What to do when your garage door stops working

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The average homeowner is usually pretty handy and can fix a lot of things around the house. But when it comes to repairing or replacing their garage door, they get all flustered, frustrated, and give up. That’s because there are so many complicated parts involved in installing a new garage door opener that people just don’t know where to start. The good news is that you don’t have to be an expert either! All you need is the right information about how your residential garage door works and then step-by-step instructions for replacing it with a new one.

Check the power supply

When you don’t use it for a while, the power supply might stop providing power to your garage door opener. This is because if there’s no movement on the sensor, it turns off. If this happens then you’ll need to turn it back on by flipping the breaker switch or checking other electrical components that may be malfunctioning. You can also check any wiring connected to your garage door opener and make sure all connections are tight and secure.

First, in the remote control, press the “Manual” button. If this works then you know that your remote is fine and you can continue troubleshooting. However, if it does not work then you will need to replace your remote. See our article on how to replace garage door opener remotes. Check if any lights are blinking on the motor unit of your opener. This usually occurs when the open or close command was issued without having a working safety sensor installed. Also, make sure that both motion sensors are connected correctly with wires towards terminal screws marked “S” for short circuit detection and “L” for loop detector installation.

Check sensors, springs, and cables

The garage door is one of the most common tools in your home. It’s also one of the most used items in your home, so it’s important to know how to fix it when it stops working. There are a few different things that can go wrong with a garage door. The sensors could be malfunctioning or broken, there might be an issue with the springs and cables that keep the door raised, or there may just be something stuck in between the tracks on either side of the opening where you would normally put up the door manually.

When something goes wrong with your garage, there are a few quick things you can look at before calling for professional help.

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Check the sensors

If your system is suddenly displaying an error message like “check door,” or if it’s suddenly stopped working entirely, there may be an issue with the sensor. When checking up on these sensors, make sure that they’re not damaged in any way. If you see any visible signs of damage to them, then don’t try to move ahead and fix them yourself. You’ll need to get them replaced by a professional either way, but if the sensor’s broken you don’t want it turning on when someone opens the door while you’re brainstorming ways to keep it open so you can get inside.

Check the springs and cables

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If you think that your garage door’s not working because of a broken spring or cable, then it’s important to inspect these components on either end before you try to fix them yourself. These parts are connected at both ends by the winding mechanism, which is what allows them to be raised and lowered with ease. You can find this part of the system on your garage ceiling on one side and the other side in a wheel directly under where you would put the door inside your home when you wanted to use it manually. If there’s an issue with any of these parts—like if one is bent or if their cables have been torn—you’ll need professional help getting them fixed. Make sure you don’t try to force the door open by leaning on it or trying to raise it yourself. You can end up harming yourself or causing even more damage to your home if you do this, so take care when diagnosing your garage door issue.

Call for help

If none of these quick things work and you’re still having trouble with your garage door, then it’s time to call someone in to fix the problem right away. If you have any friends who are handy around houses or cars, then see if they can come to check out what’s going on before you break down and call a professional. If that doesn’t work for some reason, though—or if there is no one else around—then just go ahead and call for help as soon as you can.

If the sensors are broken, replace them

The most common problem with garage doors is when the sensors just aren’t working properly. It could be that they’ve been broken in some way, or it could be that their wiring has come loose somehow. If there’s any part of your system where you see any visible signs of physical damage—like if one of the sensor boxes is cracked or if something looks to have pierced through an outer layer—then it won’t work until these issues are fixed by a professional. Even if it looks like there was no damage done to the box itself, then still call for help because there may still be wiring issues preventing whatever sensor you’re using from getting a proper signal back to the control pad.

Get new springs installed

Dozens of people every year wind up with injuries because they try to fix broken garage door springs in some way when they don’t know what they’re doing. These springs are very powerful, and if you aren’t careful around them then you could end up getting hurt badly. Don’t put yourself or your family at risk by trying to replace these parts on your own. If the cables on either side of the winding mechanism have snapped, then get this part replaced as soon as possible before the safety bar falls when you open the garage door. There’s no point in using a system that can cause injury without even having someone there, so call a professional right away.

If nothing is wrong with the springs, make sure that your system is safe

The most common reason why people need to call for help with their garage door is that they cannot get it closed safely anymore. This isn’t something you usually think about when trying to fix a problem with your home; you just want the thing to work. Once you’ve checked all of the above components and still can’t figure out why your garage door won’t function properly, then turn on the control pad. Most of these systems will show an error code if there’s any kind of safety issue that could cause injury or property damage later on if serious precautions aren’t taken right away.

ALL Garage Doors and Gates is family owned in the heart of North Hollywood, CA with years of experience in the garage door and gate industry. Taking the experience and knowledge with each year that passes, our company has one goal: building our client long term relationships ethically and professionally. 

Trust in our professionals that we will go above and beyond to manufacture the perfect new garage door or gate for your home. All our repair services come with warranties and you can be sure you are in good hands. We will do all we can to make sure you are fully satisfied with our garage door and gate services.

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What Our Clients Say

Maya RozovMaya Rozov
19:22 25 Mar 22
We absolutely love our garage door! We’re slowly updating and remodeling our house and this is by far one of the best experiences we’ve had with a vendor! They provided not only the best price, but the team was so professional, nice, easy to work with, accommodating and also funny and enjoyable to work with! We will definitely be using them again for when we replace our gate and I will highly recommend them to anyone who needs a garage door or gate in the future!!
sharon kaufmansharon kaufman
23:52 24 Mar 22
I had the most amazing experience with All Garage Doors and Gates!!! I had an emergency with my garage door where it almost dropped down on my car. A part was loose and the emergency lever was loose. I called them right away and Aidan was at my home within the hour. I can't believe how quickly he was able to help and fix the broken part. He is kind, compassion and a pleasure to be around. I will be calling him right away when I have any other issues going forward. I highly recommend this Garage Door company. Amazing service and super caring people!!!!
Marian EmmaMarian Emma
01:46 01 Mar 22
Best company to call for help when the garage door is stuck. Eli came out within an hour in the evening time and changed out the broken springs. He also checked out the other parts of the door and the opener to make sure everything was working fine. Gave me tips on caring for the springs in the future. Very honest and great pricing.
Paige ParkerPaige Parker
15:54 25 Jan 22
The whole experience was great. They arrived came up with a plan to work with my low ceiling Garage door and provided the quote quickly. Once I gave the go ahead the door arrived sooner than expected and installation was great. I would definitely use them again. As a plus, more professional and less expensive than the other quote I got.I will use them agai.
Eran HEran H
22:21 11 Jan 22
Thank you ALL Garage Doors and Gates. I live out of state and Dana and her crew have always taken care of my garage door repair issues on my properties. Never had a worry and always a perfect job! Best garage door repair company in North Hollywood - highly recommend them on.. very reliable and professional 👍
MJ MadisonMJ Madison
19:27 03 Jan 22
My experience with ALL Garage has been fantastic. Dana was very responsive and easy to work with. She was very understanding with all my changes. I really had a hard time just getting a quote from other companies. I don't understand why some companies would take the trouble to send someone out and not just send a quote. I was super happy with this company. They were happy to clarify things with me about the project and made sure I understood the scope of work. Thank You ALL GARAGE DOORS and GATES!!
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