Some DIY Garage Door Opener Troubleshooting Steps

These days you would be hard pressed to find a garage door that does not open and close automatically. That’s because garage door openers have gotten better in quality, install very simply, and are more affordable than ever. There are also many different styles to choose from to satisfy each garage door owner. Garage door openers do tend to get overworked on a regular basis so they are prone to problems once in a while.

Before you pick up the phone and call your dependable local garage door tech, there may be some garage door troubleshooting you can do yourself. In this article, I will talk about some fairly simple garage troubleshooting steps you can do yourself. Some of them only take a little bit of know-how and mechanical ability to accomplish. This may not only get your garage door back in action very quickly but it may also save you some money.

Always Keep Safety in Mind When Doing Any DIY Garage Door Opener Troubleshooting

Before I get into actual garage door opener troubleshooting steps it’s important to remind you to always work safely. Keep in mind there are several parts on a garage door such as the springs which should never be worked on by anyone but a professional. Your garage door opener is an electrically powered device and there are some precautions you need to take when working around it.

If you are not comfortable diagnosing electrical motors with power running through them with a voltmeter, then you may want to leave any garage door troubleshooting that needs to be done to a garage door tech. If you need to replace any parts on your garage door opener make sure the power going to it is completely off. Do this by unplugging it or shutting off the electrical breaker that feeds power to it.

Chances are when you troubleshoot your garage door opener yourself that you will be working on a ladder. It’s never a bad idea to have someone spot you while on the ladder either. They can also hand you tools so you don’t have to go up and down the ladder on a constant basis. Always position your ladder so you do not have to lean out at awkward angles to work on the garage door opener.

Garage Door Opener Troubleshooting Steps You May Be Able to Do Yourself

Your Garage Door Immediately Starts to Go Back Up After Touching the Garage Floor

Here is one of the most common garage door problems that people encounter. Most of the time this type of garage door opener problem is very simple to resolve. It most likely indicates that you have a problem with your garage door openers close-limit sensor. This problem can often be corrected by simply turning this sensor’s adjustment screw. 

The close-limit sensor is located on the opener unit. It is usually on the bottom side of your garage door opener. This should not be too hard to find because it has two adjustment screw heads sticking out of it. One controls the sensitivity of the garage door limit when closing and one controls the sensitivity of the garage door limit when opening.

Locate the screw adjustment for the garage door when it’s closing and turn it in small increments until the garage door shuts but does not go back up.

Garage Door Fails to Go All the Way Up

This too is most closely related to your close-limit sensor. Once again you will have to locate the close-limit switch on your garage door opener. This time adjust the screw that controls the garage door limit sensitivity when your garage door is opening. Once again adjust the screw in small increments until you have this problem corrected.

The Garage Door Stops A Few Inches Above the Floor

If you guessed this is another close-limit sensor problem you would be correct. Once again, a simple adjustment on the close-limit sensor screw that controls the sensitivity of the garage door when closing will most likely correct this problem.

Your Garage Door Does Not Work When Using the Remote or Wall Switch

The chances of your garage door remote and wall switch failing at the same time are about the same as the odds of you hitting the lottery. That means you most likely have a problem with the power getting to your garage door opener. The first thing you will do here is checking to make sure the breaker to your garage door outlet is not tripped. After that, make sure the opener unit is still plugged into the outlet near it.

If both of these are ok then you will have to check the incoming power with an electric voltmeter. Locate the power relay switch inside the opener unit. Check the power coming in and out of the relay. Power coming in but not out means the relay is bad. It will need to be replaced. If the relay has power coming in and out of it, then there is a more complicated electrical problem in the garage door opener unit.

What to Do When DIY Troubleshooting Fails?

So, you have tried the troubleshooting steps above and none of them resolved the problem. So, what do you do next? First of all, don’t be too hard on yourself. I am a decent car mechanic who can do such things as change brakes but I could never tackle replacing an engine. Some repairs on garage doors are simply best left to professionals and that’s what you should do in this case.

Pick up the phone and call a reputable local garage door services provider. Describe to them the problem you are having with your garage door. Many garage door repair companies such as Sandy Springs Garage Door, LLC out of Sandy Springs, Georgia will be able to quote you a repair estimate right over the phone. Some even offer same day service at no extra charge. It’s the very best way to solve any garage door problem that you have not been able to resolve on your own.