Has your garage door motor stopped responding, and you’re left trying to open or close your garage door without success? Here is a quick guide to troubleshooting an unresponsive garage door.
Is your garage door remote not working?
First, troubleshoot using your remote. Is the motor simply not responding because your garage door remote isn’t working, or is it not responding in general? If it isn’t responding to the remote, try changing out the remote’s batteries, or changing out the remote completely if necessary. You’ll also want to make sure that your remote hasn’t become “deprogrammed.” (If it remote has stopped working for this reason, you’ll need to take a look at your owner’s manual.)
Make sure your door isn’t locked.
Maybe your garage door wall opener is not working? Many garage door openers feature a locking function, which, when activated, prevents the garage door from being opened by means of the remote or using the button on the wall opener. Check your wall opener for the small “lock” button and ensure that it isn’t switched on. You may have to read your owner’s manual to deactivate it if you notice that it has been activated.
Check the power source.
If it seems to be a more general problem—and not just something with the remote—check that your garage door motor is plugged in completely. You’ll want to check the motor’s power outlet and the wall socket here. If that power connection looks intact, be sure to take a look at the circuit breaker or fuse.
Check your sensors.
First, be sure that nothing is blocking your garage door sensors; this will prevent an open garage door from closing. If nothing is in the way of the sensors, be sure that they are in proper alignment. When garage door sensors fall out of alignment, they fall to “communicate” with one another that nothing is in the way, resulting in an unresponsive garage door.
Call a professional.
When in doubt, it’s best to call a professional. It’s much better to have a professional take a look at your garage door motor than for you to risk injury by dabbling in your garage door’s electrical functions.
In a pinch? See if your garage door has a manual function.
If you’re in a pinch and need to open your garage door as soon as possible, locate a red rope with a small handle attached to your garage door motor. Firmly grip this handle and pull straight down. This will disengage the trolley, and your door will move freely.
