Troubleshooting: Garage Door Won't Open

Unlike failure to close, which is usually the result of the safety sensors being out of alignment, Failure to Open (FTO) could be due to any of a dozen or more factors.  It is likely to be due to a worn or failed part (often a broken spring), or some other mechanical problem with the door or garage door opener. 

A few of these common problems are obvious if you know what to look for.  The rest require some detective work, and are best left to an experienced professional.

This guide is for the purpose of troubleshooting only.  Because of the risk of injury and potential to cause damage to the garage door and opener system, I do not recommend that homeowners attempt to work on their own garage door. Garage doors are heavy and have parts that are under extreme tension!

Here are some of the common reasons for a garage door failing to open.  We’ll start with problems that are specific to the door itself, not the opener.  The first group are the common issues that are obvious enough for the average homeowner to diagnose via simple visual inspection:

  • Broken Spring
  • Roller out of track
  • Broken or frayed cable
  • Broken or loose hinge
  • Roller wheel broken off
  • Manual slide lock engaged
  • Loose track bolts causing rollers to hang up
  • Paint causing the door to stick to trim or weather seal

These are more subtle problems that could be hard for an inexperienced person to figure out:

  • Wrong strength springs
  • Worn rollers that aren’t obviously broken
  • Track not adjusted properly
  • Loose hardware
  • Seized bearing
  • Cut bottom bracket
  • Trim or weather seal installed too tight
  • Drum rubbing on end bearing plate

And here are some garage door opener specific problems that can cause FTO, even if the door is working perfectly.  Please do not be tempted to start turning dials or pressing buttons on the motor’s control panel, you could make the problem worse!

  • Force sensitivity not adjusted properly
  • Stripped or worn gear (LiftMaster, Chamberlain, Craftsman, Linear chain and belt models)
  • Worn sprocket bearing (LiftMaster, Chamberlain, Craftsman chain and belt models)
  • Stripped trolley teeth (Screw drive openers, all brands)
  • Worn sprocket (Linear, Genie)
  • Faulty limit switch
  • Opener needs lubrication (LiftMaster, Chamberlain, Craftsman screw drive)
  • Dead battery in remote
  • No power to motor (usually a tripped GFI outlet on the same circuit as the garage door opener)
  • Broken remote control
  • Bad circuit board
  • Bad wall control
  • Wall control “vacation” lock activated
  • IR interference blocking remotes

Narrowing Down the Problem

The first step in troubleshooting a garage door that won’t open is to figure out if the problem is coming from the door itself, or the garage door opener.  We want to test the door by operating it manually to be sure that it feels light and smooth.  To do this, we need to disconnect the door from the opener, exactly as you would do if you needed to open the door by hand during a power outage.

Before you pull the manual release, take a picture of the release mechanism so you can see what position it needs to be in to re-engage later.

Only pull the release when the door is at rest on the ground.  If it is open, even a few inches, and it turns out that your door has a broken spring, it will slam down extremely hard.  This is dangerous, and can damage your door or anything it lands on.  And if the door is not easy to lift, do not try to force it.

A properly functioning garage door will feel light enough to open and close with one hand.  It should feel smooth and have consistent action without accelerating too much near the top or bottom (a little bit of acceleration at both ends of the door’s travel is okay, as long as you can easily overcome it by pulling the door with one hand).  There shouldn’t be any hard bumps, or places where it becomes bound.

Keep your hand on the door as you lift and ease it into the open position.  Do the same when you close the door.  Letting the door slam open or closed can cause the cables to pop off the drums, which will result in a door that is stuck part way open – the worst of both worlds.  Make sure not to stick your fingers in between the door sections when closing the door, use the handle.

If at any point the door feels like it is binding, do not force it!

If your garage door fails this test — it is extremely heavy or doesn’t operate smoothly, then most likely the problem is with the door itself, not the opener.  Chances are that you have a broken spring.  But, if the door feels light and smooth when operated by hand, then there is probably some kind of problem with the garage door opener.

I’m always happy to help troubleshoot over the phone.  Give me a call at 503-545-5762, send an email to info@beezgaragedoors.com, or use the contact form below.

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