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Garage doors · Check the simple things first

Garage door opener not working

If the remote works and the wall button does not, it is the low-voltage wire at the button. If neither works, check power and the photo eyes before you blame the opener head.

Quick answerIf the remote works and the wall button does not, the problem is almost always the low-voltage wire or the button itself. If neither the remote nor the button works, check power to the opener and the photo-eye sensors near the floor before you suspect the opener head. On chain drive openers, a motor that hums or runs while the chain doesn’t move often points to the nylon drive gear, which strips over time and is a repairable part.

Most opener failures are not the motor. They are a tripped outlet, a pinched wire, a sensor knocked out of line, or a door that has become too heavy for the opener to lift. Working through the cheap checks in order saves you from replacing an opener that only needed a wire or a gear.

1Why openers stop working

  • No power. The opener is unplugged, the outlet is on a tripped GFCI or breaker, or a lightning surge has damaged the logic board.
  • Wall button wiring. The thin low-voltage wire from the button to the opener gets stapled through, chewed or knocked loose at the terminals.
  • Photo eyes. If the sensors near the floor are blocked, dirty or out of alignment, the opener will refuse to close the door or will reverse it.
  • Stripped drive gear. Chain drive gearboxes use a nylon gear that wears and strips. The motor runs but the door doesn’t move.
  • A heavy door. A broken spring or seized rollers make the door too heavy. The opener strains, stops or reverses, even though the opener itself is fine.

2How to narrow it down

  1. Remote versus wall buttonIf the remote works and the wall button doesn’t, look at the low-voltage wire at the button and where it lands on the opener. If the button works and the remote doesn’t, start with the remote’s battery.
  2. Check powerLook for lights on the opener head. Plug a lamp into the same outlet, and reset any tripped GFCI or breaker.
  3. Check the photo eyesEach sensor near the floor usually has an indicator light. Clean the lenses, clear anything in the path, and make sure both sensors point straight at each other.
  4. Listen to the motorA hum or a running motor with no movement on a chain drive often means a stripped gear. Silence with power present points to the board or the wiring.
  5. Check the door, not just the openerLook for a broken spring above the door or along the tracks. If you find one, stop using the opener. See garage door spring broken.

Door rises a foot then stopsLoud bang with nothing visibly wrongTorsion vs extension springs

3Test the safety reverse

Openers made before 1993 lack the photo-eye reversing sensors that federal law has required since. Whatever the age of yours, test it: wave a broom handle through the opening near the floor while the door closes. It must reverse.

If it doesn’t reverse, stop using it

An opener that keeps closing on an obstruction can injure a child or a pet. Have it repaired or replaced with a unit that has working photo eyes. See opener with no photo-eye sensors near the floor.

4DIY or pro

Do it yourself

  • Replace the remote battery
  • Reset a tripped GFCI or breaker
  • Clean and realign the photo eyes
  • Reconnect or replace a damaged low-voltage button wire, with the opener unplugged

Call a pro

  • A broken spring, frayed cable or bent track
  • A stripped drive gear, if you’re not comfortable opening the gearbox
  • A dead logic board or no power with the outlet working
  • An older opener that fails the reverse test

Before you work on the opener, unplug it. If the door is stuck open and you use the emergency release, make sure the springs are intact first. A door with a broken spring is very heavy and can drop when released.

5What drives the cost

Price depends on what actually failed. A wire, a sensor or a drive gear is a small repair. A logic board costs more, and on an old opener it can make more sense to replace the unit. Replacing the opener depends on the drive type and on whether the door itself needs work first. If a spring or cable has failed, that repair comes before any opener work.

Garage door cost

Opener dead and the door won’t move?

Talk to a local garage door technician who will check the springs and door balance before replacing the opener.

877-360-4657

6Questions

Why does the remote work but not the wall button?

Almost always the low-voltage wire between the button and the opener, or the button itself. The remote uses a radio signal, so it bypasses that wire completely.

The motor runs but the door doesn’t move. Is the opener dead?

Not necessarily. On a chain drive, the nylon gear in the gearbox strips over time. It’s a repairable part.

Should I replace an opener made before 1993?

Those openers lack the photo-eye reversing sensors federal law has required since. If yours fails the broom handle test, replace it.

Could the problem be the door instead of the opener?

Yes. A broken spring makes the door too heavy, and the opener strains, stops or reverses. Fix the spring first, then judge the opener.

Written by Jaylan Jones. I Like To Exterior Services earns a referral fee when a call connects to a contractor. See our business-model disclosure.

877-360-4657