There are many reasons why your overhead garage door won’t work well. If you just pause to consider how many parts such doors have, you won’t be surprised about the frequency of problems. Not that this is an excuse. No matter how many components garage doors have, they should all be in good condition ensuring the door’s good performance. On the other hand, they all wear. Since they are made of steel, they will corrode or break. During the winter, they will contract increasing the number of problems. So, Monday you might be dealing with the overhead door not closing and Wednesday you might not be able to open the door. They are both very serious (and common) problems. Today, let us examine the reasons for the door not opening and what you can do about it.
5 common reasons why your overhead door won’t open
1. The springs are broken
If your garage door springs break, forget it. The door won’t open. And you shouldn’t attempt opening it either. That’s because of the door’s weight. Your springs are installed and wound tightly to lift the door. No other part can do it. Not even the opener. In fact, if you try to open the door while the spring is broken, you will just add strain on the opener and that will cause premature wear. Don’t try opening the door manually either. Most residential garage doors weigh around 400 pounds. You will only hurt your back and chances are that the door will still not open.
Solution: garage door spring replacement. Call an expert for that.
2. The tracks are not aligned
All it takes is a few loose nuts for the garage door tracks to be thrown out of alignment. In this case, the door might come up for a few inches but then it will get stuck. This is also caused when tracks are bent. Garage door tracks and rollers are major components of overhead systems. If for any reason the rollers cannot slide in the tracks, the door won’t open.
Solution: fix the track problem. Bent tracks are often repaired. If they are misaligned, they can be fixed too. But it must be done with precision or the door will bind. Get pro help.
3. The cables have snapped
Garage door cables often snap when springs break. They cannot take the pressure alone. But they can also snap if they are extensively frayed. The truth is that cables don’t usually break together – there are two of them / one at each side. But even if one of them snaps, the door will dangle and won’t open.
Solution: broken cables must be replaced at once by pros too.
4. The opener’s sensitivity is not adjusted
There are limit and force adjustment screws in each opener. These settings
must be adjusted properly so that the door will close and open all the way. When it fails to open but only goes up a few inches, it means that the sensitivity is not set right.
Solution: you need to adjust the UP limit and force settings by turning the screw clockwise. If you have the opener’s manual, you can follow the instructions included to do it yourself.
5. There is a problem with the clicker
One common problem with garage door clickers is their battery, but this is easily replaced. But sometimes (especially after a power failure), the clicker might lose communication with the opener.
Solution: you must reprogram the clicker by following instructions in the manual. If the problem is not fixed, there might be a problem with the opener’s antenna. If the door won’t open when pressing the wall button either, there might be a problem with the reverse system. For these two problems, get in touch with a tech.
