Three Reasons Your Garage Door Won’t Close
We’ve all been there. You’ve just parked your car. You’re about to go inside, and you’re pressing the little button but your garage door won’t close. It doesn’t work. You try it again. It still doesn’t work. This goes on for some time, and by the end of it all, it still hasn’t closed. Unfortunately, the reasons for this are a complete mystery. If this is currently what you’re facing, take a deep breath and understand that we’re going to help you fix this problem. It’s okay. We’ve all been there, and we can help you fix it. As for the reasons, we’ll get into them in a minute. But before you try to do anything else, there are a few things that you can check to see if they may be the cause of your problem. In your hand, there is that little remote that transmits the signal to the garage. That signal tells the garage to “Close.” If the batteries are dead, the remote can’t send the signal. Some of the remotes display a light that indicates if there are batteries in the remote and if the remote can send the signal. Sad to say, not all garage door remotes come with this light. Test out some new batteries if there is no light. The source of the problem may just be that the batteries are dead. One other thing to check before getting deep into problem-solving is to check the sides of the garage door. In the early nineties, garage doors started having these things called “Photo Eyes” built into them. These “Eyes” are sensors that detect any object that may get damaged by the garage door. It was meant as a safety precaution, and as such, you need to check the sides where the sensors are to remove anything that might be in the way. Now let’s get into the three big reasons that might be why your garage door won’t close: Your Garage Door Track Is Out of Alignment Your garage door runs on something called a “garage door track.” Creative name, I know. This track allows the garage door to move up and down and to close properly. If the Garage Door Track is out of alignment, this prevents the garage door from closing or opening. To check if this is the case, look at both sides of the track and see if there are any gaps in between the rails or if there are any bends in the rails. If there are, then that means that your garage door track is out of alignment, and we need to fix it. One thing to do before attempting any fixes is to see if the door moves at all by pressing the button on your remote. If it does, that’s a good sign. If it doesn’t, then you really shouldn’t do this yourself and you should hire a professional who knows what he is doing. To fix it, loosen the screws that hold the frame up, tap the track with a mallet to move it back into position, make sure it’s straight, then tighten the screws securely. Do this with the other tracks, too, because they may also be out of alignment. Your Transmitters May Have Something Wrong with Them Make sure the antenna is hanging from the receiver in your garage. Check to make sure nothing is obstructing or blocking it. Inspect the receiver for any damage. If there is, then you need to hire a garage door technician to fix the problem. Two other potential solutions have to do with changing the frequency of the transmitter and reprogramming it. However, those two options are unnecessary. Focus on checking for any obstructions or potential damage and act accordingly. Your Springs Are Broken If you’ve been trying to close your door, and before you did, you heard a loud banging noise, that’s a good sign that the springs on your garage door are broken. The springs are the most crucial part of the garage door. They take the door and allow it to move up and down. If either of the two springs is broken – one on both sides – this prevents the garage door from opening. Springs eventually break due to the limited number of times they can be used. Don’t try to fix this yourself. It’s very dangerous. Hire a professional who can help you.
