This article focuses on how to fix a garage door opener but before then, it also discusses the safety tips and precautions to take while you are troubleshooting or repairing the system.
You need to understand every component and the function of each of them. You can’t possibly fix it if you don’t understand how it works.
So, it is important to study the whole system when it is still functional. Here are the safety features of every garage door opener.
Safety Features Of A Garage Door Opener
Table of Contents
1. Motion Sensors
This is the most important safety feature in a garage door opener and you should commend it. The motion sensor checks if there is anything or anyone lying where the doors will berth on. If there is, the motion sensor will send a signal and the garage door will be halted from coming down.
This is very important as the trunk of your car may be in the way of the garage door. Children or pets may be in the way too. While the door is coming down, if a pet just runs across, the motion sensor will halt the door immediately.
2. Locks
This feature helps you lock your remote. It disables it completely. You probably want to ask why anyone will deliberately want to disable the remote control of his garage door opener. You may misplace it.
If you don’t disable it, anyone that sees it will have access to your garage and that will lead to your home. So, for security reasons, you should disable your lock whenever you lose the remote control of your garage door opener.
3. Rolling Code Technology
This technology is designed to make the code of your garage door opener change every minute. The main benefit of this technology is to prevent thieves from being able to hack your fob and gain access to your house through your garage.
4. Force Guard Control
To explain this feature in a simple form, it reduces the speed and force at which the garage doors move up and come down. This is necessary because the faster they move, the more wear and tear they will encounter.
Some people prefer their garage doors to move up and down with speed so they don’t need this feature. Here is an advice for those users. Instead of making your garage door open fast, why not open it a few minutes before you get into the car or activate it immediately you get into the car
By the time your car warms up, the garage will be open. On your way back home, you can also tap the remote when you a few distance to the garage so that by the time you get there, it will already be open. That way moving fast or slow will not make any difference.
Common garage problems and how to fix them
1. The garage door no longer closes completely
This kind of problem is common. You will have no problem in opening your garage doors but when closing, the doors will get stuck on their way down. In this situation, the first thing to check is the safety sensor. Make sure there is nothing blocking their line-of-sight.
If there is, removing the obstacle will resolve the issue. Your rollers could be rusty. You can lubricate them or change them completely for smoother movement. You may also need to reset the close limit switch. When the setting is incorrect, it can prevent the doors from closing completely.
2. The garage door does not open completely
This is another common problem of garage door opener. The door can be opening partially without getting to the very top.
The solutions to the problem are the same as the solutions to the problem mentioned above because both of them are usually caused by the same issues. Check the safety sensors, the rollers, and the limit switch.
3. The remote is no longer working
First of all, the remote won’t work if you are out of range so you need to confirm if you are within range. Check if the wall switch works. If the wall switch is able to control the garage doors, it probably means there is an issue with the remote.
It could be that its batteries are dead. Try to replace the batteries. If the issue isn’t resolved, you need to replace the remote completely. One more thing – ensure the antenna on the motor is well positioned as wrong positioning could also make the remote malfunction.
4. Inability to open in winter
The cold days of winter can sometimes affect garage door openers. If your garage door refuses to open in winter, you may need to lubricate it. If that does not make it work, try and adjust the opener’s sensitivity. This should help.
5. Motor still runs after the door is closed
This is not as common as the rest. The cause of this problem is usually the up-limit switch. This happens if it is not set at the right distance from the motor. So, you may need to reset the distance. You could move it further away.
6. The door gets hooked while opening or closing
When this happens, you need to check that the rollers are not rusty or damaged. You should also ensure that the tracks are free of debris and properly aligned.
After cleaning the tracks and ensuring that they are well-aligned, if the problem still persists, you may have to lubricate the rollers and if this does not resolve the issue, change the rollers completely.
7. The wall switch does not work anymore
If this occurs to you, check the power supply first. Check the fuses, breaker, or GFCI to be sure they are all fine. If any of them has tripped, broken, or burnt out, replace it.
If this does not solve the problem, the issue may be in the motor. You may have to replace it.
Final Verdict
Now that you have learnt a few things on how to fix a garage door opener, you also need to bear a few things in mind. You can’t possibly fix all problems.
If you are not able to find what the problem is, hire a professional. Don’t switch to trial and error as you may damage other components and make the problem worse.
Finally, get your garage door opener installed by a professional who will give you a guarantee.
