You trust your garage door opener to work flawlessly, so if you find yourself dealing with a garage door that won’t close all the way, you may be at your wits’ end. Fortunately, a partially closing garage door is often easy to fix. Consider these six possible problems and how to repair each one.
6 reasons your garage door might not be closing include:
1. Something Is Blocking the Garage Door
Modern garage doors are equipped with safety sensors that prevent them from closing on a person or object. If the garage door won’t close all the way and goes back up, make sure it’s not running into something, such as a bicycle, snow shovel or another item that got left in the path of the garage door. Also, make sure no foreign object is caught in the tracks or the door itself that could prevent it from closing.
2. The Safety Sensors Are Faulty or Misaligned
This is another problem that makes a garage door close partway and then open again. It happens when either of the safety sensors fails to emit or receive a signal. One way to tell the sensors are faulty is if the garage door won’t close and the overhead opener, wall panel or sensors themselves flash, even though nothing is blocking the door. Faulty sensors must be replaced.
Do you have a garage door that won’t close unless you hold the button down? If so, the safety sensors may be misaligned. Before you assume they’re faulty and replace them, try cleaning the sensors and adjusting their aim. This may be all it takes to get your garage door working properly again.
3. The Garage Door Springs Are Broken
Garage doors rely on various springs to help them open and close with ease. If one of the extension springs is broken, it can make the door go crooked so it doesn’t close all the way on one side. A quick visual inspection should reveal whether any of your garage door springs are broken. If so, you’ll need help from a professional to perform the repair.
4. The Cable Is Damaged
All automatic garage doors have a cable to raise and lower them. A worn or damaged cable may prevent normal operation. Visually inspect this component for wear and tear. Then, call a professional for garage door cable repair.
5. The Door Travel Limit Setting Is Off
Garage door openers have a limit setting that tells them how far to close. If this drifts from the original setting over time, it could cause one of two problems: either the garage door will close all the way and then come back up, or it will leave a gap at the bottom. Whether the limit setting is too high or too low, you need to adjust it for the door to close properly. To do this, turn the knobs on the garage door opener using the owner’s manual as a guide.
6. The Tracks Are Bent
The tracks that carry the garage door to the ground may be bent or warped. If so, the door may reverse to the open position rather than closing normally. The best way to repair this problem is to replace the damaged tracks.
Tips to Prevent Closing Problems & Other Faults
Like anything mechanical, a bit of routine maintenance goes a long way toward preventing future problems with your garage door. Here are a few tips that can help:
- Be proactive: Monitor your garage door for signs of a problem each time you use it, such as misalignments, shuddering, vibrations, squeaks, rattles, pinging or stopping at the incorrect position.
- Lubricate moving parts: At least twice a year, use lithium grease or the manufacturer’s recommended lubricant on components like the garage door opener screw or chain, and use penetrating oil on parts like rollers, hinges and tracks. Use graphite to keep the lock working smoothly, and the manufacturer’s recommended oil to lubricate the springs.
- Inspect the cables: Make sure the cables are not corroded, frayed, pinched or otherwise damaged, and call a professional right away for garage door repairs if they are. They are under extremely high tension and could be dangerous if they break.
- Inspect the tracks: Make sure the tracks are properly secured to the door frame and not dented, twisted, misaligned or otherwise damaged.
- Inspect the rollers: Make sure the rollers are straight and not cracked, chipped, bent, damaged or loose. Have any damaged rollers replaced.
- Tighten any loose hardware: Vibrations can loosen screws and bolts with time and cause parts to become misaligned. Inspect and tighten all hardware and fasteners.
- Test door balance: Disable the garage door opener and open the door about halfway. If the door does not stay in position, have a professional adjust the spring tension.
- Test safety features: Test the auto-reverse system by placing a block of wood under the garage door. It should reverse, instead of closing. Test the alignment of the infrared safety sensors by waving a large object under the door while it is closing. If the door does not reverse, have the sensors cleaned, adjusted or replaced.
For more tips on the care and maintenance of your garage door, talk to our experts at Overhead Door Company of Muncie.
Contact Us Today for Garage Door Repair in Muncie
As you have seen, sometimes it’s easy to fix a garage door that won’t close all the way. Other times, you need help from a professional to conduct a safe, effective garage door repair. If you are unable to troubleshoot the problem on your own, call Overhead Door Company of Muncie. We offer free estimates and 24/7 service to get your garage door working again when you need it most.
Request garage door repair in Muncie today.