Garage Door Hard to Open

Do you often find your garage door hard to open? You are on your way to or from work, school, or that afternoon date with a friend, only to find out your garage door is acting up again. There are a lot of reasons why this happens, and you need to know the cause before you can address it effectively. Know how to deal with a garage door that won’t open easily with some tips from us.

Garage Door Hard to Open

There are many troubleshooting tips you can follow when your garage is experiencing problems. The following tips and techniques will not only help you fix the problem with your roll up door hard to open but will also teach you how to open those doors manually. So, let’s start.

Blocked Photo Eye

Older garage doors have a photo eye – a sensor placed about six inches above the ground, on the sides of the door. As small as a pea, the photo eye shoots a laser that detects if there is someone or something blocking the door. If your garage door is not opening, check if the cord connected to the photo eye is cut or damaged, especially after heavy rain. Cleaning the eye is also recommended as dirt and dust can obstruct the eye.

Broken Torsion Springs

There are signs you will see when your springs are broken. You will definitely know when the torsion spring of your garage door has just been broken – you hear a loud noise similar to that of a firecracker. Often, the garage door cable will also break which can damage a car or wall or hurt someone in the way.

The garage door springs are usually the first part to break and are the top reason for garage door repair services. For safety reasons, the first thing to remember when you have a broken torsion spring or cable is to NOT try to open the door. The repair should be done by a skilled professional.

Disconnect Mode is On

Garage door openers have a ‘disconnect’ mode (a cord, knob, or switch), allowing you to manually open or close the door. It does not take much effort to check if you have disconnected the motor by accident.

Disrupted Power Source

Simply check if your garage door opener is plugged into a working power source, or if your circuit breaker or fuse is working properly. This may sound simple, but it happens!

Locked Garage Door

After everything you have done and blurted out because of your garage door not opening, it turns out it is locked! Before getting really frustrated about it, simply check for any metal parts that may have locked the door.

Malfunctioning Remote Control

When using the remote to open the garage door but is not working, several things may have caused the problem, including:

• You are out-of-range.
• Check for any blockage or damage to the motor’s antenna.
• If the garage door opens using the wall switch, replace the battery of the remote control.
• Reprogram the remote.

Misaligned Door Track

An off-the-track door will surely not work properly. If your door is not rolling smoothly, investigate if the track is bent, the panel is dented, or has bulges or obstacles. Then, listen for any squeak that may indicate areas of friction and watch if the garage door slows down or gets stuck when it opens or closes.

To fix a misaligned track, get a level and a rubber mallet and start to loosen the screws that keep the track secured to its frame. Lightly tap the track back to its correct position before tightening the screws. Alternatively, you can contact a dented garage door repair company for professional help.

Presence of an Obstacle

As a safety mechanism, garage doors involuntarily reverse if they detect something along the way. When your garage door reverses halfway after opening it for no obvious reason, it may be a sign of an unseen obstacle. Look for dirt, pieces of trash, small rocks, or any other debris. Clean it thoroughly and you should be good to go!

Too Low or High Sensitivity

Too low or too high sensitivity of the garage door opener can also be the reason it takes effort to open the door. If this is the case, simply reset the sensitivity to the correct level following the manufacturer’s directions.

Opening a Garage Door Manually

To open your stubborn garage door manually, here is what you need to do:

• Use a ladder to find the door opener’s ‘emergency disconnect’, which is the red cord attached to a lever.
• Pull the cord so the door is released.
• Get down the ladder and lift the door using both hands.
• If it does not work, repeat yanking the red cord.

Questions

Why does my garage door get stuck?

A garage door sticking halfway can be due to an obstruction in the track. Look for anything like a broom or rocks that may have fallen and got stuck in the track. Removing the obstruction usually solves the problem.

Why is my garage door opening so slow?

There can be a couple of reasons why a garage door is opening slower than normal. It may be that the opener’s speed setting needs adjustment, or you have not lubricated the hinges, rollers, and tracks.

A garage door hard to open can be annoying, especially if you are outside with the door your only way in. Before you can fix the issue, you need to know the cause first. Hopefully, these tips will help you. But if this is a persistent issue, contact our professionals here at On Track Garage Door Repair Service to help you.