Garages can be extremely convenient, as they provide a place to store all of your belongings and to keep your car inside away from the weather and would-be thieves. However, garage doors can also be a major security risk when they don’t work as they should. When everything is working properly, no one should be able to open your garage door from the outside without your remote. Still, if the door won’t close at all or doesn’t close all the way, it makes it easy for anyone to get inside the garage and possibly your home. There can be a number of different reasons that your garage door might not close, and many of them are fairly minor issues that you can diagnose and fix on your own.
Sensor Issues
The most common reason for a garage door not closing is an issue with the sensor. These sensors are an important safety feature that ensures the door can’t crush anyone or anything. Every automatic garage door has a sensor on each side of the door. The sensors are essentially a laser that works by sending a beam of light back and forth. If this light beam is interrupted, say by someone standing underneath the door, then the sensors won’t allow the door to close.
If your garage door won’t close, the first thing to do is make sure the sensors aren’t blocked or obstructed. Most sensors will have a light that shows that the sensor is working. If this light is flashing or turns off, it indicates that the sensors are obstructed or not working properly. Sometimes, even something as minor as dirt or dust on the sensor or a spider web inside one of the sensors is enough to make them not work. For this reason, you should first try to wipe or clean the lens on each sensor to see if this fixes the problem.
It could also be that one or both of the sensors was bumped or knocked out of alignment. In this case, you will need to adjust the sensors so that they are pointing directly at each other.
Obstructed or Damaged Tracks or Rollers
If the sensors are working properly but the door will still only close part of the way, you should inspect the tracks to make sure that nothing is blocking or obstructing them. The tracks and rollers work in conjunction to raise and lower the door, and any issues with either one can cause the door to not work at all or only open or close part of the way. This could be due to an obstruction in the track, a bent track, or a damaged roller. If the track is bent, you might be able to bend it back in place. However, you need to be extremely careful, as you could end up damaging things more and potentially have to replace the track.
The problem can also occur when the rollers get stuck. The best way to prevent this issue is to grease or lubricate your rollers every six months or so.
Trolley Is Disengaged
If your door won’t open or close at all, it could be that the trolley isn’t engaged. The trolley is what connects the garage door to the motor, and it has a rope that you can pull to engage and disengage the door from the opener. Disengaging the trolley allows you to open and close the door by hand, which is useful for when the power goes out. However, if the trolley isn’t engaged, the opener won’t work. To reengage the trolley, simply pull the rope toward the door until it latches.
Limit Screws Need to Be Adjusted
If your garage door won’t close all the way, you may also need to adjust the limit screws. These screws are located on a panel on the back of the opener, and they work to tell the opener how far to open and close the door. When you open the panel, you’ll see two plastic screws labeled “up” and “down.” Using a flat screwdriver, adjust the “down” screw a quarter turn at a time and check how far the door closes after each adjustment. Continue making these minor adjustments until it closes far enough to slightly compress the rubber seal at the bottom of the door.
Remote or Keypad Isn’t Working
Problems with your remote or keypad can also cause a garage door to not open. Your remote obviously won’t work if the batteries are dead, just as your keypad and opener won’t work if the power goes out. Power surges can also cause the opener to reset, in which case you’ll need to reprogram the remote and the keypad.
If you’re still having issues with your garage door not opening or closing, the team at BDK Door Company is here to help. We’re located in Montgomery, IL, and our team offers maintenance, repairs, and installations for both residential and commercial overhead doors. We also work on other types of commercial doors. For more information or to schedule a service appointment, contact BDK Door Company today.
