It is safe to say that your garage door is likely the most used door in your home; constantly opening and closing time and time again throughout the day as you come and go from your house. With the more wear and tear that is put on your garage door, the more there are going to be problems that may require servicing. So what is it that can cause your garage door not to open?

1 Blocked Photo Eye

What is the Photo Eye? If you have a garage door that was installed after 1993 (and hopefully you do) the Photo Eye was added as a security feature. It is the sensors at the bottom of your garage that keeps the door from closing if something is in the way. 

For example:

• Bicycles
• Pets
• Car
• Children

Be sure and clear the area under your garage door so that it can close properly. If there is nothing physically there, but the Photo Eye is dirty you will need to wipe it down.

If the Photo Eye is misaligned, you will need to have a technician come out to get it fixed.

2 Lack of Power

Sometimes, a garage door not closing is as simple as a power cord being unplugged. If this is the case, all you have to do is plug it back in. This is not always the case though. Sometimes there is a lack of power because a breaker was blown. Because this is an electrical error, you will want a licensed professional to come out and diagnose the problem.

3 Old Batteries

If you are trying to use a remote garage door opener and the garage door will not open, it could be something as simple as a dead battery in the remote. Go to the opener that is wired on your wall and see if it will open whenever you manually put in the garage door code. If it opens, you will know the prob;em is with your remote and not with the door. Luckily, this will not call for a technician to come out.

4 Lock Mode Has Been Turned On 

If you have tried to open your garage door with the remote and then again with the wall code and it still doesn’t open, you may have accidentally turned lock mode on and didn’t realize it. This is done as easily as holding down the close button for too long. Not all garage doors have this mechanism, but the ones that do can typically be fixed as easily as holding the button down again for several seconds to unlock the lock mechanism.

5 Broken Springs

A reason for a garage door not opening that is more serious is whenever a spring is broken. The  motor will continue to run but the door will not open. The first thing you will want to do is contact a service technician. 

A broken spring can be incredibly dangerous, but it is typical with garage doors. Whenever the coils wear down from years of use, they will need to be replaced.

You can head a spring breaking if you’re around whenever it happens. It sounds like a loud gunshot or firework. 

Whatever you do, do not attempt to fix this on your own. While some repairs can be made at home, others need tobe done by a professional. 

6 Broken Cables

Similar to broken springs, a broken cable is dangerous and needs to be repaired as soon as possible. The cable is what keeps your garage door from free falling to the ground and smashing whatever is in its path. Not only would this damage your garage door, but it could be potentially life threatening if someone were underneath your garage door whenever it fell. 

It is safe to say you 100% need to call a technician if you notice a broken cable on your garage door. Absolutely do not try to fix this on your own.

7 Misaligned Door Tracks

Have you ever inspected your garage door? If so, you’ll notice that the door glides along a set of metal tracks. If these tracks become damaged and misaligned, your garage door will not be able to open properly. You may notice a squeaking noise while the garage door is trying to open or close. This is another repair that will need to be made by a licensed technician. 

If your garage door will not open properly, you can always call The Garage Door Guys of Central Arkansas and we can come out and inspect the area and give you a free quote on our diagnosis.