Dear R & Q Over Head Doors,
Last night, I came home and my garage door did not want to close. I tried using a spare remote, wondering that the problem might be with the remote button, but faced the same issue. Thankfully, my house is not connected to my garage, so I left the door open and, instead, parked my car at my neighbor’s house. Disclaimer: My neighbor is currently away on vacation and has left his house keys with me; we’re good friends. Anyways, it has been more than 12 hours now, and I’ve tried fixing the door myself, but I can’t seem to identify the underlying problem. Please help.
Regards,
Uh-Oh!
Hi, Uh-Oh!
Based on what you’ve told us, we’re assuming that your garage door was working fine when you left the house yesterday morning.
If so, we think the problem could well be with the rollers of your garage door.
The rollers on your garage door should be able to move smoothly for the door to function properly. If the rollers encounter any type of resistance, your garage door won’t open or close.
Check your garage door assembly, especially the metal tracks on the sides of your garage door, to see if there is any obstruction that’s stopping the rollers from moving smoothly.
Can’t find anything?
Okay, in that case, check if your garage door sensors are working fine.
Garage door sensors are a part of your garage door’s safety system. They prevent your garage door from closing on objects, pets or people in the doorway.
You have two of them, installed at opposite ends of your garage door. One sends emits an infrared beam, while the other receives it. If anything interrupts this beam of light, your garage door won’t close.
Garage doors sensors may malfunction if they have a dirty lens or a severed or unplugged cable.
If you can’t find any issues with either the rollers or sensors, it’s likely that the springs on your garage door are giving up.
Contrary to what many people believe, it’s not the motor that raises and lowers a garage door. Rather, it’s the springs which do the heavy lifting.
Unfortunately, these springs worn out with time and break.
If the springs on your garage door are broken, your garage door won’t close or open properly.
As always, we’d strongly recommend that you call in a professional and get your garage door fixed by them. DIY garage door repair jobs can be dangerous and risky, so please try to avoid them.
Stay safe. Stay happy. Stay blessed.
For Further Reading: Why You Shouldn’t Attempt a DIY Garage Door Repair Project
