We understand that garage door problems often get pretty frustrating. If your garage door keeps stopping or isn’t closing properly, read this guide to know what steps you can take to solve this issue. After all, the garage is a place where most homeowners keep their valuable tools and other important equipment. So it should never stop working properly. But when it does, this guide is here to help.
For garage door repair in Houston, TX, you can call the Garage Door Doctor straight away. Our team is ready to help you. And in the meantime, you can try the following steps. Most probably, you may be able to repair your door yourself and save some money. So let’s get started.
4 Simple Methods for Fixing a Garage Door that Won’t Close
1. Check the Sensors
In most cases, sensors may get an issue when your door is not closing all the way. So your first step should be to check the sensors.
Garage door openers have safety lasers placed near the floor to detect any obstruction. It is also for the safety of small children, pets, or objects accidentally placed in the door’s path. These sensors can get dirty with time. This will likely cause them to send a false signal to the control board. If you notice dirt on the sensor, you can wipe them with a clean, soft cloth. If the sensors are blinking, you might need to align them. Adjust them until the light becomes steady.
If cleaning and adjusting sensors don’t fix the issue, you may proceed to the following step.
2. Check the Tracks and Rollers
If your sensors are working fine, but the garage door is still not closing properly, check the tracks and rollers. Make sure no obstructions are blocking the door. A damaged roller or a bent track can have a similar effect. So inspect for any damage in the tracks or rollers. Make sure to check the overhead track of your garage door opener as well.
If you haven’t greased your door for a while, it’s a good time to do so. Your garage door opening can take stuck rollers as something obstructing its path.
3. Check the Trolley
The trolley is the mechanism that connects your garage door to the opener. It has a rope hanging from it. This rope engages and disengages the door. The trolley might be in bypass mode if the door is moving freely by hand. Pull the rope toward the garage door. This will latch out the trolley from bypass mode. Once you activate the opener, the trolley will latch back onto the chain. This way, it will start working properly again.
4. Manually Close the Garage Door
If you are unable to fix the door by yourself, you might need a garage door technician. While you wait for the garage door repair team, tug down on the bypass rope. You can close the door when the trolley is disengaged. For doors that don’t have built-in locking latches, check your tracks for small holes. Feed a bolt through small holes. This way, you will effectively lock your garage door.