Few things are more frustrating than a garage door that starts down, stops, and goes right back up. Or one that won't move at all when you press the remote and you need to leave for work.
The good news: most of the time the cause is simple, and some of it you can check yourself in a few minutes. This guide covers the usual suspects and where the line is between a quick fix and a job for a technician.
1. The most common causes
Safety sensors blocked or misaligned
The two small sensors near the bottom of the tracks must see each other. If they are bumped, dirty or blocked, the door reverses.
Sun in the sensor
Low afternoon or morning sun shining straight into a sensor can blind it. Common on west- and east-facing garages.
Close force or limit settings
If the opener thinks the door hit something, it reverses. Settings drift over time and with temperature.
Track or roller problems
A bent track, a worn roller or a loose bracket makes the door bind, and the opener reads that as an obstruction.
Broken spring or cable
If the door is suddenly very heavy, the opener cannot lift or control it. This needs a technician.
Remote or keypad
If the wall button works but the remote doesn't, it is the remote battery or programming, not the door.
2. What you can safely check yourself
Quick self-check list
- Look at the sensor lights. Usually one is green and one is amber. A blinking or dark light means they are not aligned.
- Wipe both sensor lenses with a soft cloth.
- Clear anything near the bottom of the tracks: brooms, bins, leaves, spider webs.
- Gently realign a sensor by hand until its light goes solid, then try again.
- Try the wall button. If it works and the remote doesn't, replace the remote battery.
- Hold the wall button down the whole way. Most openers will close while the button is held even if the sensors are misaligned. If it closes this way, the sensors are your problem.
If the door only reverses at a certain time of day, the sun is hitting a sensor. Swapping the two sensors to opposite sides, or adding a small sun shield, usually solves it.
3. When to stop and call a pro
- The door looks crooked or one side hangs lower than the other.
- You see a gap in a spring above the door, or a cable is loose or frayed.
- The door is suddenly very heavy or slams down when lowered by hand.
- The opener runs but the door doesn't move.
- You hear grinding, popping or a loud bang.
Garage door springs hold a lot of tension. Do not adjust, loosen or remove springs, cables or the bottom brackets yourself. Leave the door closed and call a technician.
4. San Diego specifics
Afternoon sun
Sensor glare is one of the most common reverse calls we get, especially on west-facing garages in the late afternoon.
Heat inland
In hot garages, grease thickens or dries out and rollers bind, which can make the opener think the door hit something.
Coastal rust
Near the coast, rust on rollers, hinges and track can make the door drag on the way down.
5. Next steps
- Run through the self-check list above.
- If the door closes while holding the wall button, realign or clean the sensors.
- If anything looks bent, loose or broken, leave the door closed.
- Call for a repair. Most of these problems are fixed on the first visit.
See our garage door repair service.
Door still won't close?
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