Troubleshooting Garage Door Openers

If your garage door opener is not working right the ideal situation is to have it repaired professionally. Sometimes this cannot be done immediately or even in the very near future. You may have other bills pending or need time to find that “just right” Newnan, GA repair shop. What should you do? Troubleshooting your garage door opener is the best option. This will save you money and it allows you to get your garage door opener working again quickly and with just a little effort on your part.

If you are like most, you love the convenience and security that your garage door opener affords you. These handy appliances allow us to access our garages without ever leaving the comfort and security of our cars. Easy in; easy out; that’s what we’ve come to enjoy AND expect! So when your garage door opener unit stops working, you really feel the loss!

Start here first!

Let’s start our troubleshooting by first checking our power supply. If you push the power button on the garage wall or on your remote and nothing happens be sure to apply this step! There’s an electrical outlet on the garage ceiling that your opener unit is plugged into. Unplug your opener and plug something else into the socket to test it. You can use a small appliance, radio or clock, etc. The goal is to see if the power supply is functional through this outlet. If the outlet works; fine. If it doesn’t, be sure to check your breaker box and check to see if you need to reset the breaker switch. Often, this simple move can save you big money over a professional repair bill.

Now try this…

Is the power supply working fine? Good; let’s move on to the next step! Check to see if your garage door opener isn’t locked down. Many opener units have a locking mechanism on the wall switch that can prevent a perfectly working garage door opener unit from opening or closing. Check your owner’s manual or do a YouTube search for your particular opener model to see if it is capable of locking. Many times, a simple bump can lock your opener unit on the wall switch and cause a needless expense and lots of stress.

Don’t sensor this!

Was your opener unlocked or is it not capable of locking? No problem; we’ll move on to the next item on our troubleshooting agenda; the photoelectric safety eyes! These sensors are actually the leading cause of garage door openers not working right! You can often save yourself a repair bill by simply checking these sensors to see if they are aligned and working right! Here in Newnan, GA like in most other residential communities we can get busy and distracted, allowing bicycles, trash cans or garden tools to bump our safety eyes throwing them off alignment. If the beam of light from one sensor to the other doesn’t connect, your garage door won’t open or close. Check to make double sure that your sensors are aligned correctly and that the light beam is indeed shining from one end to the other.

Another culprit can be a cut or frayed wire or plug for your safety eyes. These often can become damaged when something falls on them like a shovel or they accidentally get unplugged from the power supply. Be sure and do a quick check on both of your sensors so that you know for sure that they work as they should and that all important beam of light is shining! If you are not sure about any of these procedures, there are countless online videos that you can access for free that are most helpful and where you can actually watch to see how to ensure that your sensors are aligned correctly.

Hold it down!

Here’s a great tip on how to override your garage door sensors! If you push the wall switch or tap your remote and the opener lights are blinking then simply hold the wall switch down and you will be able to override the sensors and the garage door will still open or close. Many people don’t know this and assume that the opener is damaged when actually a two minute free adjustment is all that is needed.

Our next tip is more obvious; check your remote battery! If your remote was previously working, the battery may need replacement. If you just moved to this home and have not used the remote before you might have an old, useless battery in the remote or it might have the wrong size or type of battery inside. Look closely on the remote itself as it should say what battery size is needed. If you are still unsure you can simply take your remote to any home improvement store and have the one of the customer service people look at it. They will be able to recommend a good replacement for it or at least tell if it’s the right size or not.

Are you ready for the next step in our troubleshooting effort? Here it is; check your keypad battery. This is the keypad mounted just outside your garage door. Many times this battery simply needs replacement and your garage door opener will work like new.

Last but not least…

Lastly, check your capacitor. This is found by unscrewing the panel to your mounted garage door opener. Be sure to unplug it first; you don’t want any shocks or further damage to your unit! If your capacitor is bulging or leaking fluid it will need replacement and you can easily do this yourself by snapping a new one into place. After doing so, replace your opener panel, screw it back into place and re-connect the power supply.

Does all this sound complicated? It’s really not. You can always call the toll free number to your opener model manufacturer and ask for their help. By doing this and referring to your owner’s manual and some online free videos (YouTube and Vimeo) you should be fine. Of course feel free to call Newnan Garage Repair and we will be happy to assist you to get your garage door opener unit working safely and reliably.