Are you experiencing issues with your garage door opening, even though you know it has power? We’ve all been there. It’s a headache that can be tough to figure out and continues to cause issues that you don’t get why they are there.
If you’re finding yourself with a garage door that has power but isn’t working, we’ve got you! We will visit several reasons for why this might be happening, what to check, and most have solutions you can do yourself.
Check All Sensors
Make sure the lights are on
This will tell us whether the sensors are receiving power or not. If the lights are on, check the wiring to make sure none are frayed or covered in dust as this can cause issues with the connection. If they are not lit up, that means that you might have a bigger issue at hand. Give us a call and we can come out to restore power to your garage door.
Make sure all sensors are clear
While this sounds fairly obvious, some garage door sensors will pick up random items you wouldn’t think are in the way. If you feel like all of the sensors are clear of potential items blocking them and you’re still having trouble, you can clean the front of the sensors with a damp paper towel to remove any dust that may be causing an issue.
Check the light color
Most garage door sensors will display either a red, green, yellow (or amber/orange). Both green, red or a combination of the two means the sensors are properly powered and whatever color is displayed varies based on the manufacturer of the sensor.
Yellow, amber, or orange sensor lights indicate the garage door sensors are not aligned or something is in the way. If this is the case, give us a call to come out and get them re-aligned or rewired if needed!
Check Garage Door Wall Console and Remote
If you haven’t already, check to see if BOTH your remote and the wall console (button that is mounted inside) are out of order, potentially need new batteries or replacement. Occasionally, one or the other may or may not be working, so it’s important to check both the garage door wall console and the garage door remote together.
Garage Remote not working, but the wall console is?
First you should look to replace the batteries in the garage remote and if that doesn’t solve the issue, it may be time to replace the remote. Your make and model should be on the back of the overhead motor to help guide you. From there, find a remote that’s “universal” and in the description, verify it pairs with your specific garage motor. MOST garage door openers are in stock at major retailers such as Home Depot, Lowes, Amazon, etc.
Wall console is not working, but the remote is?
This may be as simple as an unplugged wire or dust accumulation, or as complex as needing to redo the wiring from the overhead garage door motor and the console.
To see if it’s a DIY situation, remove the cover over the mount and check for any unplugged wires and blow out all the dust. Once completed, try working the door.
Verify there is light behind the plastic. If so and it’s not working, it’s likely a wiring issue, and if not, the issue likely lies with the overhead motor which we’d recommend giving us a call for the repair.
Inspect The Overhead Motor
If all else has failed, it’s probably time to check your garage door motor. There are a few things to check with the motor so be sure to check each of them before moving on.
Check the garage door motor lights
First thing first, make sure the lights are on. This will determine if the motor is receiving power in the first place. If those lights aren’t on, it’s probably a bigger issue. You can check the other steps below but we can also come out on a service call to identify the cause of the power loss whether it’s a motor issue or the electrical wiring in the actual garage.
Unplug and replug the motor
Next, try unplugging the motor for 10 seconds, replug, and wait ~30 seconds before trying again. A simple recycle may be all it needs as simple as it might sound.
Check the garage door motor wiring
We don’t recommend doing this due to safety issues but the last check you can do is the wiring in the motor. Safely remove the cover on the motor to reveal the wires. Similar to the wall console, inspect the wiring and make sure none are compromised and blow out all dust.
Hopefully this article was helpful. Whether you identified the problem and can’t repair it yourself or still unsure, just submit a request below or give us a call at 480.256.9929.