It’s a cold morning, and you are rushing off to work, but your garage door will not open when you press the remote or wall control. This is a familiar scenario in many homes with a garage. There are a lot of possible causes for a stuck garage door. Many of these issues can be fixed easily by the homeowner. Yet, in some other cases, you may need a garage door repair service.
What could cause the problem
Lots of factors can prevent your garage door from opening and closing. There are so many intricate parts in a garage door, and any of these parts can cause it to get stuck. Some of these parts include the power source, emergency cord, remote or wall unit, eye sensor, door off track, broken or loose chain, locked door, and blocked door.
This blog will discuss the cause of this problem in detail and offer solutions to the problem.
- Power source
Garage door openers are usually plugged into a power source, so the first thing to check when a garage door fails to open is the power source. Some people mistakenly unplug their garage door from the power source. Double-check that the garage door opener is properly plugged in. Also, check that the outlet is working since it does not give any signs before going out. To confirm that the outlet is working, plug in another electronic device to test it. You may also need to check other more complex parts like the fuse, circuit breaker, and GFCI.
- Emergency cord
The emergency cord in a garage door is a rope hanging from the trolley. It is always red and has a handle, so it dangles from the ceiling. This cord is used to disconnect the carriage from the trolley. Doing this makes the garage door to slide along the railing. After pulling this cord, the garage door can now be lifted manually.
If your garage door is stuck, then you can use this cord to release it. However, you need to be careful. If the door is up, don’t pull the cord, especially if the garage door spring is broken as it can crash down and be damaged.
- Remote or wall unit
A dead remote battery is also a possible cause to consider. If your garage door doesn’t open, you need to check the batteries in the door opener. You may need to replace them as well.
Also, garage door openers have a wall control unit, and this device has a lock button. This button is also known as the vacation button. If your remote battery is dead, using this wall unit will lock it out so you can open or close the garage door.
- Eye sensor
In the 1990s, the government-mandated all garage doors manufacturers to add a sensor as a safety device. So most modern garage doors have sensors on each side of the door. They are called eye sensors or photo eyes, as their primary role is to maintain visual contact with each other. If there is an obstruction, visual contact will be broken, and the garage door will stop. This safety feature prevents the door from closing on a person or vehicle.
If the sensor is malfunctioning, the garage door opener will get stuck. Check the sensor lights in this case because it usually blinks if it needs adjustment. Also, check for any obstruction on the garage door path. If the problem persists, you will need garage door repair services.
- Door off-track
Garage door maintenance is essential from time to time. If your garage door doesn’t open, it could be linked to a misaligned door off the track. Sadly, there is no quick fix for a door off track. You will need to call a garage door repair service company. It is not advisable to try to fix it by yourself, no matter how handy you are.
- Broken or loose chain
Some garage doors run on chains. The metal chain is responsible for driving the trolley that pulls the door open and close. This chain should be serviced often to ensure that it is in great shape. If the chain becomes loose or broken, the garage door can get stuck. This is another fix that requires an expert, so don’t try to fix a broken chain.
- Door is blocked
A blocked door can prevent your garage door from opening and closing. If you have this problem, examine the garage door hinges, rollers, tracks, and other hardware properly. Search for signs of damage and lubricate if necessary. A silicone spray can come in handy here. After doing this, try to raise the door slowly. If it remains stuck, try to find the obstruction in the path that made it stop and remove it if you can.
- Door is locked
Some manual garage doors cannot be unlocked remotely. It must be physically unlocked before it will open. So, you need to check the manual garage door lock if your garage door doesn’t open or close.
Do you need a garage door repair service?
As mentioned earlier, some issues can be fixed easily when your garage door doesn’t open. For instance, you can easily unblock the garage door if something is preventing it from opening. If the eye sensor is blocked, you can also find the blockage and remove it. You can also unlock it manually if the remote battery is dead. However, it can be difficult to fix other, more complex issues like a misaligned door track. In this case, you will need a garage door repair service company.
Garage door repair companies can fix broken garage door springs, provide garage door maintenance, and replace or repair a garage door opener.
Conclusion
It can be frustrating when your garage door refuses to open especially when you are in a hurry. It may be caused by the power source, blocked eye sensors, or dead remote batteries. Sometimes, it could be a locked or blocked door. Whatever the case may be, it would be best to call a garage door repair company like Titan Garage Doors. To learn more about our garage door services, contact us today!
