Is your garage door suddenly refusing to open or close? If you’re in this predicament, you’re probably pretty eager to get out of it. But, do you know what to do if your garage door is stuck? Fortunately, the garage door experts at Creative Door Services are here to help. 

In this article we share with you possible reasons why your garage door won’t budge and what you should do about it.

The garage door is locked

If your garage door has a locking mechanism, verify that it isn’t engaged.

 Some garage door openers have a lock mode that is activated when you hold down the open/close button on the keypad for several seconds. When the lock mode is engaged, simply pressing on the button won’t do anything; you need to hold down the button again in order to unlock the door.

 Other types of garage doors have manual locks that are opened and closed with handles placed on the outside of the garage door. These doors may become locked if someone unintentionally pushes on the handle. Simply turn the handle to unlock the door when this happens.

The sensor has been tripped

Photo eyes are an important type of safety feature: they prevent your door from closing when a person, pet, or object is in the garage door’s path. However, sometimes the sensors get tripped when nothing is in the way. This can happen when dirt or dust is blocking the laser beam. If this is the case, simply clean off the lenses of both photo eyes.

Alternatively, it may be that the photo eyes are misaligned. In this scenario, you can usually realign them by gently turning them by hand or tightening or loosening their screws.

 It’s also possible that the wiring connected to one of the photo eyes is damaged. If this is the case, you’ll need to call in a professional to fix it.

The opener is disconnected from its power source

If the garage door opener or remote control is the issue, you may be able to fix the problem yourself. First check to see whether the opener is plugged into a working outlet. Next, check the breaker box to ensure that a fuse wasn’t blown. Finally, verify that the batteries in both the opener and the remote are sufficiently charged. If all else fails, look through the owner’s manual for directions and other troubleshooting tips.

The tracks or rollers need lubrication

If the tracks or rollers of your garage door aren’t well lubricated, this can cause the door to stick. Grease these parts using a garage door lubricant. In fact, this should be done every several months as part of your home maintenance routine.

The tracks need cleaning or straightening

If your garage door is stuck, the issue could be that an object is blocking the tracks. It’s also possible that the tracks are too dirty and simply require a good cleaning

 Alternatively, it could be that the track is uneven. You might be able to repair it yourself with a hammer (just make sure to hammer through a wood block or a thick layer of cloth). However, you’ll probably need to call in a garage door technician for these repairs.

 Finally, the garage door might have jumped the track. If this occurs, you’ll need to call in a technician to safely position the door back on it.

The spring is busted

Your garage doors are propelled by either a single torsion spring or a cluster of extension springs. If your garage door is stuck, the issue may be the spring(s).

 Torsion springs typically give out at around 15,000 cycles or so, and extension springs around 10,000 cycles.

 To determine if a torsion spring has snapped, look to see whether there’s a gap in between the springs. The torsion spring is large and hangs horizontally across the top of the garage door but, for your safety, make sure you don’t touch the spring or try to repair it yourself!

 If an extension spring has snapped, you’ll likely see uncoiled metal pieces hanging from it. Extension springs are a couple feet long and located on either side of the garage door, right above the upper tracks. Always call a professional to fix or replace garage or commercial door springs.

Never try to replace a broken spring yourself. They’re under extreme tension and tampering with them presents a serious safety hazard. Garage door springs should only be adjusted by professionals with the proper training and equipment. If you see that your torsion spring or one of your extension springs has snapped, request service from a garage door repair technician right away.

If Your Door Still Won’t Budge – Call In The Experts at Creative Door Services!

If after following these troubleshooting tips your garage door is still stuck, then it’s time to bring in an expert. Our experienced technicians at Creative Door are only a call way. No job is too big or too small for us, and we can fix broken springs, damaged tracks, damaged rollers, misaligned sensors, and malfunctioning openers. For more information or to make an appointment, contact our team today.