Broken Garage Door Remote?

Is your garage door remote broken?

If the day arrives that you drive up to your garage door and it doesn’t respond to your door remote, we hope that you have the key for your front door, or someone else is home who can open the door for you. In any case, we have created a list of reasons the garage door won’t open or close to help you troubleshoot the possible issues. Here are some tips to help you get your garage door working again:

 

If the remote won’t close the door

 

If you try to use the garage door remote, and nothing moves, but the wall control still functions, it might be an issue with the eye sensors. So long as they’re lined up correctly and are clean, the light on the eye sensor ought to be glowing and not blinking.

If the door closes, but immediately goes back up, it could be a couple of things. The first is that there’s something in the way of the door closing. Another possibility is that the door’s open and close limits are incorrectly set. Your garage door works by identifying when it hits the ground. It will register that there’s a foreign object and stop. To get assistance with calibrating the limits, consult the owner’s manual.

If there’s an extra remote, try using that one too. If it doesn’t work, there are a few more things you can try.

Identify the power plug on the ceiling and investigate if the remote has been unplugged. It’s startlingly simple, and yet so often it is overlooked.

Next, look at the control pad. It may be locked, which will prevent the door from opening. Try unlocking it and see if that fixes the problem.

If only one of the remotes has failed, there are two possibilities. The first is that the battery needs to be replaced. The other is that it needs reprogramming. Since every garage door is programmed differently, you might need to consult your instructions or investigate online programming tips.

Signal interference

Occasionally, LED lights inside the garage can prevent a remote from working. The lights can block the signal from the remote to the antenna. In this situation, you may want to change the light bulbs to CFL. Also available are Genie LED bulbs that work without creating any interference.

Mysterious happenings

If your garage door opens and closes mysteriously without prompting, you might feel like there’s a ghost in your garage, someone else’s remote is on the same frequency, or that burglars have found a way to open the door. Usually, it isn’t as exciting as that. There might be a short circuit. It’s not as enthralling as the other situations, but it’s the most likely to occur.

If your garage door remote doesn’t work anymore, or the door has stopped working, consider these suggestions. If you can’t get your garage door working on your own, call us. We would be more than happy to help.

 

Arizona Garage Door & Repair offers professional, affordable garage door tune-up, repair, and replacement services for Phoenix Valley area residents. Same day and emergency service! Call 602-600-6069 today!

Avoiding Garage Door Injuries

For every home, a garage door serves more purpose than one, making lives easy and convenient. Homeowners often don’t pay heed to the fact that garage doors can be unsafe if not used carefully. The fact that they cause around 30,000 injuries and several casualties every year is enough to consider them as a hazard. A garage door is one of the heftiest moving objects in a home, weighing over a hundred pounds; therefore, it is essential to be conscious of its dangers. Most garage door injuries occur either due to the carelessness and thoughtless actions of the victim or the malfunctioning of the door.

It is vital to not only be aware of the potential dangers posed by a garage door but also the ways to avoid it, helping to ensure the safety of yourself and the family.

Moving garage door

Though modern garage doors come with sensors and other technologically advanced features that make them a lot safer, injuries caused by a lowering garage door are still very prevalent. It can happen when you try to run underneath the garage door while it opens or closes, or some component or feature of the door malfunctions. Either way, it can seriously injure you and the fellow passengers and damage the car.

The best way to avoid it is to stay away and never duck under the door when it operates. Educate family members, especially children, about the operating techniques, precautionary measures, and the potential danger or injury that may occur if they are careless with the garage door. Also, get the door regularly inspected by a garage door service and repair specialist to ensure that all the parts are working.

Fingers getting caught in the sections

It is another common cause of garage door injury, which is easily avoidable. Getting the fingers caught in the tracks is not only painful but can also result in broken bones and amputation, owing to the heavy weight of the door.

To avoid accidental trapping, keep both fingers and toes away from an opening or closing garage door.

Being locked in

A garage door has many components that aid in its smooth operation. If the door’s springs are old, outdated, loose, or cracked, it will lead to total operation failure, leaving you locked in the garage. If you stay stuck for long in an unattached garage, it can cause dehydration and other problems.

Get a professional to regularly inspect the springs and repair or replace them as needed to ensure the springs are in good condition.

Some of the other points that should be kept in mind to avoid injuries

Many garage door injuries can be easily avoided just by being a little cautious. Make sure that the door is installed correctly, and call a professional to carry out regular garage door maintenance.

Common Garage Door Problems Explained

common garage door problems
Image courtesy of Pixabay

Your garage door often provides convenient entrance to your home, and as such is used four times or more per day, which implies that you trust it to function optimally. That is until it doesn’t!

If you want to trust your garage door to remain free from any of the following issues, which can unfortunately cause a host of problems – from insect infiltration to security concerns, regular preventive maintenance including monthly visual inspections should be conducted.

Today, we’re sharing the 5 most common garage door issues, and explaining the importance of having each issue repaired in a timely manner in order to ensure your personal safety and security.

Problem #1: Broken Garage Door Springs

When your springs snap, break or begin to sag, your garage door will not be operational. The number one reason for spring failure is simple wear and tear. Garage door springs, like most any household item, have a limited lifespan. Most springs are rated for 10,000 cycles. The number of years these cycles will last you, depend on the weight of your door, and how many times the door is opened and closed. Once the springs have reached their lifespan, one or both may break, thus causing the door to stop operating.

While springs typically break while the door is in the down position, as this is where most of the tension is, they may also break while the door is in motion or in its raised position. Ensuring the professional replacement of springs is vitally important! Replacing a broken garage door spring can be a very dangerous undertaking. This is why we caution homeowners NOT to attempt DIY replacement.

Problem #2. Broken Garage Door Cables

In a non-damaged state, cables provide smooth, efficient operation for your garage door. Most cables are attached from the drum located near the top of the door to the bottom section of the door. These cables hold the door’s weight as the garage door moves upward and downward. The most common reason for their breakage is normal wear and tear.

Like springs, once the cables break, the door will not be operational. When faced with a broken garage door cable you should refrain from operating the door until the cables have been replaced by a professional. You should also refrain from attempting to force the door open as this can create further damage and pose significant risk to your personal safety.

Problem #3. Bent Garage Door Tracks

Your door’s tracks play an essential role in helping it to open and close smoothly. If one of the tracks gets out of alignment or becomes bent, the problem needs to be addressed before any further damage occurs, which can also lead to their need for replacement. Bent or misaligned tracks are often the result of a severe door malfunction, worn parts or human error (i.e. a car backing up into the door).

If your tracks are simply bent, you can attempt to knock them gently back into shape, using a soft mallet. Of course, if you’re not comfortable doing this, then by all means contact a professional. Just be careful not to use your door until the tracks have been repaired as your door will be unbalanced.

Problem #4. Misaligned Safety Sensors

All garage door openers manufactured on or after January 1, 1993 should be equipped with photo safety sensors. Safety sensors can be found on both sides of the garage door opening about six inches off the floor. They are designed to automatically stop and reverse the door should a person or object interrupt its beam. If the safety sensors aren’t working, neither will the remote control or touchpad.

To ensure optimal functioning of your sensors, you will want to check to ensure that the LEDs on each unit are lit up. A problem exists if the light is off or its flashing repeatedly. Gently clean the lens with a soft dry cloth, check the wires attached to the sensor for loose connections, and try realigning them by hand. If they still don’t work, there may be a bigger issue at hand, and you should contact a local service provider.