Every day, the garage door opens and closes; it is estimated that it opens and closes over 1,500 times in a year. The garage door opener guides the opening and closing of the garage door. It consists of a motor and a trolley that moves along a track to raise and lower the garage door. The garage door and opener connect by a pin that allows it to engage or disengage from the garage door. With a 500 pounds garage door, that is a lot of heavy lifting done repeatedly by the garage door opener. It is no surprise that garage door openers are a common source of frustration for many homeowners. Fortunately, not all issues necessitate the assistance of an expert. These are some of the most common garage door opener problems and what you can do about them.
It Fails to Close or Open Completely
Check the rollers and track when the garage door opener fails to open or close completely. Damaged or rusted rollers may be the cause. In this case, replacing or lubricating the rollers will help. The problem can also be the tracks shifting or becoming bent, which will necessitate the assistance of a professional.
If the problem is with closing, there might be issues with the safety sensors. Electronic eyes near the bottom of the door track on both sides will require a clear line of sight between them. The door will close entirely if the sightlines are clear. If anything is in the way of the sightline, or if the brackets holding the electronic eyes are misaligned, the garage door will not descend all the way. Most of the time, the door will reverse or stop, and lights will flash to alert you that there is a problem. Readjusting or realigning the sensors or brackets will help in this situation.
It Reverses Before or Immediately After Reaching the Floor
When the door reverses before or immediately after it reaches the floor, it’s usually because of a close-limit switch problem. The friction of the door rollers is fooling the garage door opener into thinking that the door has reached the floor. The opener’s sensitivity needs to be reduced. In such cases, you will need to adjust the close-force settings. Sometimes, damaged or rusted rollers can also cause extra friction, causing the door opener to stop too soon. To avoid this problem, ensure the rollers are in good shape and well-lubricated.
It Does Not Operate with the Remote Control or Wall Switch
When the wall switch or remote is pressed and the garage door does not move, the garage door opener’s power source is somehow disrupted. The most common problem is that the motor unit has been unplugged. Start by checking the outlet and ensuring the cord is completely plugged in. It’s also possible that the garage door opener circuit’s circuit breaker or fuse has tripped or burned out. It is easy to spot this when you notice that other garage lights or electrical circuits are not working. Finally, the motor may have burned out. For this, you will require a professional technician to replace it.
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