Garage door won't open in Franklin, Tennessee
Press the button once and listen. What happens next tells you where the fault probably is.
Match what you hear to the likely cause
| Silence, no light on the opener | Power. Check the plug, the outlet and the breaker. |
|---|---|
| Opener light comes on, motor does not | A failed control board or motor, or a safety circuit holding it off. |
| A hum or a click, door does not move | The door is too heavy for the motor. A broken spring is the usual reason. |
| The motor runs, the door stays | The door is disconnected from the opener, or the drive has slipped. See whether the release was pulled. |
| The door lifts a few inches and drops | A lift cable or spring has failed on one side, or the door is binding. |
| Remote fails, wall button works | Remote battery, pairing or the receiver. |
| Wall button fails, remote works | The wall control or its wire. |
If the door lifts only when you push it by hand, stop pushing. It has probably lost its spring.
What to check now
Reasonable to check
- See whether the opener has power, from its light and the outlet.
- Check that a hand lock on the door is not engaged. Some doors have one, and it blocks the opener.
- Look at the release cord. If it hangs loose, the door may be disconnected from the opener.
- Look along the door's edges for anything bent, off its track or hanging.
Not worth the risk
- Pulling the release while the door is up or partly open and you suspect a spring.
- Prying the door up at the bottom with a bar.
- Bypassing a sensor or a switch to get it to run.
- Standing under the door while it is being tested.
Why a working opener can still fail to lift the door
Springs do most of the lifting. The motor only guides the movement, so a door with a snapped spring will not budge even when the opener is fine. If that sounds like yours, read about spring repair. If it looks like an opener fault, see opener repair.
What to tell the contractor
Say what you heard, whether the door moved at all and roughly how old the door and opener are. Mention a recent storm, power surge or bump against the door. If a car is trapped inside, say so and read the page on a car stuck in the garage.
Ready to talk to a contractor?
Call this number and say what the door is doing. The contractor who answers is independent of this site.