Four Possible Reasons Why Your Garage Door Opener Has Failed You
When you push the button on your garage door opener, you expect the door to rise up. When this does not occur, you're left to manually lift the door, which can be pretty frustrating! Since nobody wants to live with a non-functioning garage door opener for long, it's important to get to the bottom of the issue quickly. Here's a look at four common reasons why garage door openers fail -- and how you should take care of each issue.
The Batteries Are Dead
This is the simplest explanation and the easiest one to fix. Your transmitter likely holds AA or AAA batteries, and they will only last a year or two with regular use. To test whether the batteries are dead, push the button on your garage door opener's wall-mounted unit. If this opens the door, then your transmitter is to blame. Head to your local hardware store, pick up a new set of batteries, and pop them into place.
Keep in mind that after you replace the batteries, you may need to "reprogram" the transmitter, depending on your system. Usually, this just involves pushing the button on the transmitter and the button on your wall-mounted unit at the same time in order to sync the two up.
The Springs Are Out of Balance
Does your garage door opener make noise when you push the transmitter button, even though it does not ultimately open or close the door? Take a look at the two springs on either side of the inside of the door. If one of them is unhooked or looks a lot looser than the other, then the springs are likely to blame. The opener relies on the springs to open and close the door, and if they are at different tensions, they cannot work properly.
In most cases, it's not a good idea to attempt to repair garage door springs yourself. The springs are under a lot of tension and can cause serious injury. This is a job you should leave to a garage door repair contractor from a company like Raynor Door Company.
The Laser Eye is Dirty Or Broken
There is a laser "eye" mounted across the garage door opening. Usually it's about halfway down towards the floor. This laser eye detects when something is in the path of the garage door, and if it sees something in the path, it stops the door from moving any further downward. This keeps kids (and pets and adults) from getting caught under a closing garage door.
Locate the eye, and wipe it off with some window cleaner or all-purpose cleaner. This should clear away any dust and debris that may be keeping it from working properly. If the eye is out of place, broken, or has fallen off the wall, call in a garage door repair expert.
The Door Was Disconnected
Most garage doors have a rope or lever you can pull to disconnect the door from the automatic opener. If this lever or rope was accidentally pulled, then your opening mechanism should still make noise when you push the button, even though the door won't open or close.
To see if your door was disconnected, look at the inside of it. Is there a hook on the opening mechanism that looks like it should be through the door, but is not? Open the door -- manually -- all of the way. It should hook back into the opening mechanism and work properly again.
Most problems with garage door openers fall into one of the categories above. However, if you are struggling to figure out what's wrong with your door and how to deal with it, do not hesitate to call in a repair expert. There are some less common problems that might be to blame.
