A garage door that does not open is one of those things that can transform a beautiful morning into an awful one. There are multiple issues that may cause a garage door opener malfunction. Most of the situations can be solved with a minimum effort, but if you do not feel comfortable in doing it yourself, you can always ask a garage door repair company in Bergen County for help. If you want to give it a try, here are the most common problems you could face:
- The door does not open or closes
The first thing is to check if the opener is plugged in (you probably smile, but it does happen!) and change the batteries for the transmitters (both the mobile and the walls transmitters, especially if they were changed at the same time). If nothing changes, check the outlet to make sure it is functional. Last, but not least, if there are no lights and the door does not move; probably you should consider changing the circuit board. A broken circuit board is one of the most common problems of the garage door openers, so you will find a replacement board at the hardware store or online. To purchase a new board, remove the old one by taking of the cover, disconnecting the switch and the safety sensor wires. Remove the lighting bulb and unscrew the screws that hold the circuit. Take out the circuit board and read the back for the code. Use the code to buy a new circuit board that fits. If you do not feel confident you made the right choice, ask a garage door repair company in Bergen County for assistance.
- The door closes and then opens immediately for no apparent reason
The garage doors have a safety system that opens them when they find something in their path to avoid crushing items or provoking injuries. When the door limit is too high, the door will hit the ground, but since the limit was not reached, the door opener will interpret the information as an obstacle and will immediately lift the door. In this case, set the limits by the reality following the instructions provided in the user manual.
- The door closes partially, and then goes all the way up
It happens mainly due to the safety system mentioned above. Check the tracks and the garage door area for any debris or objects that may interfere with the door’s trajectory.
- The door opens or closes randomly
Check if the transmitter is not stuck somewhere and the button is accidentally pushed by something. If everything is OK at your end, make sure that your neighbors’ transmitter does not interfere with your door opener. If so, change the transmitter’s frequency.
- The door opener makes a grinding sound, but the door does not open
Another common issue of the garage door opener is the broken main gear drive. Usually made of plastic, the main gear drive has a limited lifespan. Therefore, once in a few years you will need to replace it with a new one. The process is more complex than the other fixes presented in the article, so you should probably look for a garage door repair services in Bergen County to help you.
Garage door openers are fairly simple to fix, but there are some instances in which it is better to leave the specialists to tackle the job. If you do not know anything about garage door openers and are not a fan of DIY, look for a local garage door repair in Bergen County.