Before You Start:
Your garage door is probably the largest moving appliance in your home and your opener is an electric motor. It is therefore important to be aware of safety before you begin troubleshooting your opener.
- Make sure that the garage door is on the tracks, that the spring is not broken, that the tracks are firmly attached to the opening and that the door is mechanically stable. If any of these appear to be an issue call a service technician.
- Do not remove the cover from the operator or attempt to rectify any perceived electrical faults unless you are qualified to do so.
- Make sure there are no children or animals around blocking the garage door opening or in a position where they could block the opening.
- Note that all garage doors which can run smoothly on their tracks can be opened and closed manually by disengaging the manual release mechanism which usually entails pulling a leave or cord attached to the tracks on a sectional door opener and hanging off the engagement mechanism on the operator on the side of a roller door. For non finger safe doors special care needs to be taken when opening or closing doors to ensure fingers do not get caught between panels. Once the motor has been repaired or reset the disengagement mechanism needs to be re-engaged for the operator to function.
• Step 1: Check the power
- Most garage door openers do not have battery backup so if the power is down or the circuit breaker for that circuit has tripped then your garage door opener will not work.
- If the circuit breaker has tripped then reset it and if it trips again after you have reset it immediately or when you try to open the garage door then your opener is faulty and needs to be repaired or replaced. If this is the case call a service technician.
• Step 2: If you have power but nothing happens when you push the remote button.
- If you have another remote handset then try the other remote handset or alternately for a roller door and some sectional doors you can use the wall button or buttons on the opener itself to open the door. If you are unable to open the door with another the wall button or directly then call a service technician.
- If neither handset opens the garage door then try to re -code the handsets to the operator.
- If only one of the remote handsets does not work then try replacing batteries and if this does not work then purchase a replacement remote handset.
• Step 3: If you have power and you can hear the motor running but the door does not open.
- If you have photo eye safety sensors then make sure the photo eye safety sensors are aligned and that the wires to the photo eye sensors have not been damaged. If out of alignment align the safety sensors.
- Check to see if no one has put the door into manual mode following a power failure. If the manual release lever is disengaged then re-engage.
- If the motor runs and the fault is not the manual engagement mechanism or photo eye then call a service technician.
• Step 4: If the door does not fully open or does not fully close when activated.
-Check to ensure that there are no physical objects interfering with the door operation.
- If the door has electronic limits then it should reset automatically even after a power failure and there is something else wrong with the door and a service technician should be called.
- If the opener is an older model with manual limits then read the instruction manual to see how to reset limits or call a service technician.
For more information, please refer to
- Make sure that the garage door is on the tracks, that the spring is not broken, that the tracks are firmly attached to the opening and that the door is mechanically stable. If any of these appear to be an issue call a service technician.
- Do not remove the cover from the operator or attempt to rectify any perceived electrical faults unless you are qualified to do so.
- Make sure there are no children or animals around blocking the garage door opening or in a position where they could block the opening.
- Note that all garage doors which can run smoothly on their tracks can be opened and closed manually by disengaging the manual release mechanism which usually entails pulling a leave or cord attached to the tracks on a sectional door opener and hanging off the engagement mechanism on the operator on the side of a roller door. For non finger safe doors special care needs to be taken when opening or closing doors to ensure fingers do not get caught between panels. Once the motor has been repaired or reset the disengagement mechanism needs to be re-engaged for the operator to function.
• Step 1: Check the power
- Most garage door openers do not have battery backup so if the power is down or the circuit breaker for that circuit has tripped then your garage door opener will not work.
- If the circuit breaker has tripped then reset it and if it trips again after you have reset it immediately or when you try to open the garage door then your opener is faulty and needs to be repaired or replaced. If this is the case call a service technician.
• Step 2: If you have power but nothing happens when you push the remote button.
- If you have another remote handset then try the other remote handset or alternately for a roller door and some sectional doors you can use the wall button or buttons on the opener itself to open the door. If you are unable to open the door with another the wall button or directly then call a service technician.
- If neither handset opens the garage door then try to re -code the handsets to the operator.
- If only one of the remote handsets does not work then try replacing batteries and if this does not work then purchase a replacement remote handset.
• Step 3: If you have power and you can hear the motor running but the door does not open.
- If you have photo eye safety sensors then make sure the photo eye safety sensors are aligned and that the wires to the photo eye sensors have not been damaged. If out of alignment align the safety sensors.
- Check to see if no one has put the door into manual mode following a power failure. If the manual release lever is disengaged then re-engage.
- If the motor runs and the fault is not the manual engagement mechanism or photo eye then call a service technician.
• Step 4: If the door does not fully open or does not fully close when activated.
-Check to ensure that there are no physical objects interfering with the door operation.
- If the door has electronic limits then it should reset automatically even after a power failure and there is something else wrong with the door and a service technician should be called.
- If the opener is an older model with manual limits then read the instruction manual to see how to reset limits or call a service technician.
For more information, please refer to