Garage Door Troubleshooting Tips for Homeowners

garage door troubleshooting

Are you tired of pulling into the driveway and facing garage door issues that keep you even longer from your cozy couch and favorite Netflix show?

If you’ve got a garage door problem that you can’t seem to figure out, there could be a simple solution. Lots of garage door problems can be fixed at home by yourself, without needing to hire a service person!

Ready to do some garage door troubleshooting? Read on to find your problem and learn how to fix it!

Garage Door Troubleshooting

Garage door problems have you pulling your hair out? Keep reading to pinpoint the issue so you can get on the road to having a fully functional garage door in a hurry!

Garage Not Opening

Whether it’s with your remote control or via the wall unit switch, maybe your garage door opener simply isn’t budging. If that’s the case, a power interruption is likely the culprit.

The solution could be as simple as plugging it back in. Check your outlet to be sure the opener unit is plugged into the wall.

If everything looks good there, check your circuit breaker. It could be that a fuse or GFCI has burned out.

Tip: Check to see if other garage lights are working. If they’re not, it’s likely a fuse issue, and you’ll need to replace it or simply reset the breaker.

If everything looks hunky-dory and the garage door still won’t open, your opener motor unit might be defective or burnt out. At this point, you’ll need to have it replaced!

Garage Door Not Closing All the Way

There are a few potential issues here that could be causing your garage door to fall short of a complete close.

First, it might be your close-limit switch. This switch is responsible for making sure your garage door doesn’t close on a person, and it’s required of all garage door opener units. Sometimes, though, the switch isn’t set correctly and needs some adjustment to make sure your door will close properly.

Second, the motion sensors installed to ensure safety might need some calibration. These motion sensors are installed to be sure the garage door doesn’t trap anyone beneath it. Sometimes, they get out of whack and need to be realigned.

There might simply be something in the way of the sensor, too. Check the ground to be sure no sneaky beach umbrellas have fallen in the path, making the sensors prevent the door from closing all the way!

Finally, damaged or old rollers can prevent the garage door from opening and closing smoothly. This is a simple fix– all you need to do is replace the rollers or lubricate them to get the door to close right.

Garage Door Won’t Open Completely

There’s nothing more annoying than a garage door that works, but won’t open wide enough to actually fit your car inside of.

Like a door that won’t close all the way, rusted or damaged rollers could be the culprit. Replace or lubricate them to get that door flowing smoothly again. Remember that, over time, rusty rollers can lead to rusted and bent tracks that are a harder fix to deal with!

If the rollers appear fine, you might need to check out the up-limit switch’s location. This switch tells the motor when to stop, and if it’s located too far away from the opener unit, it’ll stop before you want it to.

If you notice that this switch isn’t close enough to the motor unit, simply relocate it. That should solve the problem, and if not, the motor unit might be faulty. Contact a service person to diagnose it!

Your Garage Door Issues

Done your garage door troubleshooting and found the fix you need? Or maybe you’re still puzzled over the garage door issues you’re faced with? Either way, get in touch with us. We love to talk shop, and can help you with whatever garage door worry you’ve got!

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