Garage Door Not Closing? A Few Reasons Why

When you have a garage door opener, the whole point of it is to have the convenience of opening and closing the door without having to get out of your car. When your garage door doesn’t close properly, it can aggravate, but it also defeats the point of having a garage door opener. 

This is a pretty common problem for homeowners. But, the good news is it’s often easy to fix. Here are a few reasons why your garage door isn’t closing properly.

Check the obvious problems first. Sometimes a garage door won’t close simply because there is something blocking the door from closing. This can be debris, like small rocks on your garage floor or dirt obstructing the sensor. Inspect your garage floor, the tracks on your garage door, and see if the sensor is dirty. Cleaning the sensor may solve the problem.

Look at all the springs and cables. Your garage door uses tension springs and cables to open and close door. If a spring or cable is damaged, you may notice your garage door closing too fast or not closing all the way. If your garage door is closing fast or banging when it hits the bottom, it could create a safety issue. For example, if your child or pet is in the door’s path when it closes, it could crash down quickly and injure them.

Another common cause is that your safety sensors are not working properly. These sensors are supposed to stop the door from closing if something is in the way. They are at the bottom of your garage door, about six inches above the ground. If they aren’t receiving power, or they are not signaling properly, the garage door will not close or will close and go back up.

Damage to the tracks or misalignment can also cause a garage door to get stuck or not close. If the tracks are blocked with debris, clearing the debris may be all you need to do to get your garage door working properly again. However, if the tracks are bent or warped, you may need the tracks replaced.

Some issues that cause a garage door not to close, you can easily fix yourself. If the issue involves springs, cables, or tracks, you need to call a professional. Trying to fix it yourself may make matters worse. If you have inspected your garage door and still don’t know why it won’t close, contact our experts at Environmental Door today at 616-453-0164. We are happy to answer any questions and help you get your garage door working again.