What To Do If Your Automatic Garage Door Won't Close

If your automatic garage door will not close, checking for a few of the most common problems may solve your problem in a matter of minutes. However, automatic garage door openers, like any piece of machinery, do wear out, and occasionally need to be replaced. A do-it-yourself minded homeowner may be able to complete the necessary repairs, but for many busy folks, hiring a professional to save time and hassle is the way to go.

These Simple Corrections May Quickly Correct a Troublesome Garage Door

Any time your garage door will not close normally, work through the following checklist:

• Verify that the photo eyes, located at the bottom of each side of your door, are not blocked. Due to safety regulations, all newer garage doors are equipped with these "electronic eyes" which must be able to "see" one another to allow the garage door to close. Check to make sure that nothing is located at ground level where the door rests while closed, and remove anything which may be hanging from the door itself.

• If one or both of the photo eye sensors is not lit up or is blinking, try adjusting the knob(s) or push against the metal bracket(s) that holds the eye in place to adjust the eyes so that they are directly pointing at one another. If the light(s) stop blinking and/or come back on, chances are you have solved the problem and your door will operate normally.

• Clean the sensor lenses with a cloth, as dust, spider webs, paint, etc. can prevent the eyes from making contact.

• Try holding down the wall button until your door is fully closed. If the door will close using this method, chances are one of your sensors needs replacement.

• If your garage door goes down but will not stay closed, you may need to readjust the "limits" that tell the opener when to stop lowering the door. Some models allow you to adjust the limits by simply turning a screw; follow any instructions provided in your owner's manual or written on the device itself to determine which direction adjusts the door up, then gradually make corrections until the weatherstripping on the bottom of the door is in contact with the ground (but the door itself is not). Once the correct limit is reached, your garage door should stay shut unless another issue is present.

• In cases where the door will not move at all, listen for a grinding sound while you operate the controls. Grinding can indicate the need to replace the gear inside the opener component. If you'd like to attempt this replacement yourself, carefully follow instructions provided in your owner's manual, or contact a professional.

Know When to Contact a Professional

Sometimes homeowners are able to correct a problematic garage door only to find that the same issue returns shortly thereafter. In particular, if you were able to correct the limits on your garage door but the same problem of the door not remaining shut quickly returns, you may have a more serious issue warranting the help of a professional garage door repairman.

If you have gone through the above checklist without success, a call to R&S at 925-671-7606 can save you a tremendous amount of time and hassle. We've got friendly staff that will answer your questions and provide you information in regards to all available options.