Having a garage door opener is such an excellent convenience for anyone with a garage. All you have to do is roll up to your garage and press a button, and that door will open for you.
However, there are several common garage door opener problems that homeowners might encounter over the years.
In this article, we’ve outlined some of the most common garage door opener problems so you’re prepared.
Common Garage Door Opener Problems
As with most machinery, there will sometimes be problems with your garage door opener, and you’ll need to troubleshoot them.
There are several common garage door opener problems homeowners might experience.
Here are some of the most common garage door opener problems you’ll come across and how you can fix them.
1. Garage Door Opener Remote Won’t Work
You’ve pulled up, pressed the button to open your garage door, and nothing happens. There are a few reasons why this happened, so let’s go down the list.
- The garage door may be locked. Check it hasn’t been manually locked shut, as that will stop it from opening.
- The batteries in your remote may be dead. Try changing out the batteries for fresh ones and trying again. You may also see that the contacts in the remote have corroded and need polishing to work again.
- The remote is out of range. If you’re too far away, it won’t work, so try getting closer and pressing the button again.
2. Garage Door Opener Switch Won’t Work
As well as opening the door with the remote, you can usually use your garage door opener with the wall switch. If this doesn’t open the door, there could be a few reasons why this is happening.
- Again, the door may be locked manually. Try unlocking it and pressing the switch again.
- The photo-eyes may be faulty. These sit at the bottom of the door frame on either side and prevent the door from closing if something’s in the way. If you can’t shut the garage door with the wall switch, this may be why. If you can’t open the door either, then it’s probably something else. Try wiping the eyes off with a clean cloth and trying again.
- The motor may be unplugged. All garage door openers can be disconnected or unplugged, especially if working on the garage door. Check this isn’t the case, and reconnect the power if it has been unplugged.
- The circuit breaker is tripping. If you’ve plugged the opener in and ensured it’s unlocked, it’s likely tripping the circuit breaker. This will be the case if you can’t turn on any lights in the garage either. Reset the circuit breaker and try again.
- If none of these options have worked, then the motor is likely burned out. In this instance, you’ll need to call in professionals to help you.
3. Keypad Doesn’t Work
Some garage door openers come with keypads, and they’re a great option for securing entry to your garage. If you’re trying to get in with your keypad and it’s not working, check for the following problems:
- Yet again, the simplest explanation is that the garage door is locked manually. Try unlocking it and then use the keypad again.
- The keypad may actually be out of range. They’re not usually connected to the door directly but rather send a signal to the opener, much like a remote would. Try moving the keypad closer and try it again.
- The batteries may be dead. Much like your remote, your keypad runs on batteries. Change out the batteries to see if this helps.
- Again, the photo eyes may be faulty on the door if it won’t close. Try cleaning them off, and then operate the keypad again.
- Your keypad may need reprogramming. This is much easier than it sounds. Your manual will let you know exactly how you do it with your particular model, but it usually only takes a few keypresses to do it.
- If nothing else is working, the antenna may be faulty. In this case, there isn’t actually anything wrong with the keypad, but the antenna itself is broken. Ensure yours is secure and pointing straight downwards on the motor. If it isn’t, it may not be able to pick up the signal.
4. Garage Door Won’t Close Properly
If the door isn’t closing properly when you use the garage door opener, there are a few different issues that could cause this to happen.
- The garage door limits may be incorrect. These tell the motor when the door is fully shut and touching the ground. If it opens again without closing all the way, that could be why. You can check how to adjust limits in your manual.
- The photo-eyes may again be the culprit here. If they’re dirty, they’ll send the signal that the doorway is blocked.
- Your garage door rollers could be to blame if they have rusted. Apply lubricant to the rollers and try the door again.
5. Garage Door Won’t Open Properly
Conversely, your garage door may not open when you use the opener. Here’s why this may be happening.
- The limits may be incorrect again, so try changing the ‘open’ limit to fix this.
- Damaged rollers may be to blame again too. Again, try lubricating them to see if it solves the problem.
6. Garage Door Motor Runs Without Opening Door
Is the motor running as normal, but your door isn’t opening? Try these troubleshooting tips.
- Check the limits, as again this could be the cause of the problem. You may need to experiment before you get it just right.
- In most cases, the door has actually become disconnected from the belt. That usually happens if the emergency release cord has been pulled. Check for this, and reconnect it if needed.
In most cases, you can easily solve common garage door opener problems yourselves. The issues are usually quite simple, so you’ll be able to put it right straight away. If you can’t fix the problem, or you can’t find what’s causing the problem, then you’ll need to call in professionals to help you. If you’re ever unsure, call on them, as they’ll be able to put it right in most cases.