Every garage door has two basic tasks: to open and to close. So when yours refuses to close for no reason, it can be really frustrating. How can something fail at its only job, right? It leaves you wondering, why won’t my garage door close?
Well, as much as your garage door is made of many components, so are the reasons why it may fail to close as it should. The good news is that these garage door closing issues can be easy to fix with the right troubleshooting.
Below, our licensed technicians have discussed the most common reasons and how you can fix them. Keep reading, but if all else fails, you can always call us for rescue!
Why won't my garage door close?
If your garage door just won’t shut close, the following might be the culprits you need to watch out for. We also provided some tips on how to troubleshoot garage door closing if you suspect that you have any of these problems:
1. Garage door sensor issues
If your garage door won’t close all the way, you may want to check your photo-eye sensors. This is the most common cause of opening or closing issues on garage doors and is extremely easy to fix, even if you’re not much of a handyman.
First, check if the sensors have dust or dirt on them and wipe it using a clean cloth. After that, try closing your door to test the sensors and see if this fixes the problem.
If your door still won’t close all the way, you may need to re-align the garage door sensors. It’s possible that one of them have been accidentally knocked off alignment, which broke the invisible line of infrared light. When this happens, you’ll see sensor lights blinking, which means they are not ‘seeing’ each other.
However, if you suspect that it’s damaged, you may need to replace the garage door sensors by calling for emergency garage door repair.
2. Something’s blocking the doorway
In some cases, you don’t really have garage door sensors problems. Maybe you just have to check for items that might be blocking the doorway and interrupting the infrared light of your sensors. It can be a toy, small boxes, lawn equipment, or just about anything you store in your garage.
Try clearing the doorway and see if your door will close as it should once you press the remote control button or enter the door code. If not, then you can rule out the other possible scenarios we’ve discussed here.
3. Garage door opener malfunctions
If you have functional and clean garage door sensors, your garage door opener might be the reason why the door isn’t closing well. It’s possible that your unit has transmitter issues or the opener is already worn out.
You can reset your garage door opener and see if it will resolve the issue. If not, then you need further garage door opener troubleshooting
Since garage door openers have a lot of electronic parts, we recommend calling us for professional garage door opener repair. Our licensed technician will examine the circuit board and fix your garage door opener accordingly.
Depending on the exact problem, you may need repairs or replacements for the full garage door opener. Overall, we often recommend replacements if you’ve been encountering the same problem many times and if your unit is already 10 to 15 years old.
4. Misaligned tracks or rollers
If your door still doesn’t close at this point, you may also want to check the tracks and rollers of your garage door to see if there’s warping, misalignment, or any signs of damage.
Most of the time, our customers call us that their door get stuck midway when closing only for us to find bent tracks. In some cases, the rollers are too worn out that it’s already dragging on the tracks and preventing the door from closing properly.
Aside from the tracks on each side of your door, you should also get the overhead tracks inspected as well. You can request a same-day garage door repair to have this problem repaired anywhere in Los Angeles.
5. Broken torsion spring
If your garage door stops closing midway or is always slamming shut, you probably have damaged torsion springs.
These springs are installed above the doorway and wound with tension to counter the weight of your door for seamless opening or closing. However, it can also break or lose its tension, which require garage door spring repair.
And if the spring was broken or has gaps, we will suggest a complete garage door spring replacement for both the springs, even if only one is damaged. This is to ensure that both sides of your door will have equal tension to prevent an uneven operation.
6. Wiring problems
Faulty wiring can trigger all sorts of problems on your garage door. From electrical shorts, unexpected reversal, light switch issues, and so on, it’s a major problem since it can potentially lead to injuries.
It’s possible that your sensor wiring is worn-out or there are loose connections somewhere in your garage door system. It’s also important to check if your door’s wiring isn’t insulated well, which can possibly cause get interference from other devices.
So, if you’ve ruled out almost all the possible culprits on this list and your door still won’t close, we suggest that you contact us for professional troubleshooting. Our technicians can detect and repair all wiring problems present to restore your door’s functionality. We can also check for other potential problems that could interfere with your door’s operation in the future.
7. Incorrect garage door limit settings
Your garage door limit settings dictate how far your door will open or close. This is programmed on your garage door opener, and if the setting is too low, your door won’t close fully. And if it’s too high, your door will travel too fast or slam shut – both aren’t a safe scenario.
If you suspect that this is the problem, you can try adjusting the limit switch on your garage door opener. To do this, you can try closing your door and then measure the distance between the door’s bottom and the ground.
After that, get a screwdriver and adjust the ‘Down’ limit switch adjuster little by little. Our rule of thumb is to make a 1/3 of an inch counterclockwise turn for each inch that the door needs to travel in order to close fully.
Also, you should test the door after a few turns to see how much you still need to adjust. However, take note that DIY adjustments like this have a risk of damage to your door, which is why you should call an expert for repairs.
8. Dead remote batteries
Have you ruled out all these possible garage door problems, but the door still won’t close? Well, you may find it funny, but in some cases, you’ll be close to pulling your hair and looking for solutions, only to realize that you just have to get fresh batteries for your remote control.
If all else fails, try putting new batteries on your remote control and see if it will solve the problem. If it does, then your garage door is all fine, and you can chuckle while shaking your head.
So, next time, make sure you get new remote control batteries as part of your maintenance checklist – it will save you a lot time and patience!
Safety reminders before you try to fix a garage door
Before you try a do-it-yourself fix on your door that won’t close, we just want to give you a few safety reminders. Keep this in mind to avoid possible accidents while working on your garage door:
- Keep the doorway clear. When doing any adjustments or troubleshooting on your garage door, make sure no one’s standing near or under the doorway. Also, remove any items that could get in the way of your door closing.
- Avoid DIY spring repairs. If you don’t have the right tools or knowledge to handle torsion springs, it’s best to leave the job to professionals. You may end up getting seriously injured when the spring suddenly loosens up and strikes your body. Also, improper handling may cause your door to slam shut – god forbid someone is standing underneath.
- Make adjustments in small increments. When adjusting the door’s limit settings, make sure you do it little by little. After a turn or two, test the door and see how it affects its operation.
- Wear safety gear. It may sound like an overkill, but wearing safety glasses and gloves can save you from a bloody scene. We’ve been in situations where safety glasses prevented someone from losing an eye.
Tried everything but nothing worked? Call us for professional garage door repair!
If you’ve tried all these troubleshooting steps and your garage door still won’t close, it might be time to call us at California Garage Door Repair. We can send a technician to your place in as fast as 1 hour to diagnose the problem and provide instant repairs.
Our team is available 24/7 for all your garage door needs. You can call us in the middle of the night, during weekends, or even on holidays. We understand that garage door problem can happen anytime and we want you to have the best repairs you can find in Los Angeles.
At California Garage Door Repair, we can fix any door and gate brands you have. We’re experts in Genie, Chamberlain, LiftMaster, Clopay, Raynor, and basically every brand you can find in properties around LA.
If your garage door isn’t closing fully or you have other garage door problems, contact us, and we’ll fix it for you. We offer same-day service wherever you are in Los Angeles or surrounding areas.
