Troubleshooting: When the Garage Door Won’t Open

The garage is important for keeping the house protected. It even doubles as a storage unit for some households. From time to time, the garage door can stop working. It could be a minor circuit problem, or there could be a problem with the remote. Here are some of the most common reasons the garage door won’t open.

Why did my remote stop working?

Occasionally, the remote won’t work. You may find that the remote suddenly stops working but that the wall unit continues to work. The batteries can be changed, and the remote can be re-programmed if problems persist.

Why is my garage door coming up only halfway?

Your remote may be functioning just fine, but you find that your garage door only goes up halfway. This can happen if the torsion spring is broken. Although it may be tempting to manually pull the door all the way up, this shouldn’t be done because more damage can happen. Having the torsion spring replaced will address this problem.

Why is only one side of the garage door properly lifting?

You may try to open the garage door with the remote, but only one side will properly lift. This can happen if a cable has become damaged for some reason. The cables can snap with the torsion spring breaks. The garage door cables are attached to the drums and are responsible for winding, acting as a part of a pulley system. The cables and the torsion spring may both have to be replaced to get the door working normally again.

Is there a problem with the sensitivity settings?

The garage door may not be opening properly because the sensitivity settings are either too low or too high. You can consult your instructions manual to test out the various sensitivity settings to see if it makes a difference. Be mindful that you could be injured tinkering with the settings if there is an obstruction that is being removed.

Why does the remote work but the wall unit won’t?

You may find that your garage door and remote entry system is working just fine, but you cannot get the wall unit to work as it should. Depending on the type of garage door system, a doorbell or a new switch can be installed.

If for any reason you feel skeptical about making the repairs yourself, contact a professional technician to handle them. Doing so is relatively safer and will save you time. Additionally, you can avoid doing extensive damage to the garage the door.