Garage Door Won't Open?

Why Your Garage Door Won't Open: 6 Common Causes

When your garage door won't open, it's usually one of six issues. Here's how to diagnose which one you're dealing with:

DIY Troubleshooting Steps (Try These First)

Before calling, try these safe troubleshooting steps. You might fix it yourself in 5 minutes:

Step 1: Check Power (2 Minutes)

• Is the opener plugged in? Sounds dumb, but 15% of "won't open" calls are unplugged openers. Check the outlet in your garage ceiling.
• Is the outlet working? Plug in your phone charger or a lamp. No power? Check your breaker panel—garage circuit may be tripped.
• Is the opener light on? If opener light turns on, you have power. Problem is elsewhere.

Step 2: Test the Wall Button (1 Minute)

• Press the wall button inside your garage (not the remote).
• If wall button works but remote doesn't: Remote battery is dead or remote needs reprogramming (NOT a garage door problem).
• If neither works: Problem is with opener or door itself.

Step 3: Check for Obstructions (2 Minutes)

• Look at the safety sensors (photo eyes near floor on both sides of door).
• Are both sensors lit with solid lights? Good—sensors are working.
• Is one or both blinking? Sensors are misaligned or obstructed. Wipe lenses with clean cloth, remove any objects near sensors.
• Look for anything in the doorway—toys, boxes, brooms leaning against tracks.

Step 4: Try Manual Operation (3 Minutes)

• Pull the manual release handle (red cord hanging from opener rail).
• Try to manually lift the door 3-4 feet off the ground.
• Door lifts easily and stays in place: Springs are fine. Problem is with opener.
• Door is HEAVY (hard to lift) or SLAMS down when you let go: Broken spring. Don't force it—you'll hurt yourself or damage the door. Call us.
• Door won't move at all: Could be frozen to floor (winter), off-track, or side-lock engaged.

Step 5: Check for Broken Spring (1 Minute—Visual Only)

Look above your door at the torsion spring (large coiled spring on a horizontal rod).

• See a 2-3 inch gap in the coils? Spring is broken. That's why door won't open.
• Hear a loud BANG before the door stopped working? That was the spring breaking.

DO NOT attempt to open door if spring is broken. The opener can't lift 300+ lbs without spring assistance. Forcing it burns out the opener motor.

The #1 Reason Doors Won't Open: Broken Springs

40-50% of "won't open" calls are broken springs. Here's why:

How Garage Door Springs Work

Your garage door weighs 150-400 lbs depending on size and insulation. Your garage door opener is only rated to lift 50-75 lbs. So how does it open 300 lb doors? Springs do 90% of the work.

Torsion springs (the coiled spring above the door) are wound tight with 200-400 lbs of stored tension. When the door is closed, springs are fully wound. As the door opens, springs unwind and provide lifting force—essentially "counterbalancing" the door's weight. A properly balanced door requires almost zero force to lift manually.

When a Spring Breaks

Springs break suddenly—usually with a loud BANG (sounds like a gunshot). When a spring breaks:

• The door loses 90% of its counterbalance weight
• A 300 lb door now "weighs" 300 lbs to the opener (instead of 30 lbs)
• The opener can't lift this weight—it hums, clicks, or gives up

Why You Shouldn't Force It

If your spring is broken and you keep pressing the opener button:

replacement) repair)
• You might damage door panels from uneven lifting

Don't make an expensive problem worse. Call us instead.

Dead Opener: Power Issues

Troubleshooting Checklist

Opener is completely dead (no lights, no sounds):

1. Check if outlet has power: Plug in phone charger. If it doesn't charge, the outlet is dead.
2. Check breaker panel: Look for tripped breaker (switch in middle position, not fully ON or OFF). Flip it all the way OFF, then back ON.
3. Check GFCI outlet: If your opener plugs into a GFCI outlet (has TEST/RESET buttons), press RESET.
4. Try different outlet: Use extension cord to plug opener into different outlet temporarily—if it works, the original outlet is bad.

Opener has power (light on) but won't respond to button:

• Try wall button. If wall button works, problem is remote (battery or programming).
repair).

Car Trapped Inside: Emergency Manual Release

If your car is trapped in the garage and door won't open, here's how to manually open it:

Safe Manual Release (If Springs Are Working)

1. Pull red manual release cord (disconnects door from opener)
2. Manually lift door—should be easy (30-40 lbs of force)
3. Prop door open with something sturdy (sawhorses, ladder, block of wood)
4. Back your car out
5. Manually lower door (control descent slowly)

⚠️ If Springs Are Broken

DO NOT attempt manual lifting if:

• Door feels extremely heavy (150+ lbs of force needed)
• Door slams down when you let go
• You see a visible gap in the spring coils

Why it's dangerous: Without spring assistance, a 300 lb door can crush your fingers, fall on your head, or damage panels. If you absolutely must get your car out, you need two strong adults and extreme caution—but we strongly recommend calling us instead. We'll arrive within 60-90 minutes and safely open the door.

Winter-Specific Issue: Frozen to Floor

In winter, moisture on your garage floor can freeze overnight, gluing the bottom weather seal to the concrete. You press the opener button, hear it running, but the door won't budge.

How to Fix (Safe DIY)

1. Disconnect opener (pull manual release)
2. Look for ice along bottom seal
3. Use hair dryer or heat gun to melt ice (don't use torch—you'll damage the seal)
4. OR: Wait 1-2 hours for natural thaw if temperature is above 32°F
5. Once ice melts, door should lift freely
6. Reconnect opener and test

Prevent Future Freezing

• Apply silicone spray to bottom seal before winter
• Keep garage floor dry (wipe up snow/ice melt from car)
• Replace worn weather seal (cracked seals absorb water)

Frequently Asked Questions