A garage door that will not open usually comes down to one of three things: no power or signal reaching the opener, a problem with the opener itself, or a door that is too heavy or jammed to move. The first group you can often sort out yourself in five minutes. The last group you should not touch.
Start with the safety look, then work down the list.
First, look before you push any buttons
Turn on the garage light and look at the door from the inside. You are looking for anything that seems wrong:
- A gap in the spring coil on the bar above the door
- A cable hanging loose or off the drum at either top corner
- One side of the door sitting lower than the other
- Rollers out of the track, or a track bent away from the wall
If you see any of those, stop here. Do not run the opener and do not pull the red release cord. The door may be carrying its full weight on nothing. Call 435-773-8856.
If everything looks normal, keep going.
Check 1: Does the opener have power?
Look at the opener light. If nothing lights up when you press the wall button, make sure the opener is still plugged into the ceiling outlet. Plug a lamp or phone charger into that outlet to see if it is live. Garage outlets are often on a GFCI circuit, so look for a tripped GFCI outlet in the garage, a bathroom, or outside and press reset. Then check the breaker panel.
Summer storms and power blips trip these all the time. A dead opener on a dead outlet is a power problem, not a garage door problem.
Check 2: Wall button or remote?
Wall button fine, remote dead? Then the trouble is in the remote or its signal, not the opener. Try a fresh battery. Try your other remote if you have one. Make sure the lock or vacation button on the wall control is not turned on. Many wall controls have a lock that blocks remotes and keypads while the wall button still works, and it gets bumped more often than you would think.
If the remote still fails, it may need to be reprogrammed or replaced. See keypads, remotes and sensors.
Check 3: The safety sensors
The two small sensors near the floor on each side of the door have to see each other before the door will close. They usually do not stop a door from opening, but a blinking opener light or a door that goes up and then will not come back down points here.
Wipe both lenses with a soft cloth. Move anything in the beam, like a trash can, a broom, or yard bags. Both sensor lights should be steady. If one is blinking or dark, it may be knocked out of line. Gently aim it back toward the other one. Red dust and cobwebs build up on these fast around here.
Check 4: Is the door locked?
Some doors have a manual slide lock or a handle lock on the inside. If someone locked it, the opener will strain and the door will not move. Look for a bar slid into the track on either side and slide it back.
Check 5: Listen to the opener
Press the button once and listen.
- Motor hums or runs, door does not move. Often a broken spring, a snapped cable, or a stripped gear inside the opener. Stop pressing the button. Running it again can burn the motor or pull the door crooked.
- A click and nothing else. Could be the opener board, a capacitor, or a door too heavy to start. Heat near the garage ceiling is hard on these parts.
- Door starts, stops, and reverses. Could be the sensors, a binding track, or a door that got heavy because a spring is weak.
- Total silence with a live outlet. Likely the opener itself. See opener repair.
When to stop and call
Call 435-773-8856 if:
- You heard a loud bang before the door quit
- The door feels very heavy by hand, or will not stay up
- The door is crooked, off track, or a cable is loose
- You did the checks above and the door still will not move
Do not try to lift a heavy door by hand with the opener disconnected. A two-car door can weigh a few hundred pounds without a working spring, and it can drop fast.
A broken spring is the most common reason a door suddenly will not open, especially after a bang. Read signs of a broken spring or go to broken spring repair. If the door is jammed or out of its track, see off-track door repair. Also see 6 repairs you should not DIY.
Door opens but will not close? See garage door won't close: 7 safe checks.
If the car is stuck inside
If you need the car today and the door will not move, say so when you call. We will tell you honestly whether someone can come today. After-hours service is a request, quoted on the call. See emergency garage door repair.
FAQ
Why won't my garage door open when the opener light comes on?
The opener has power, so look at the door. A broken spring, a loose cable, a manual lock, or a stripped opener gear are the usual causes. If the motor runs and the door does not move, stop pressing the button and call 435-773-8856.
Can a dirty sensor stop my garage door from opening?
Sensors usually stop a door from closing, not opening. If the door goes up and then will not come back down, clean both lenses and check that both sensor lights are steady.
Is it safe to open my garage door by hand?
Only if the door is balanced and moves easily. If it feels very heavy, sits crooked, or a cable is loose, leave it and call. A door without a working spring can drop.
My remote stopped working but the wall button works. What now?
Try a new battery and make sure the lock button on the wall control is off. If it still fails, the remote may need reprogramming or replacing.
How fast can someone come out?
Same-day is the goal during normal hours when a technician and parts are available. Call 435-773-8856 and we will tell you what is realistic.
What happens when you call
- Call 435-773-8856. Tell us your city or neighborhood.
- Describe what the door is doing. Up, down, or stuck partway. A bang, a loose cable, a dead remote. If a car is stuck inside or the house is open, say so.
- Get a free estimate and a time. We tell you what it sounds like, how the job is quoted, and the soonest a technician can come. If that is not today, we say so.
Call or text for a free estimate
Tap to call or text and tell us what the door is doing.