Garage Door Opener Repair and New Opener Installation

Why is my garage door opener not working?

A garage door opener usually stops working because of a dead remote battery, a tripped breaker or outlet, blocked or misaligned safety sensors, a locked door, or a disengaged trolley. If the motor hums but the door won't lift, the real problem is often a broken spring, not the opener. Find your symptom below and jump to the checks.

Running an opener against a broken garage door spring can strip its gears, so look for a gap in the spring coil before you press the button again.

Garage door won't close or reverses? Check the safety sensors

A garage door that won't close is most often blocked by its safety sensors: dust, sun glare or a bumped bracket breaks the beam and the opener reverses. Other common causes are a wrong close-limit setting, a locked door, a disengaged trolley or a bent track.

Quick checks, in order

1. Look at the sensor lights. If one is blinking or off, something is blocking the beam or the eyes are out of line. Clear the path and gently wipe both lenses.
2. Check for a locked door. A manual slide lock on the door, or a lock-out button on the wall control, will stop the opener.
3. Check the trolley. If someone pulled the red emergency release, the opener runs but the door doesn't move until the trolley is reconnected.
4. Try the wall button. If it works but the remote doesn't, replace the remote battery.
5. Watch where it stops. A door that touches the floor and goes right back up may have its close limit set wrong. Your opener manual explains the setting; if you're unsure, leave it to a pro.
6. Look at the tracks and springs. A bent track, a roller out of place, a loose cable or a gap in a spring means stop here and call a pro.

Openers have a key safety job: stopping and reversing if something is in the way. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission requires residential openers made on or after January 1, 1993 to have entrapment protection, such as photo-eye sensors or a door edge sensor. It also recommends testing the reversing feature monthly.

If your opener is older than that and has no photo eyes, it may be worth replacing for safety alone. If the sensors keep blinking, a pro can realign them or check the wiring. HomeAdvisor lists sensor realignment at about $150 to $250.

The CPSC also advises teaching children about garage door safety and keeping remotes out of their reach. Leave the warning label near the wall button in place.

Sun and heat in the Valley

Heat and dust are part of daily life in Phoenix-area garages. Town & Country Door notes that extreme heat can affect sensor sensitivity, and dust on the lenses can cause false trips. Wipe the sensors gently and keep the area around them clear before you call. If you're buying a new opener, the same source says some smart openers with temperature sensors can alert your phone when the garage gets too hot.

Remote or keypad doesn't work

If the wall button still opens the door, the opener itself is usually fine and the problem is the remote, the keypad or their programming.

• Try every remote. Genie's troubleshooting guide suggests checking all remotes, replacing the battery and reprogramming. If every wireless control stops working at once, Genie says the opener's circuit board may be the cause.
• Check the lock-out setting. Many wall controls have a lock or vacation button that blocks remotes and keypads. Your manual shows how to turn it off.
• Replace the keypad battery and re-enter the code.
• Note the range. If a remote only works up close, mention it; Genie lists short range as its own troubleshooting topic.

How much does garage door opener repair cost?

Published cost guides give a sense of what to expect. The companies you're matched with set the actual price.

Drive-type ranges are from HomeAdvisor's opener installation guide. Smart features, battery backup and higher-horsepower units can raise the price.

A repair usually makes sense when the opener is fairly new and the problem is a single part, like a gear, sensor or remote. A replacement starts to make sense when the opener is old, lacks modern safety sensors, or needs a major part like the motor or logic board. See more numbers in our garage door repair cost guide.

When the opener isn't the real problem

An opener is designed to guide a balanced door, not lift dead weight. If the springs are weak or broken, or the door is binding in the track, the opener has to work much harder. That's why a good tech checks the door's balance before replacing an opener.

DASMA notes that a door that moves unevenly when operated by hand may have an unbalanced spring system, which causes premature wear. If your door is crooked or a roller has jumped the track, see off-track and cable repair. If the door is just noisy or sticky, a garage door tune-up may solve it.