Reasons Why your garage door won’t close

Q: How much weight can a garage door rail hold?

The maximum wei ght is about 225-400 pounds. It depends on the model of the rails and their quality.

The most common reasons why the door won’t close are:

Problems with sensors;
Damage to tracks or rollers;
Trolley is in bypass mode;
Breakage of the door remote control or batteries for it;
Screws not adjusted.

Once a while people face a problem when the door won’t close automatically or even manually. Actually, a garage is a convenient place not only for parking a car but also for storing tools, sports equipment, and other valuables. Therefore, when such annoying trouble occurs, it needs to be resolved as quickly as possible.

We advise you to contact an appliance repairman, if you encounter this trouble. He has extensive experience in this type of repair and will take all necessary equipment.

However, if you want to try to deal with this trouble on your own, follow our instructions.

In this article, we’ll look at the main reasons why the door won’t close and what methods will help you renovate it.

Common reasons why garage door does not close properly

Let’s consider the most popular reasons for this trouble in detail:

Problems with sensors

The garage door has safety lasers; they are located at the bottom near the rails. If they receive a signal that some object is near the door, it won’t be able to close until it disappears. It’s necessary so that the child or animal is not pinched by the door if it is nearby.

If this component got dirty, it might cause sending a false signal to the control board. Also, if the sensors are blinking, they might be configured incorrectly. It can be the reason why they do not see each other.

Damage to tracks or rollers

The next cause may be bent or damaged rollers that are blocking movement. Also, you need to check the overhead track that starts where the door opener is located.

Trolley is in bypass mode

The trolley is a mechanism that is necessary to combine the door and the opener. To make sure that you have found exactly the trolley, you need to take a closer look at it. A cable should hang from it. Engaging and disengaging the door from the chain opening mechanism is necessary.

If you can close the garage door manually, then the trolley is in user mode.

Breakage of the door remote control or batteries for it

Another reason your garage door won’t close could be a malfunctioning remote control. This trouble can happen because the batteries are discharged in it. However, this problem can also occur due to a power surge clearing the door opener’s memory.

Screws not adjusted

If the door doesn’t close all the way, it could be because the locking screws are not appropriately adjusted. The screws have contacts transmitting to the door a signal how far they need to be opened or closed. If they are not adjusted properly, it could be the reason why the door won’t close.

How to fix my garage door?

Follow our instructions to diagnose the components closing the door and repair them in case of a malfunction: check safety sensors, inspect tracks and rollers, examine the trolley, check the remote control, and adjust limit screws.

Problem with sensors.

Check safety sensors. First, check that there are no objects or obstacles near the garage. The obstacles near the door could cause the safety sensors to give false information for safety purposes. Then check that the safety sensors are not contaminated. If they are dirty, wipe them up with a soft cloth.

If you see your sensors blinking, try to adjust them. Loosen one of them until the small indicator gets steady and fix it in that position.

Damage to tracks or rollers

Inspect tracks and rollers. In the second stage, you need to make sure that no obstacles are in the way due to which the door does not move.

Also, examine tracks and the roller in order to identify possiblе damages. If you find damage to the sections, you can fix it by using clamps or hitting with a hammer.

Finally, check the suspension track and lubricate the rollers with white lithium or silicone grease.

Trolley is in bypass mode

Examine the trolley. You have to examine your trolley if your garage door moves freely manually but at the same time does not automatically close. The problem might be since it’s in bypass mode.

It is necessary to pull the rope toward the door, to fix this trouble. It will help take the trolley and the latch out of the bypass mode.

Breakage of the door remote control or batteries for it

Check the remote control. Try replacing the remote control batteries and checking the remote control operation.

If this method does not solve the problem, try setting up the remote again. It is necessary to use the ladder to open the rear flap, where you need to find the button with the name “Learn” and press it until the indicator starts flashing. Then press the button on the remote control again.

Screws not adjusted

Adjust limit screws. If your garage door doesn’t close all the way but stops without retracting, it is necessary to try adjusting the locking screws. To do this, follow these steps:

Open the back flap; there you will see two plastic screws marked “Up” and “Down”.
Take a flathead screwdriver and turn the screw “Down” using quarter-turn increments, checking the operation of your garage door.
Do this until the door closes and slightly compresses the rubber pad.

We are confident that you will be able to cope with this irritating nuisance, using our pieces of advice. If you need help, call a specialist!

Call the professional craftsman

If you can not renovate the door or don’t wanna waste your time – call our skilled master. Our company Atlas Appliances Repair provides services and will help you renovate anything you need.

We also repair household appliances such as:

Refrigerators;
Microwaves;
Ovens;
Washing machines;
Dryers.

This is not our complete list of repairs. Go to our website, where you can view the full list of our services, read interesting and useful articles about repairing your appliance. We’re always ready to help you!