Garage doors today need an opener, and our busy lifestyle demands it as well. The average garage door opens and closes 3 to 5 times per day, approximately 1500 times a year. That’s a lot of heavy work for your garage door’s opening mechanism. Should be no surprise that issues with your garage door opening or closing can turn this convenience into frustration. As a garage door service and repair company, at A1 Affordable Garage Door Services, we daily deal with garage door problems and fixes. Here are some of the most common garage door problems and helpful tips to consider as you troubleshoot what’s ailing your garage door.
Step 1: Check the Garage Door to See If It’s Locked
Electric garage doors are designed so that the locks are switched on and off by the door motor and can be locked or unlocked by the press of a button. This is the most common reason why a garage door will not open. If the lock switch is turned on, your door will not open. Most garage door opener switches have 2 buttons. One button is to open and close the garage door and the other button is to lock it in place. The lock button can easily be pushed locking the garage door and preventing it from opening.
Step 2: Check the Garage Door Motor to See If It’s Unplugged
Another common explanation for your garage door not working is it could be unplugged. Simply look at the garage door motor that’s attached to the garage ceiling. Check the plug and make sure it’s inserted into the electrical socket. If it isn’t, plug it back in and your garage door should be able to open.
Step 3: Check Photo Eye Sensors for Blockage
This is the most common issue causing a garage door opener to malfunction, the photo eye sensors. The system works like a flashlight and can be blocked to create a problem with the photo eye. There are 2 photo sensors, one on each side of the garage door just above the floor at the garage door opening. It shines a beam from one photo eye to the other. The photo eye can become blocked or just needs to be cleaned. Also, one or both sensors can come out of alignment. This can easily be fixed by realigning the sensor to point directly toward the other one.
Step 4: Check the Circuit Breaker
Another reason causing your garage door not to function is a tripped circuit breaker. This is often noticed due to the fact it affects other electrical components in your garage. Check it anyway and if it’s tripped reset it and check the garage door opener to see if it opens.
Conclusion: Garage Door Motor is Dead
Finally, when all the above steps have been checked out and all is good, it could be that your garage door motor has burned out. Get professional help in replacing your garage door opener by contacting a garage door repair specialist. A1 Affordable Garage Door Services & Repair in Plano are available to help you with all your garage door repairs and services. Call us today!
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