No matter how many vehicles you have, having a garage is an advantage for any homeowner. Your garage can be used to store tools, yard and garden equipment, or even to park your automobile. But what if your garage door doesn’t close all the way?
You’ll find this more than inconvenient as it means your things inside and your home are vulnerable.
The lack of operation could be faulty alignment, a damaged seal, or a crack in the floor. The first step is to check batteries and power, but you could find yourself stuck after this.
In our guide, you can learn more about why your garage door won’t close in the right position. By the end, you’ll know why your garage door won’t close because you’ll know all the things to check. (Learn How To Remove Paint From Garage Floor)
Why Won’t My Electric Garage Door Go All the Way Down?
Here you can find a few things that cause issues with your garage door and what to look for when you want to fix a garage door that won’t shut.
My Garage Door Won’t Close All the Way
One of three common explanations for a garage door not closing but opens properly can be:
Out of Line Close-Limit Switch
The close-limit switch may have been knocked or adjusted. The Set-limit switches on your garage door tell the motors when to stop closing.
If the close-limit switch isn’t set correctly, the door may not close.
The close-limit switch is a required feature on all garage door openers. It prevents individuals from being hit by the door closing on them. The limit switch can be adjusted to prevent your garage door from acting uncontrollably, yet it could also be knocked.
Different garage doors have different ways of adjusting the set-limit switches. The more common is to turn a screw on the motor unit to regulate the fall of the door.
Safety Sensors
It’s possible the safety sensors need realigning or changing. On either side of your door will be electronic eyes near the bottom of the track. These need a clear line of sight between them.
If the sightlines are obstructed, the door won’t close all the way to the floor. If something is blocking the sightline or the brackets are out of alignment, you’ll have a door that won’t close. To notify you of a problem, the door normally stops and reverses or flashes lights.
Check that nothing is blocking the door sensors’ such as Leaves or debris. Even track vibrations can cause screws to loosen, yet this is easy to fix a garage door with.
Tracks and Rollers Binding
If you have a door that won’t close easily, it could bind in the tracks because of rust or broken rollers. This will stop the door in its tracks, so to speak, and replacing damaged rollers or lubricating the tracks can be sufficient. Besides this, if the track is warped or bent, it could be a new track rather than attempting to repair and straighten it. (Find the Battery Operated Outdoor Lights With Remote Control)
Garage Door Reverses Before Closing
Two problems can cause a garage door to reverse before it touches the floor:
Garage door openers use adjustment screws to control closing force. When a door reverses before reaching the floor, it is often the close-force setting needs adjustment.
The friction of door rollers inside the tracks fools the door opener into thinking the door has reached the floor. The opener needs adjusting for less sensitivity.
Damaged or rusted rollers create extra friction and make the door opener think it has reached its point.
What Causes a Garage Door Not to Close?
Youn can find many reasons your garage door won’t close all the way. Some are more severe than others and require further attention, while others need some maintenance.
Faulty Garage Door Opener
Have you tested your garage door opener’s batteries? Of course, this is self-evident, but we overthink things. Check the batteries if you haven’t before. If it still doesn’t work after replacing the batteries, see if you can fix it or place an order for a new one.
Damaged Garage Door Seal
The garage door seal at the bottom of the door may be rotted, gone flat or broken. It is an easy fix by replacing the garage door seal. Invest in a high-quality seal.
Your Garage Floor Is Cracked
Check the floor beneath your garage door in case it looks different? It is possible the floor could have shifted because of aging or damage from heavy rain, snow, or other weather. You may have to re-level your floor if this has happened.
You find this occurs with new concrete floors or pads that settle after time. Older homes are also susceptible when the ground subsides. Either case can require floor leveling or adjusting door settings or sensors to counteract this drop. (Find the Best Horizontal Storage Shed)
Do You Have Broken Springs?
All garage doors contain springs to make them easier to open and close. If any of the springs in your garage door system are damaged or broken, the door may become misaligned and not close completely.
Inspect the overhead springs in your garage door and replace any that need to be replaced.
Does Your Door Use Cables?
Most garage door types rely on cables to open and close. Damaged, worn or broken cables will prevent door operation from closing completely. Check them, much like the springs, and replace any that need to be replaced.
Cleaning Sensors
Dirt and dust can cover your sensors that sit on the bottom of the garage doors and runners. These are the electronic eyes that stop the door from closing if something is in the way.
Fixing this is a matter of wiping the sensors free of dirt and grime by wiping them with a rag or cloth. Once you do this, the beam should be unbroken.
Garage Door Opener Isn’t Connected
A disconnect switch is found on every garage door opener. This is for when your home’s electricity goes out, and you must open the door rather than use the motor manually. The switch is usually coupled to a knob that must be turned or a rope that must be pulled.
Because sensors must see each other clearly, they may need to be aligned if they are blinking. Loosen one sensor, adjust it until the small light remains steady, and then re-tighten it.
Check the tracks and rollers to verify if your sensors are working. If the garage door still doesn’t close past a certain point, look at the tracks to see any obstructions in the way.
The same thing can happen if a track is deformed or if a roller is destroyed. Ensure sure there are no signs of damage on both tracks. You can usually bend it back into position using clamps or a few well-placed hammer hits if you come across a damaged portion.
Check sure the overhead track from the garage door opener is also checked. Check the rollers and lubricate them with grease. A garage door can be fooled into thinking it is hitting something if several stuck rollers are present.
The trolley is the device that links the garage door to the opener. This portion is commonly identified by a rope dangling from it. The rope engages and disengages the door from the garage door opener’s chain.
The trolley may be in bypass mode if your garage door moves freely by hand. To take the trolley latch from bypass mode, pull the rope toward the door. The trolley will latch back onto the chain and work properly once the garage door opener is turned on.
Check Your Remote Control The batteries in your garage door are most likely dead if they won’t close using the remote. However, it’s possible that a power surge wiped your garage door opener’s memory. If the batteries are replaced, but the remote still does not work, you may need to reprogram it.
You may need to adjust the limit screws if your garage door won’t close all the way but will stop without retracting. Adjusting the contacts on these screws, which tell the garage door opener how far to open or close, is easy. (Learn How to Organize a Shed)
Open the rear flap or remove the light cover on your garage door opener while up a ladder. Two plastic adjustment screws labeled for UP and DOWN should be seen.
Twist the “down” screw using a quarter-turn increment using a flat screwdriver. Test how your garage door performs in between any changes you have made. Adjust it until the door closes completely, and the rubber seal is slightly compressed. If you get your door to close and reopen, remove the “down” adjustment.
If you get stuck, you can consult the manual if you have one of the company websites of your garage door opener.
If all else fails, it could be time to call a professional to inspect your garage doors. However, you can resolve most issues with the above if you maintain and service your doors yourself regularly.
