Overhead Door

Troubleshooting Common Overhead Garage Door Problems

By Debbie S Lawson

can start giving you trouble for a variety of different reasons. As the doors get older they can begin to breakdown, the motors can lose power and the tracks can become bent and damaged. Most of the problems of this type will need a certified overhead garage door repair technician to fix or replace the parts. However there are some of the more common problems that you can solve by yourself.

The most common complaint is that the door will simply not open at all. If you push the button on the remote and the door is completely unresponsive then there are a few things to check:

1. Check the remote to make sure that the batteries are fresh
2. Check to make sure that the motor is still securely plugged into the outlet
3. Check the fuse box to make sure that a fuse or breaker was not tripped
4. Check the unit to ensure that the antenna is hanging down like it should be
5. Check the wall switch to see if it will open the door. If it does then you should try to reprogram or replace the remote control.

Another common issue is that the garage door will not close all the way as it should. This can be cause by the door is not able to slide down the track. Check the track for bends or obstructions and then raise and lower the door by hand. If you can raise and lower it manually without any difficulty then the problem lies with the close limit switch. If the close limit switch is:

• Too far from the motor then the door will not open completely
• Too close to the motor then the door will close but the motor will not stop running

In most cases it is best to leave the configuration of the switches to a trained overhead door repair technician. What would only take them a few minutes to do, will take the rest of your afternoon.


There is sometimes one more sensor that can cause problems. Many doors have a sensor near the bottom to prevent the doors from closing on cars, pets and toddlers. It senses if something is blocking the door and will prevent the door from closing. So if your door starts to go down and then goes back up before fully closing, you should check to make sure there is not some small obstruction that is tripping the sensor.

Article was written by Debbie with Click ready Marketing on behalf of Greater Gwinnnett Garage Doors. For more information on Atlanta Garage Door Installation and Repairs, contact us at [http://www.gwinnettoverheaddoors.com].