Broken torsion spring
The most common cause. Usually announced by a bang loud enough to hear from indoors.
Fix: Spring replacement. Both springs if the door has two.
Garage door won't open
It's usually a broken spring. Look at the shaft above the door: a broken torsion spring leaves a visible gap of two or three inches in the coil. The opener isn't built to lift the door on its own, so once that spring goes the door stays shut no matter what the motor does.
Call (510) 694-8090Stop: If your car is behind it, stop trying the opener. Running it against a broken spring strips the drive gear and turns one repair into two.
What causes it
Stripped opener gear
Motor runs, nothing moves. The nylon drive gear has worn through.
Fix: A gear kit, which costs a fraction of a new opener.
Snapped cable
Door sits crooked, one side higher than the other.
Fix: Cables replaced as a pair.
Door locked or manually latched
Side latch engaged, or the release cord got pulled and the trolley never re-engaged.
Fix: Check the latch, then re-engage the trolley.
No power
Tripped breaker, unplugged unit, or a dead remote and a dead wall button.
Fix: Check the breaker and the plug first.
Before you call
Worth trying
- Look for a gap in the spring above the door
- Check the breaker and that the unit is plugged in
- Check no side latch is engaged
Leave alone
- Try to lift a door with a broken spring
- Keep running the opener against a stuck door
- Try to unwind or replace a torsion spring yourself
We fix garage door won't open the same day
You get the price before we drive out, and someone picks up whatever time you call.
The repair itself
The most common way a garage door fails, and the one job you shouldn't try yourself.