Part 1211.
- Look at the indicator lights. On most openers both sensors show a steady light when aligned. A dark or blinking light on one side points to the problem.
- Clear the beam. Bikes, bins, leaves, snow and cobwebs all block it.
- Clean the lenses with a soft cloth. Condensation and road spray are common in winter.
- Realign them by gently turning the bracket until both lights are steady. A bumped sensor is the usual culprit.
- Watch for low sun. A garage facing east or west can have direct sunlight blind a sensor for part of the day.
A quick test: hold the wall button down. On many openers that overrides the sensors and the door will close while you hold it. If it does, the sensors are the problem.
2. The lock or vacation switch
Many wall controls have a lock or vacation button that disables remotes and keypads. If the wall button works but nothing else does, check whether a lock light is on and switch it off.
3. The remote
Replace the battery first. If the remote still does nothing, reprogram it using the learn button on the opener motor. If the remote only works when you are close to the door, look at the opener's light bulbs: some LED bulbs interfere with the opener's radio receiver and cut its range. Bulbs labeled as compatible with garage door openers fix that.
4. The keypad
Wireless keypads run on batteries that die quietly, especially after a cold snap. Replace the battery, then reprogram the code if needed. A keypad mounted where it takes direct rain or plow spray can also fail from moisture.
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5. Power and the outlet
Check whether the opener light comes on. If not, check the outlet it plugs into, any GFCI outlet in the garage that may have tripped and cut power downstream, and the breaker. A storm can also damage an opener's logic board, in which case the opener may have power but not respond.
6. The trolley is disconnected
If the opener motor runs and the chain or belt moves but the door stays put, the door has probably been disconnected from the opener, often because someone pulled the red emergency release. With the door closed, run the opener through a full cycle and the trolley usually reconnects. More in how to open a garage door manually.
7. Travel limits and force settings
If the door closes, touches the floor and immediately goes back up, the close limit or close force may need adjusting. These settings can drift, especially after a seal or spring change. The adjustment method depends on the opener model, so follow the manual. Turning force up to overcome a binding door hides a real problem and defeats a safety feature, so don’t do that.
8. A frozen bottom seal or stiff hardware
After freezing rain or a melt-and-freeze cycle, the rubber bottom seal can freeze to the concrete. The opener will strain or reverse. Free the seal gently with a plastic scraper or warm air rather than forcing the door. Old grease that has thickened in the cold can also make rollers and hinges drag; a fall lubrication helps.
9. A broken spring or cable
If the opener hums, clicks or lifts the door a few inches and stops, and the door is very heavy by hand, a spring has probably broken. That is not a DIY repair. See signs of a broken spring.
When to stop and call
Call for repair if the sensors are aligned and clean but the door still reverses, if the door binds or shudders in the track, if the opener runs but cannot lift the door, or the moment you see anything wrong with the springs, cables or rollers. Book garage door repair or opener repair.