Your garage door opener is a reliable piece of machinery that drives the springs and cables to open and close your garage door. Yet, no matter how reliable that piece of machinery is, all machines break down and need to be replaced. Now if your opener quits working altogether, that is a sure sign you need a new garage door opener installed. Yet sometimes your opener has issues or problems that are indicative of it needing to be replaced that can be overlooked. Here are some common garage door opener problems that might mean you need to replace your opener.
Remotes and Wall Switches
Remote Control nor Wall Switch Will Open or Close the Door.
If the opener will not respond to the wall switch or the remote, the simplest answer is usually the case, which means the opener is not getting power. Check to see if the opener has been unplugged from its power source. Make sure the cord is plugged in all the way. If the cord is plugged in, you may want to check your circuit breaker or fuse. If none of those options have worked, it’s possible the garage door opener’s motor has burned out and isn’t operating at all. This means it would be time to replace the garage opener.
The Wall Switch Works But the Remote Doesn’t.
If the door operates with the hardwired wall switch but not the remote, it’s likely the battery needs replacing in the remote control or keypad. If that has not helped, check to see if the antenna on your garage door opener has been damaged or is not pointing down.
The Remote Works but the Wall Switch Doesn’t.
If the remote works but the wall switch doesn’t, you may have to replace the wall switch, or the wall switch wires. First, you have to determine which is the problem. Unscrew the switch from the wall and touch the two wires together. These are low voltage wires so they will not shock you. If the opener runs, you have a bad switch. Purchase the one recommended for your model and replace the switch. If the opener doesn’t run when you touch the wires at the opener, use a small wire and jump those same two wires at the opener terminal. If the opener runs, the wire that connects the opener to the switch is bad. You can replace it using 18- to 22-gauge wire.
Opening and Closing the Garage Door Does Not Work Correctly
Your garage door opens, then immediately reverses direction.
If you push the button and the garage door begins to open and then completely reverses direction, this could have a simple explanation. If the sensors are blocked, dirty, or an object is in the way, this could be the root cause. However, if your garage door continues to act this way despite repeated attempts to clear the sensors and area of debris, it may be time to look at replacing the opener.
The garage Door Won’t Close All the Way.
If the garage door goes down when you hold down the wall switch, your safety sensors are probably out of alignment or going bad. These are near the bottom of the door track on both sides. They are electronic eyes that require a clear line of view between them. The small light on each sensor should be lit up when nothing is between them. If there is no red light at all, that probably means they need to be replaced. If you do see a red light, that means they probably need to be realigned. Sometimes, vibrations from the door in the tracks can loosen the brackets holding the sensors, changing their alignment, and need to be realigned. Also, make sure there is nothing blocking the line of sight between the two sensors. Also, direct sunlight shining on the sensor eye can trick the sensor.
The garage Door Does Not Open Completely.
If the garage door opens, but not all the way, one of two things are probably the issue. Either damaged rollers can also cause the door to stop short of fully opening or the up-limit switch may need to be moved toward the motor unit. In most cases it will be the rollers, in which case the rusty roller needs to be lubricated, or damaged ones need to be replaced. The up-limit switch is a rarer occurrence. This switch is usually a simple touch-lever mounted on the end of the track near the motor unit, and if it is too far away, the motor will stop the door before it fully opens. The solution is to move the switch closer to the motor unit.
The garage door opens and begins vibrating.
A little vibration during opening or closing is normal, but if your opener begins vibrating violently when in operation, this could be a sign of a serious internal problem that should be checked out immediately.
You start hearing the opener make weird noises.
In addition to vibrating, if the opener suddenly begins making noises you have never heard before, it might be time for a service call or a complete replacement. The existence of a noise you are unfamiliar with is almost always indicative of some type of internal problem so if you begin hearing something you have never heard before, take action immediately. If you catch the issue in time, a simple repair versus a replacement may be in order. Older chain-driven models are certainly much noisier and the noise could be from a rusty chain-driven opener. Newer garage door openers are belt-driven and are generally much quieter but any new noise that you do not recognize should be investigated immediately.
If you are experiencing any of these signs, the Houston garage door repair experts at Spectrum Overhead Door LLC can diagnose your garage door opener problem and see if it is best to replace or just repair your opener motor. The greater Houston area is the only market we serve because our company is locally owned and operated. We have two office locations: 11020 Katy Freeway #116b Houston, TX 77043 in which the number is 281-748-9542, and 16023 East Fwy #11
Channelview TX, 77530 in which the number is 713-557-3407. Call us at either location or come by and we can schedule you an appointment to repair or replace your garage door opener motor. Same-day appointments are available!
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