Ahwatukee Garage Door Repair: How to Troubleshoot Problems with Garage Door Openers
You have been looking forward to a relaxing weekend, but alas that’s not in the stars. As you pull into your driveway and hit the button on your opener’s remote, you quickly discover that there is an issue with your garage door opener. Sigh. Another issue to deal with. Lucky for you, you may be able to troubleshoot issues on your own. Keep reading for some pointers on how to troubleshoot common problems that may arise with your garage door opener. Don’t worry, these tips are easier than you may think!
Check Your Door
With the garage door closed, unplug your automatic opener (or pull your emergency release cord). Now, see how the door operates manually. Does the door open and close smoothly? If not, then you may have an issue with your springs, tracks or rollers - and not with your opener.
Issues with your remote
So, your wall switch is doing exactly what is supposed to do - opening and closing your garage door. If only you could say the same about your remote! When you press the button, the door does nothing. It just stays put like a stubborn ant on a log (a 250lb ant that is). So what’s the issue? The door is clearly in proper working order as you have figured out from using the wall switch. Lucky for you, this may be something as simple as replacing the battery in your remote control unit. If that doesn’t work, there may be a short in your remote. But you’ll find that most home stores carry various models of garage door opener remotes. If you can’t find your particular brand - there are also universal remotes that may do the trick for you. Crisis averted.
The will go up, but will only come down when you press and hold the wall switch
If your garage door goes up correctly, but will only come down if you hold down the wall switch, this may point to an issue with your sensors. Do a quick check to make sure that the wall sensors are aligned correctly. The small lights on the sensors should be lit up when nothing is between them. Keep in mind, direct sunlight shining on the sensors can make them malfunction. Also, just like any other piece of equipment, the sensors do go bad and may need replacing altogether. If you notice that there is no light coming from your sensors, they may need to be replaced.
Garage door reverses on its own
If when you click the button to drop the garage door down, and it starts down the track then suddenly reverses and goes back up - this may also be an issue with the sensors. Give it a check - is there something blocking the sensor beams? If so, this is giving the sensors the impression that there is someone/thing there, and the sensors are working correctly by reversing the door. Clear the debris and try again - the door should operate correctly.
However, if your press the button to close the door, it closes all the way, and then starts reversing - this would point to another issue. The travel limits or force limits may be set up incorrectly, or you could be dealing with damaged tracks.
Garage door works intermittently
If your garage door opener seems to work when it feels like it, that is definitely an annoying issue. Perhaps in the morning it is working fine, but suddenly in the evening, the garage door is not responding correctly. This issue may be due to radio interference. Many of your household items operate using a radio frequency (such as your yard lights, ham radio and other electrical equipment). From time to time, the frequencies from these items can interfere with the proper operation of your garage door opener. To test if this is the issue, use your remote while standing close to the motor unit. If the garage door opener works correctly - then radio interference may be to blame. To troubleshoot this issue, you will have to find the source of the radio interruption, and either move it or turn it off.
Garage door opens and closes by itself
No, there is not a ghost in the machine. If your garage door opens and closes on its own, the cause may be fairly straight forward. A common cause may be that a neighbor has programmed their remote at the same time as yours. To troubleshoot this issue, erase all codes from your remote and reprogram it. If that doesn’t fix the issue, you may be dealing with a wiring issue. Check the wiring between the wall control and the motor unit. Faulty wiring can cause a short, which could result in the garage door opening and closing without being triggered. Another cause of this may be a defective wall unit, which would then need to be replaced.
Broken Springs
If your garage door will not go up, and you’ve checked the remote and motor (and found them in proper working condition) the issue may be broken springs. If you happen to be home at the time the springs break, you may hear a loud bang. The springs that hold up your garage door are working under a lot of tension, and the springs are actually what bear the load of the garage door. Doors come with one or two springs (torsion springs). If either spring breaks, the garage door opener may not be able to lift the weight of the door. Spring issues should only be fixed by a professional, so if this is the issue you’re dealing with, it is best to call a professional.
Hopefully this list can help you to troubleshoot minor issues that may arise with your garage door. Please remember, while some issues are fine for you to deal with on your own (changing batteries in your remote), other issues require the assistance of a professional (broken springs). If you in the Ahwatukee, Arizona area and need help with your garage door opener, please give us a call at Ahwatukee Garage Door Repair. Our qualified technicians would be happy to help you.