Garage Door Opener Troubleshooting: Top 5 Problems and How To Fix’em

How do you react when your garage door opener squeaks, creaks, or clanks? What about when it acts more sluggish every day? Ignoring the symptoms of a faulty door opener could result in the door not opening.

Don’t let your garage door leave you stranded. Seek a garage door repairman before it gets worse. While there are some issues you can fix yourself without much fuss, you will most likely run across issues best left to a garage door repairman. Read this garage door opener troubleshooting guide as it may help you save on repair costs.

1. Nothing Happens When You Press the Button

You open your garage door by either pressing the button on the remote or the transmitter on the wall. Newer garage door openers have a keypad mounted on the wall. The remote and the keypad rely on battery power while the wall switch needs electricity.

This may sound too good to be true, but replacing a dead battery could solve all of your problems. Dead batteries are the bane of most homeowners, but it’s such an easy fix.

You can troubleshoot in less than a minute. First, check the wall switch, and if it opens the door when you press it, it’s likely your remote.

It takes a few minutes to replace the battery and test the remote. If the new battery doesn’t solve your problem, try re-programming the keypad. Did you know you can also program your garage door opener?

Anyone can switch out a battery? A simple remote battery yes, but leave replacing the wall transmitter or a faulty keypad to an experienced garage door repairman.

2. Problems with Your Garage Door Opener Photo Eyes

Did you realize your garage door opener has eyes?  These eyes are two small sensors located on both sides at the bottom of the garage door.

Using an invisible beam, the photo eyes connect to each other. They detect an interruption of the beam and make sure there’s nothing obstructing the door. It’s a safety feature and prevents the door from closing on you, your car, or even a pet.

These eyes get dirty, which blocks the light from the beam. Like a camera lens—you’ll need to take care when cleaning the sensors. Use a cloth and a mild cleaner to wipe away dirt and residue.

When your cleaning efforts don’t solve the problem, check the alignment of the eyes. If you still can’t get the door to close, call a garage door repairman.

Tip: Yearly garage door maintenance from a garage door service technician would include an inspection of the photo eyes, plus an overall tuneup to keep your door and opener working smoothly.

3. Worn Out Gears and Broken Sprockets

It may sound like a country and western song, but one of the most common reasons garage door companies get calls for repair is a garage door opener with a broken gear & sprocket. Over time, the garage door springs weaken, which causes excessive wear, and eventually, failure. Try to avoid that and consider having a garage maintenance plan that keeps everything working properly.

If you can’t move the garage door up or down, yet can hear the motor running, you may need to replace the gear and sprocket. They come as a unit!

If you’re curious, check for black crumbs on top of the gears. It’s a sign of both everyday wear and tear and a chain that’s wound too tight. A slack chain often means you have a broken sprocket.

The garage door opener determines the type of gear and sprocket unit you need. At this point, go ahead and call your garage door company to come and change out the part. They’ll get the job done quickly and ensure you get the right parts.

Speaking of springs, they wear out, and garage door spring repair or replacement is not a DIY project. When your technician replaces the gear and sprocket, they’ll also inspect the springs, especially since a weak spring may have caused the gear and sprocket to fail.

4. When Things Seem Off-Track

One reason a garage door opener may have a hard time opening and closing the door is that you have an issue with the roller tracks. Locate the tracks—they’re on the sides of the door.

Make sure both tracks sit straight and don’t have anything obstructing them. Crooked or blocked tracks make it nearly impossible for the opener to work correctly.

Garage door tracks do need lubrication. Sometimes homeowners attempt to help by applying WD-40, but don’t do it! Instead, use a lubricant designed for garage doors.

This is another garage door opener issue where you can perform troubleshooting, but if you run into a situation where you can’t remove an obstruction or lubrication doesn’t work, call a qualified repair specialist.

5. Problems with Your Motor

The garage door opener motor is the heart of your system. If the motor quits working, your door won’t go up or down.

When the motor fails, a common culprit is a capacitor. A faulty capacitor can make the motor struggle to open and close the door. You may have advance warning, but not always!

Motors wear out like any other part on your garage door opener. Instead of wracking your brain trying to figure out whether you need a motor repair or replacement, it’s wiser to consult your garage door technician.

We Are the Troubleshooting and Garage Door Repair Experts

Garage door openers never fail when it’s convenient. It’s always the day you have a critical meeting at work, or your child has the starring role in the school play. When your troubleshooting efforts come up empty, you need help now, not tomorrow or the next day.

Gateway Door and Contracting is a team of garage door professionals with over 20 years of experience. We can help solve your garage door issues quickly. Once we determine the problem, we’ll make the best recommendations.

For help with repairs, request a repair service call today. Let us get your garage door back on track!