Where to Start Troubleshooting

It’s pretty obvious when the opener isn’t working: you push the button and nothing happens. Don’t panic; pay attention to little clues instead. If, for instance, a control pad fails to light up or the motor makes an unusual sound, your best bet is to check that specific component. When there isn’t a visible clue to track, consider the symptoms to suggest a cause and possibly a cure.

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🔴🔵Warning🔴🔵 Do not do this!!

The torsion spring is the long, coiled piece that runs horizontally just above the door. This spring – not the motor or armature attaching the door to the mechanical unit – does the heavy lifting. A note of caution: This spring is under an enormous amount of tension and the average DIYer should not attempt to remove it. Garage doors aren’t light – steel doors can weigh 300 pounds easily.

🔴🔵🔴🔵 THIS SPRING CAN REMOVE BODY PARTS🔴🔵🔴🔵

Call a professional  Like Patrick's Garage Door Company!

Annual Garage Door Opener Maintenance

Perform an annual inspection and maintenance procedure on your garage door and opener to keep it working for years. Clean all tracks and lubricate moving parts. Change batteries and check all bolts and fasteners. Inspect belts, chains and pulleys, replacing worn parts as necessary. Test the lift and close force and adjust accordingly. Look at the garage door seal and repair the weather stripping if needed.

The Garage Door Light Fails to Operate

If your garage door opener is leaving you in the dark, check the lightbulb first; it’s the most common cause of light failure. More complex issues involve a dead socket or problems inside the motor’s circuit board. Unplug your garage door opener or remove the batteries for 30 seconds or more. Plug it in again. In many cases this will reset the circuit board as well as fix other mechanical problems. If the light still fails to work, have a professional assess and solve the problem for you.

The Garage Door Opener is Noisy or the Door Vibrates

Some openers are louder than others. Chains rattle, springs creak and doors chatter as they move. As long as the door operates properly, barring alarming noises such as shrieks that suddenly arise or smoke billowing from the unit, there’s probably nothing to cause concern. New noises or movements can result from loose nuts and bolts or failure in the track system. Examine every part of the door, rails, drive and springs. Tighten or adjust components as needed. Lubricate the travel mechanism with a little oil or as recommended by the manufacturer.
You can actually pop the cover off the opener unit and observe how it works when activated. Just don’t touch anything to prevent electrical shock or injury.

The Garage Door Opener Hums but Doesn’t Operate

Humming may be a good sign – you know it has power. The unit may simply be bound up. Check the moving parts to ensure the rails aren’t blocked and the armature is connected to the garage door. Ensure the unit is engaged, not in manual mode. Another possibility is, again, the force adjustment. Old, weak springs may shift much of the burden for lifting and lowering the door to the opener motor and drive system. While the unit may be able to handle the weight, then again, it may not. The result will be a straining motor that fails to open or close the door. Tweak the force adjustment to solve this problem.
A handy way to determine if the fault lies in the opener or the door is to eliminate the opener. Pull the emergency release handle hanging from the overhead unit to disengage it and allow the door to open and close manually. Lift and lower the door, testing the spring and rail systems. Your door should stay at any point of travel, when released, on its own. If it doesn’t and previous steps fail to fix the problem, the springs are too worn and need replacement.
If, however, the door stays where it’s left and moves up and down smoothly, the problem is likely an internal component in the garage door opener unit itself. Keep the setting on manual, so you can continue to use your garage, and consult a qualified professional.

The Garage Door Motor Fails to Stop Running

It probably comes as no surprise: If the door opens or closes but the motor continues to run, the limit switch is probably to blame. Adjust the switch, either on the rear of the opener unit or on the track, and try the opener again to confirm the solution.