Garage doors aren’t always the best at communication. Their flashing lights and refusals to close (or open) aren’t always very clear, and they tend to do it at the most inconvenient times. Sometimes you can troubleshoot what they’re trying to say yourself and other times it requires a pro. Here’s a breakdown of a few of the most common issues:
Remotes not working?
First check that it’s not a dead battery and then check the lock or vacation feature. The lock feature on your wall button might have accidentally been engaged, causing the door not to close, or the vacation feature might be preventing it from opening. Your manual will tell you how to deactivate those settings for your specific operator if it has them.
Door reversing when closing?
Try clearing the area around the sensors and aligning them. Typically located at the base of each side of the track, these sensors have to be aligned to communicate for your garage door to close automatically. If a sensor is blinking or there is no light showing on the sensors, it is most likely out of alignment.
Operator Flashing?
The number of times an operator flashes typically corresponds to an error code. Count the number of flashes and consult your owner’s manual for details on the issue. Or depending on the type of operator, it may just provide an actual error code you can reference in your manual.
Operator working but door not opening?
It’s possible that one or both of your garage door springs are broken. We often receive calls to troubleshoot a garage door that isn’t opening and a broken spring is the culprit. If your garage door has two springs, we often recommend replacing them at the same time. Why? They have a similar life cycle, meaning the second one tends to break within months of the first, and it’s more expensive for us to go back out to replace the two springs individually than it is to replace both together if both end up breaking.
Garage door making a screeching sound?
That sound might not necessarily be a screech of death. It's likely a sign the garage door track requires lubrication and the door may need an adjustment. Use silicone spray to lubricate all of the door’s hinges, rollers and bearings. Worn, steel ball bearing rollers or plastic rollers might be the culprits. In that case, replacing them with nylon rollers would be the best solution, which we can handle for you.
Rain entering from around or under the door?
That probably means either the climate seal or weather seal is warped or cracked, allowing rain to seep around the protective barrier. We sell the seal over the counter if you’d like to replace it yourself and also can replace it for you.
Rails moving during opening or closing?
That normally means either the bolts holding the rails together are loose or the bolts holding the rails to the garage door ceiling are loose. Either way tightening or replacing the bolts should remove anything more than slight movement in the rails during operation.
Regardless of the issue, your first step should be checking the instruction manual for your specific garage door operator model as they all have slightly different variations. From there if you aren’t able to troubleshoot the issue yourself, our technicians have years of experience and can help get your garage door running smoothly again!