Since your garage door always opens and closes when you need it to, you probably never envisioned a time when it wouldn’t open on demand. Unfortunately, if this time has arrived, let’s help solve the problem.
Help When Your Garage Door Won’t Open
Rather than panic and assume you need a new garage door, here are simple reasons why your door may not be opening and how to fix it.
Check the Plug
In many of these situations, the garage door won’t open because the opener isn’t plugged in. If you’re lucky, you’ve just got a cord that has worked itself loose from the wall outlet. Plug it back in and everything should work again!
Tripped Breaker
If your power cord is in fact plugged in then you’ll want to check the circuit breaker. It might have tripped. If you had a power outage or even a quick power surge that did not result in an actual outage, this can still trip a breaker. Head to your breaker box and flip the breaker back to the “on” position. With luck, your garage door will open up.
Locked from the Inside
Before convincing yourself you’ll be paying for unnecessary repairs, check if the door is locked from the inside. Remember, many garage doors have manual locks that allow them to be locked from the inside of the garage. Simple, but often overlooked, a locked garage door may be the reason the door isn’t opening up.
The Door is Off its Track
If your garage door won’t open at all or maybe opens up slightly but then stops, it’s possible the door may be off its track. Most of the time, this occurs after the door or track has been hit by something heavy. Should you or one of your family members accidentally tap the garage door when entering or exiting the garage, the track may be bent. If the damage is minor, you can probably use a mallet to realign the track. Should the damage be more extensive, call in a professional garage door repair technician.
Dusty Remote
Along with these possibilities, you may also want to try resetting your garage door’s remote control opener. Also, check if the photo eye sensor is covered over with dirt or dust. After playing detective for a few minutes, chances are you’ll solve the mystery of the garage door that would not open.
If your garage door stays shut after trying all of these possibilities, you’ll need to get a professional to come out and take a look. In this case, you at least know you’ve done everything you could! Soon, your garage door will be working again.
About the Writer: Lizzie Weakley is a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors and walks in the park with her husky, Snowball.
