Six Reasons Why Your Garage Door Won’t Close
Probably the only thing that is more frustrating than a garage door that won’t open is one that won’t close. At least with a door that won’t open, all of the items in the garage are secure. But if you’ve opened the door, need to leave, and it won’t close, you’re in a tricky spot. If you leave, will the contents of your garage still be there when you get back? Needless to say, our number one tip would be to call a garage door repair company right away. They’ll likely get it fixed for you quickly so you can get on with your day.
Below we’re going to discuss some of the most common reasons why a garage door is stuck when it’s open. It might not help you this time, but it’s always good to know why these things happen.
Garage doors appear very simple on the surface of things, but you’d be surprised at just how much can go wrong with them.
Something Wrong with the Sensors
We get a lot of calls about stuck garage doors in Loveland and this is one of the most common causes we come across if the door is stuck open. It’s such a simple, yet easy error to make. And it’s easy to correct too.
Your garage door opener uses safety sensors to prevent accidents from happening. When these sensors detect an obstruction, they prevent the garage door from being lowered. If there is no obstruction and the door still isn't coming down, something is awry. First, check whether the sensors are aligned. They normally need to be facing each other. On most models, they will "blink" if this alignment is off. Next, try giving them a wipe with a cloth. Garages are often dusty, and sometimes when the sensors get dirty, they send an incorrect signal to the control board.
Are the Tracks and Rollers Ok?
Another very basic check that you could do before calling for garage door repair is to check the tracks on either side of the door opening. Is there anything preventing the rollers from getting right to the bottom? If so, it would just be a case of removing the obstruction.
If there is no obvious blockage, check that the tracks look straight. If they’ve been bent anywhere, this could have the same impact and prevent the rollers from running down them freely to the bottom.
While you're at it, you might want to check the rollers too. Are all of them in good condition and running properly? If any are damaged or worn, you should ask a garage door repair company to change them. Even if they don’t need changing, greasing them is always a wise idea. Rollers that don’t move freely through lack of lubrication can sometimes give the opener the impression that it’s hit an obstacle, causing it to wind raise the door back up.
Damaged Extension or Torsion Springs
Extension or torsion springs for a garage door are vitally important when it comes to raising and lowering the door. If one of these springs is damaged it’ll often unbalance the door, make it unsafe and may make it very difficult to fully close the door.
Have a garage door technician inspect the springs. They’ll quickly be able to tell you whether there’s any damage after a quick visual inspection. If there is, usually the only option will be to replace them.
Transmitter Battery is Dead
This is hand-on-forehead stuff, but have you checked whether the battery on the transmitter is dead? If it is, it won't be able to signal to your garage door opener to close the door. So nothing will happen. It'll appear as though the door is stuck, but in reality, the signal simply isn't being sent. So replace the battery and see if that has the desired effect.
Disconnect Switch Accidentally Enabled
Can you hear the motor on your garage door opener running, but nothing is happening? If so, it could be that you’ve accidentally enabled the disconnect switch, which allows you to manually override the opener. When this is enabled, the door is not connected to the motor, which is why the door doesn’t close. It’s just a case of reconnecting it.
Your Garage Door is Unbalanced
Everything needs to be in perfect alignment for a garage door to operate properly and be able to close. Over time, your door may become unbalanced. When this happens, the weight distribution shifts, sometimes significantly, and the door may appear lop-sided. When this happens, your garage door opener will have lots of difficulty in working effectively and it may not be possible to close the door because it’s not straight.
You’ll need to call a professional garage door repair company in Loveland for this as to fix it the door has to be lifted and that’s no easy task if you don’t have the right equipment. Or the training for that matter.
Call Our Trusted Loveland Garage Door Repair Company
If you’re faced with one of the problems described above, don’t panic. If you can’t fix the issue yourself, our team of experienced garage door repair techs will be glad to assist. You can reach us on (970) 663-7335 to make an appointment or to seek further advice. We’d be glad to help!