Fixing a garage door is kind of an either-or project.
Either you can fix it in almost no time or you should to call in a pro. This how-to with video is all about getting the “fix the garage door” job done with DIY style.
Start with the obvious: batteries.
If the remote doesn’t work, check the wall-mounted switch. If that operates the garage door, then it’s probably just batteries.
Check the door for dents and dings.
A crashed bicycle or errant car back-up that deforms the door can knock it off the track.
Wipe off any dust on the sensors.
If the sensor at the bottom of the door is out of alignment with the sensor on the other side of the door, or even if its dusty, the door may not work. Seat the sensor on the bracket and wipe off the dust.
Inspect brackets.
They can wiggle loose over time and are easy to re-tighten.
Re-engage the cord.
If the cord has been released pull it to re-engage it and get everything back on track.
What if none of these tips helped?
While a DIY solution to fixing a garage door can take just a few minutes, bigger problems typically require a specialist. To find a pro you can trust, visit HomeAdvisor.
About the Author
Most of the time that my garage door stops working it is because my kids have knocked the sensors out of alignment. However, something else I have noticed that helps me is to lubricate my door twice a year. It keeps things running smoothly and makes my repairman happy when my garage door is beyond my ability to fix.
Thanks for sharing this! If your garage door needs any maintenance, call in a professional installer. This way you know that the job is getting done right.
We recently started having a lot of issues with our garage door and we don’t really know what the problem is. It started to make a lot of weird noises when we would open it and close it and now it doesn’t open at all. I haven’t thought about it being knocked of the track so I will have to start looking for dents and dings in the door. We will have to also look into getting any repair made that needs to be made so that we can access our garage, thanks for the tips!
I really liked that you posted pictures together with your article! My wife and I are looking into replacing our garage door, and it’s nice that you showed what almost everything is. Before reading, I had no idea what a bracket looked like for my garage door. As we move into changing it out, I’ll make sure to follow the tips shown here, and in your video. Is there a specific brand of garage door that you prefer?
I’ve noticed that with our garage doors, we don’t really think about them all that often. Mainly because we use them on a daily basis without a second thought. When something breaks, then we start to think about them. I really liked how you pointed out in the video that just about anyone can do those tricks to fix the door. Of course if you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself, you can always hire someone to do it for you.
Thanks for the simple tips to help keep your garage door in working order. Many people just take them for granted. It can be especially important to take care of your garage door sensor, like you mentioned. They can get dirty and prevent your door from working properly.
My parents garage has been acting really weird lately and I’m not sure why. With this being the case, I’m trying to find a professional garage door repair service to come in and help them. This helped a ton, and I hope that I’ll be able to find one before this weekend.
Whenever your garage stops working you can always think the worst but there are a few things that you should check before calling in a repairman. As talked about here make sure that the rollers on the door are not bent or the garage door is not damaged. Check the sensors and make sure that nothing is blocking them from seeing each other and a few other things mentioned as well, but I have found these to be the most common problem that my garage has had.
This is going to be very helpful for me! My garage door hasn’t been working very well for the past year. I’m finally going to do something about it and try to repair it on my own.
The garage door that we have right now in our house is reaching the end of its years. These are some good tips of things that I can do to try and fix it. I haven’t tried making sure the sensors are aligned. So, that’s something I’ll have to do to see if it’s a problem with that. Thanks!
DIY tips are always welcome, but sometimes I wonder if we will be able to keep the professional repairmen away forever! Like you said, fixing a door using DIY methods is an either-or: it is either fixed in no time at all or it takes forever, or you make it worse! The latter is usually what happens to me, but we will try our best and then call a professional if we need to.
My garage door has been going down really slow lately, and I have no idea what is going on with it. Do you know what is wrong? And do you feel like the tips you gave would be able to help me fix the problem?
It is really helpful to learn these DIY tips for fixing garage doors. I have recently been having quite a few problems with my garage door to see if any of these could fix it. I think that the sensors on the bottom of the door are probably the issue, but I have already tried wiping them off and making sure that nothing is obstructing them. I think there may be something else wrong, so I will probably just need to get them replaced.
The suggestion you give to inspect the brackets was very helpful. I didn’t know that this could potentially be the cause of any garage door problems, and I equally didn’t know that simply re-tightening these could be the solution to the problem. I will definitely make sure that I check my brackets regularly to avoid future garage problems, however, if the problems do arise, I will be sure to check the brackets so I can quickly fix it. Thanks for the great insight!
My garage door stopped working the other day. I am not sure what is wrong with it. It isn’t anything small like the remote or the sensor. I think this might be a bigger problem. Looks like I better get in touch with a repair service.
I think you’re right in calling garage door repair an either/or project. I’ve been able to fix some minor issues with my door, but it looks like I’m having some spring problems now. I definitely don’t want to take the risk of getting hurt myself, so it seems like calling in the pros is the best option. I’ll keep your tips in mind for the future, though.
This is a really nice checklist. I found that in our garage door there was some dust that was blocking the sensor. It sounds a little silly but all we had to do was clean the sensors off and they worked fine.
Awesome Delores. Good luck. Please let us know how it turns out!
Thanks for sharing this advice on repairing a garage door! The garage door in my home won’t open or close, and I’m not sure what the problem is. I’ll be sure to check all of these things, including the sensor, and see if it fixes anything. If not, I might just have to call a professional.
Thanks for sharing this! I have been having this problem with my garage doors, and I want to deal with it as quickly as possible. I will definitely try inspecting all possible points of the problem and see if I can find anything useful.
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