Blocked or misaligned photo eyes
A bin, a bike or a coiled hose sitting in the beam. Or a bracket knocked loose so the eyes no longer line up.
Fix: Clear the path, wipe both lenses, and line them up until both LEDs are steady instead of blinking.
Garage door won't close
Usually it's the safety sensors. The two photo eyes near the floor have to see each other, and if something is sitting in the beam or one has been knocked out of line, the opener refuses to close the door and blinks at you to say so. Clear the beam, wipe both lenses, then look for a steady light on each sensor.
Call (510) 694-8090Stop: If the door closes a few inches then reverses every time, that's the sensors or the force setting. Don't hold the button down to force it shut.
What causes it
Dirty lenses
Cobwebs and dust are enough to do it. Common on a garage that stays shut for weeks.
Fix: A dry cloth on both lenses.
Loose sensor wiring
Staples driven through the wire, or a terminal that's worked loose at the opener head.
Fix: Needs checking at both ends. Call if the LEDs stay dark.
Travel limit set wrong
The opener thinks the floor is lower than it is, hits the ground early and reverses.
Fix: A travel limit adjustment on the opener. Quick to correct, easy to get wrong.
Broken cable or spring
The door is out of balance, binds in the track, and the opener feels the resistance.
Fix: Stop using it and call. This one isn't a setting.
Before you call
Worth trying
- Clear anything sitting in the beam
- Wipe both sensor lenses
- Look for a steady light on both sensors
- Check the breaker
Leave alone
- Hold the wall button down to force it closed
- Disconnect the sensors to get around them
- Keep pressing the remote after it's reversed twice
We fix garage door won't close the same day
You get the price before we drive out, and someone picks up whatever time you call.
The repair itself
Motor, gears, sensors, remotes and wall controls. We test the whole chain before replacing anything.