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Three Troubleshooting Steps To Take When Your Garage Door Won't Close

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Garage door opening systems aren't complex, but it can still be frustrating to try to figure out the problem when your garage door won't close all the way or at all. This problem can come from multiple sources, from the motor itself to a component like the "safety eye" sensors. Whether your door closes partway and then opens again or whether it just won't close at all, there are a few steps you can take to try to fix the problem yourself before you call a technician.

1. Analyze the Error Code

Your safety eye sensors are the ground-level sensors on each side of the garage door that prevent the door from closing if there is an obstacle in the way. If there's nothing in the way but the door still won't close, it's possible that the sensors aren't working correctly or are misaligned. The good news is that the sensor will tell you what's wrong. If the sensors aren't working, look for a blinking light, typically on the receiver. This isn't a randomly blinking light; lights on the sensors will blink a certain number of times depending on what's wrong. Check your manual to see what the number of blinks mean -- it could be that the sensors are misaligned or that there is a problem with its power source.

Many motors also have LEDs as well that will blink when something is wrong. Look here as well, and check your manual to see what it means.

2. Adjust Your Range

Garage doors bounce back up when they hit an obstacle, but this doesn't happen when they hit the ground. This is because there is a preset range in the motor that tells the door when to stop. Over time, as the door opens and closes repeatedly, the range may become incorrect; the door may hit the ground before it thinks it should and read it as an obstacle, then rise again. Luckily, you can reset the range yourself, and it's usually a simple process; all you're doing is adjusting your door so that it knows to stop at ground level. Your manual can tell you what controls to use, which usually consist of just a few buttons on the motor itself.

3. Reset the System

Electrical problems can cause some components, or even all of them, to malfunction. It doesn't have to be a tripped circuit, which is why your garage door opening components may still be on, just not functioning correctly. There are two main ways you can try to reset your system. First, try unplugging the motor from its main power source, then plugging it back in after 30 seconds. This sometimes resets your sensors as well and can fix many temporary issues. If that doesn't work, reset the circuit that powers the garage door opener and sensors, either from the circuit board or an outlet on that circuit with a reset button.

If none of these steps work and you continue to see an error light, or if your system continues to be unresponsive, you may need to call a technician. However, don't panic. In the meantime, you can safely close your garage door by using the emergency release cord and closing the door manually.


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