Troubleshooting Your Garage Door

Heritage Garage DoorThe garage. It’s sometimes a house for vehicles and tools, sometimes a storage area or catch-all, sometimes a workshop or even a gathering place for friends. No matter how you use your garage, make sure your garage door is working properly.

A broken garage door can disrupt your daily life. How can you leave for work or school? How will you get the lawnmower or bikes out? Follow these tips on how to troubleshoot your garage door.

Transmitter Batteries Have Died

Thanks to great innovations with the garage door, transmitters allow you to control your garage door with a remote. Batteries give your transmitter the power to send the signal to the garage door’s motor to start up and open or close. When your garage door’s transmitters batteries die, or the remote’s batteries die, it is important to replace them.

Testing the Transmitter

To test your transmitter to see if it is the source of the problem, start with the one inside of your garage. Press the transmitter button to signal the garage door to open. If it doesn’t, the batteries have died and you need to change them by sliding open the back of the transmitter. (It is important to note that older transmitters may have a screwdriver keeping the back panel in place.)

My Garage Door Still Won’t Open

Test the remote to see if the garage door will respond. If not, change the batteries in the remote and try it again. If it works, then your problem is solved, if it doesn’t, contact your trusted team of garage door technicians. A garage door that refuses to open could be the sign of a bigger issue.

My Photo Eye Alignment Is Off

The photo-eyes sit on both sides of your garage door. They transmit an invisible line between each other to detect if anything is in the garage’s door’s path. If something does cross this threshold as the garage door tries to close, then the door will immediately open back up and will not close until the coast is clear.

However, sometimes these eyes get out of alignment, which will cause the garage door to misread and not close even when something is in its path.

Realigning and Cleaning the Photo-Eye

The eyes should be symmetrical. If not, they won’t register that the other one is there, which tells the eye that something is in its way. To check the alignment of the photo-eyes, use a tape measure to measure the height of each eye from the ground. Then, make sure that they are looking directly at each other. (Using a laser level is the easiest way to judge this.) Test the garage door to see if it is working.

If it still refuses to close, take a soft cloth and a mild streak-free glass cleaner to gently wipe away dirt from the glass eye. Check the door again to see if it closes. If it does, problem solved! If not, you will need a garage door professional to come to inspect the garage door for further issues.

The Track Is Out of Alignment

When your garage door’s track comes out of alignment, this can create a hazardous situation. The door will not close properly, puts a strain on the springs and motor, and can result in door malfunction. When it comes to fixing your garage door’s track alignment, this should only be handled by a trained garage door professional.

The dedicated team at Action Garage Door Repair Specialists can help you get your garage door up and running. From track realignment and spring replacement to performing routine garage door inspections and maintenance, we can handle it all. Stop troubleshooting your garage door so you can get back to the activities you use your garage for. Open up the world of possibilities and call Action Garage Door Repair Specialists today!

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