Garage door won’t work? Here’s what to do before calling a Garage Door Company

The garage tends to be the primary entrance for most properties. It’s no wonder, then, that homeowners will feel frustrated if theirs is no longer operating smoothly.

Obviously, if your garage door is not working, the services of a garage door company is going to be your best and safest option. But there are some precautionary checks that you should do before calling a garage door company that way, you’ll know whether you’re going to need some kind of repair, or if your issues are nothing beyond a simple glitch.

With that in mind, here’s what you need to investigate before contacting a garage door company. 

Check all the batteries

Remote control batteries are going to run their course at some point or another – this is an inevitable reality we all have to face. Now, you’ll likely have more than one transmitter for your garage. Try opening the door with both of them: if one works, and the other doesn’t, all you need is a simple battery replacement. We recommend you change the batteries in both controls as you’ll likely have got them at the same time (so if one has run out, the other is close to following suit).

If neither transmitter works, try opening and closing the door using the wall switch. A working switch will indicate that the problem is in your remote transmitters themselves. If you can’t open the door using the wall button, however, you might need an opener battery replacement instead.

Take a close look at those photo eye sensors

Your garage door will have two photo eye sensors, installed on opposite sides of the door frame. These are very small glass components that play an important part in your garage door’s opening and closing operations. Basically, the photo eyes ensure your door reverses if there’s anything blocking its path – it’s an important mechanism that all garage doors built after 1993 are required by law to have fitted in them.

With photo eye sensors, the first thing to check is if there’s any dirt or debris causing interference. Built up gunk will block these sensors, making it difficult to operate the door smoothly. Cleaning the photo eyes is as simple as getting a streak-free cleaner from your local garage door repair business, and gently dabbing it onto the surface. Be careful not to scratch the glass, and make sure to wash off the excess using some warm water.

Misalignment is another issue that could happen. Your photo eye sensors should be level on both sides. Measure their distance and angle from the ground up and, if you have a spirit level handy, realign these as needed.

Make sure your manual lock hasn’t been activated

Sometimes, your opening troubles could be as simple as a lock being wrongly activated. For example, you might have been moving around some boxes or a trash can by the door, and knocked the manual lock by accident. If you can hear a motor running as you try to open the door, this will be the likely culprit – to unlatch it, simply turn the handle, usually found in the middle of a door, until you hear a clicking sound. But if that doesn’t solve your issues, you might have a motor problem on your hands.

Look out for door path blockage

The last thing to look out for is whether there is anything visibly blocking your door’s path. A garage door comprises two reversing mechanisms, which will keep your door from opening if there is something in the middle of it. Clear off all the area of any boxes, trash cans, toys, tools, or anything else that could be on the floor. Also make sure there isn’t any dirt or grime on your tracks, photo eyes and rollers, as these could cause interference too.

Getting the help you need from a garage door repairs business

No matter where you’re based, we hope this blog post helps you take the right precautions whenever you’re dealing with a malfunctioning garage door. As you can see, your issues could require quite simple troubleshooting fixes, while others may require some intricate repairs. Check everything closely and, if in doubt, don’t hesitate to contact a trustworthy garage door company in your location.