Garland, Texas
Garage door won't close or goes back up
Start at the floor. Clear the door's path, then wipe the two small sensors on either side of the door. That fixes a lot of these.
What the door does, and what it usually means
| What the door does | It often means |
|---|---|
| Reverses before it touches the floor, lights blink | A sensor is dirty, knocked out of line or has lost power. |
| Reverses when it touches the floor | The opener is reading the floor as an obstruction. The travel limit may need adjusting, or the bottom seal may be catching. |
| Stops partway down, then rises | Something in the track, a stiff roller or a binding hinge is making the door harder to move. |
| Closes only while the button is held | The opener isn't getting a good signal from the sensors. A wire may be cut or a sensor may have failed. |
What is happening
Two things reverse a closing door: something breaking the sensor beam, or the opener feeling too much resistance.
What is safe to do
- Clear anything on the floor in the door's path.
- Wipe both sensor lenses with a soft dry cloth.
- Look at the small light on each sensor. On most models, both should be steady.
- Watch the door close once and note where it turns back.
What to leave alone
- Don't tape over a sensor or run a jumper wire across its terminals.
- Don't turn the opener's force or travel settings up to make it push harder.
- Don't touch the springs, cables or lower brackets.
If you need the door shut tonight
On most openers with sensors, holding the wall button down closes the door for as long as you hold it. Keep the floor clear, watch the door the whole way down and let go if anything is in its path.
Treat that as a stopgap. It skips the sensors, so have the fault fixed before you go back to using the door normally.
Test it once a month
Lay a two-inch block of wood flat on the floor in the door's path and close the door. Federal rules for openers require it to reverse within two seconds of hitting the block, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission says to test this monthly.
If yours doesn't reverse, stop using the opener until it is fixed. A door that won't reverse can trap or crush a child or pet.
Source: CPSC garage door safety standard and CPSC opener sheet.
Door stuck, or opener dead?
Call this number and tell the independent contractor you reach what the door is doing.