Why Isn’t My Garage Door Opening?

 Posted on August 14, 2024 in Garage Doors

Few things in life are as vexatious as a garage door that stops working. This problem often starts intermittently and increases in frequency until the garage door simply does not open at all. If you find yourself in this situation, you're probably wondering what is going on and how you can fix it. Fortunately, our Chicago area garage door technicians are on the job – call us now and get the problems with your garage door opener sorted out before it gets cold outside.

How Do Electric Garage Door Openers Work?

Most people don't give a moment's thought to how their electric garage door opener works until it stops working. When you stop to pay attention, though, garage door openers are actually clever pieces of engineering that we really shouldn't take for granted.

Most people open their garage doors around 1,500 times a year. That's a lot of lifting and lowering! The main part of the garage door opener that does the important work is called the torsion spring. The torsion spring usually lasts between seven and ten years or about 10,000 cycles of opening and closing. The motor gives the torsion spring the power and direction it needs to pull the door open and slowly lower it down.

Common Issues with Garage Door Openers

If your garage door has stopped working, chances are the torsion spring is weakened or broken. Other common reasons your garage door might not be opening include:

• Dead batteries or an interrupted power source
• Something is blocking the door's path
• Damaged or misaligned sensors
• A damaged or misaligned door track
• Open- or close-limit switches are set incorrectly
• Your remote is out of range or has a broken antenna
• Interference from other nearby garage doors

Can I Replace a Broken Garage Door Opener Myself?

We live in an era of the do-it-yourself ethic, and with inflation looking like it does, who can blame someone who wants to fix their broken garage door opener on their own? There are good reasons you should think twice before doing this, however, as most garage door problems are more complicated than replacing the batteries in your car's remote.

Out of the many problems your garage door could be having, perhaps the most common in complete door failure is a problem with the torsion spring. Replacing the torsion spring is an incredibly dangerous job. The spring is tightly wound and contains an enormous amount of energy in its bunched-up coils. Even the most competent DIY professionals leave garage door opener issues to the professionals because people get seriously hurt and even killed trying to fix torsion springs.

In short, Do not fix your garage door yourself. Depending on what is wrong with your door, the repair could be risky and should only be done by a professional.

Contact a Chicago, IL Garage Door Technician Now

If your garage door isn't opening, don't spend weeks fretting over it or getting out of your car to open the door manually. The experienced Chicago, IL garage door repair team at Blue Sky Builders, Inc. can help you fix your broken garage door opener quickly and affordably. If you are having issues with your garage, call us right away at 630-852-8485.