Garage Door Opener Troubleshooting

Save money, do it yourself

Repair your garage door opener and save money too

Garage door openers are like any other mechanical device - they eventually break down and need some troubleshooting to find out exactly what the problem is and what is needed to get the thing working again.

If your time is short, you can make a call to any local garage door company, and they will visit your home for a nominal service fee and fix any problem you may be experiencing. But if you're handy and want to spare the expense then it's certainly possible to solve the problem yourself.

First off, upon discovering a malfunction, you've already looked around for any obvious problems - unplugged power, obstructions, broken parks flung across the garage. There's nothing obvious yet the door still will not function properly.

Digging a little deeper, see if the rollers or channels have any obstructions that could cause the problem you're experiencing. Does the door spring appear to be in perfect working order, or could your lawn mower be blocking the safety beam. If garage door movement is being blocked, you can usually deduce the blockage with minimal investigation.

If no obstructions are discovered then check the fasteners. Check all the nuts and bolts looking for anything loose probably shouldn't be. Are all the brackets secure? One loose bracket or one loose hinge can cause your garage door to hang. Never carry out any maintenance with the garage door up, unless it has to be.  Tighten everything up with the door down; otherwise it might never close again! 

Have a close look at the roller. Make sure they look sturdy and secure, and that the horizontal tracks are still at the same level as they should be - that nothing has damaged the tracks, rollers or trolley. The tracks need plenty of space between them and the door, at least an inch or so, and if that is any less then the spring tension might need tightened a bit.  This sometimes happens with new installations, when the springs are new and settle requiring adjustment.

The problem most people have in understanding is that the garage door is likely the largest and heaviest part of their home that moves - and needs regular maintenance. They neither know how to maintain it nor what to do if it stops working as it should. What you should do is understand that a garage door opener is no different from any other moving system that needs regular cleaning and lubrication. Irrespective of its size, if you give it the same care and attention as your lawn mower then it will give you years of trouble free operation.

Garage door opener trouble shooting involves very little work other than common sense looking around at what is required to keep moving parts working properly. A little care and attention to the tracks, rollers, hinges, and springs will bring many years of trouble free operation.