How to Troubleshoot a Garage Door Opener

So, you pull up into your driveway after a long day, push the button on your garage door remote and it doesn’t work. Annoyance, anger and confusion start to grow in your mind and the first thing you can ask yourself is “Why?”

A malfunctioning garage door remote might not be the only thing preventing your garage from opening. There might be many reasons why your garage door opener isn’t working. Here are some of the most common garage door opener issues + repair tips ↓

Garage Door Opener Switch Isn’t Working

When the garage door doesn’t budge at all when the remote or wall switch is pressed, the power source has more than likely been disrupted in some way. First things to check is if the motor is plugged in – begin by checking the outlet where the door opener is plugged in, and make sure the cord is plugged in all the way. 

If the door is unlocked and the motor is plugged in, it may be that the circuit breaker is tripping, or that a fuse has burned out. To fix this, try resetting the circuit breaker.

Finally, it’s possible the garage door opener’s motor has burned out and isn’t operating at all. This is a problem that will require someone to replace it. 

Garage Door Remote or Keypad Doesn’t Working

There are several possible solutions when a wireless remote control or mounted keypad stops operating the opener. Some of the most common and simple reasons could be the door is locked, batteries could be dead or you’re not close enough to the antenna. 

If none of those are the case for you, your antenna may be faulty or your remote/keypad needs to be reprogrammed. No need to worry – we can do that for you! 

Garage Door Won’t Close All the Way

If your garage door isn’t closing completely, then there are a few common reasons why. One of the most simple would be something blocking the sight path between the electronic sensors. Sometimes, leaves, debris or garage items can block the sensors. If that’s not the case, it could be an issue with the close-limit switch, damaged rollers or safety sensors. Whatever the problem is, we are here to help!

Garage Door Isn’t Opening Completely 

When the garage door opens correctly, but stops halfway, you may have an issue with the up-limit switch or damaged rollers. 

The up-limit switch is usually a simple touch-lever mounted on the end of the track near the motor unit, and if it is too far ​away, the motor will stop the door before it fully opens.

Balky or damaged rollers can also cause the door to stop short of fully opening. Here at Assurance, we can inspect and replace damaged rollers, and lubricate rusty ones whenever you need!

Garage Door Opens But the Motor Won’t Stop Running

Your motor may respond to all of your controls without a problem, but the door just doesn’t move. If you can hear the motor running, but the door stays put, there are two possible causes – limits are off or your door is disconnected from the belt. 

If the limits are off, the door will still move, but the motor will simply keep running after it stops. This occurrence could happen in either direction.

If your door is disconnected from your belt, the door won’t move at all, but you may still hear the motor running. The specifics of reattaching the belt depend on the specific installation you have, so if this issue arises, give us a call and we can look at that for you! 

We’re Here to Help

Assurance Overhead Doors is one of the top garage door service providers in our market, and we pride ourselves in our outstanding customer service and commitment to excellence. If you need help with your garage door opener or want to have a new one installed, call our team of experts to book your service call today!