You go to open your garage door…and nothing, nada, nope it’s just not opening. When hiring someone to repair your garage it’s hard to know what you really need and who to really trust. But, unless you’ve received some training on repairing garages, you should contact a professional garage door technician to tell you what’s wrong and how to fix it. However, there are a few simple things you can check when yourself when your garage door won’t open before calling for help.
No Power
This is a common issue that most people forget about. Garage door openers require electricity so if your opener is not responding make sure the motor is plugged in. If it is plugged in, make sure the outlet is working by plugging another electrical device into it.
Photo Eye Sensor Misaligned or Dirty
You photo eye sensors are there to stop your garage from closing on an object. They create a beam across the bottom length of your garage door and when that beam is broken, your garage door stops working or reverses. If one of the photo eyes gets bumped, it can become misaligned with the other and disrupt the beam connection. Most photo eyes have a red and green light indicator to show when they are properly aligned.
Likewise, if an eye becomes dirty, it can stop your garage from functioning. Clean both sensors with a tissue and see if that corrects your problem.
Dead Batteries
Garage door remotes use very little power so we often forget that they even have batteries. But if your garage door remote opener suddenly stops it’s a good possibility that batteries are dead. If it’s not the batteries, you may have to reprogram your remote. Check your garage door opener documentation for programming instructions.
Broken Wires
Visually inspect your garage door opener to see if any wires may be loose or disconnected. We don’t recommend you try to fix them as you may be a risk of getting shocked. But it will at least give you an idea of what the problem is.
These are just a few ways to check your garage door issues. In the event you do have a technician come to inspect your garage problems and to give you a quote for repairs, make sure they include all costs that are involved in writing so that there are no hidden fees. Check the reputation of the company via online reviews and the Better Business Bureau. Be wary of anyone who asks for money upfront or wants a significant deposit. Use your gut instincts as well. If you feel someone may not be on the level, you probably are right.
