Your garage door opener is one hard worker! Each time you access your garage, your trusty opener system works along with your springs and cables to lift and lower your very heavy (several hundred pounds) door; again and again for years! Our garage door openers offer real convenience. Without them, we’d have to get in and out of our cars and manually open or close our garage doors each time we used them. Many remember having to do just that in the “old days” and a few still do.
A working garage door opener system not only gives us convenience, it also provides a form of security as we don’t have to leave the safety and comfort of our vehicles in order to move the garage door up and down. If you consider that you’ve momentarily left your car to open your garage door, you realize that a thief or burglar could easily jump in and drive off with your vehicle or even attack you and get access to your key ring that most likely includes access to your home. Having a garage door opener that works, bypasses all this hassle, and potential danger.
Our Marietta Garage Door Repair shop offers fast and affordable repair, installation and replacement options for your home or business garage door opener. While our service is always done at your convenience, you may wish to explore some troubleshooting options just in case your garage door opener decides to stop working as it should.
Do This First!
If your Marietta, GA garage door opener isn’t working, don’t panic. You might see dollar signs and potential big bills flashing through your mind but often the solution is a simple and very cost effective (even free!) one. Start by checking your power supply. If nothing happened when you pushed the “power” button on your garage wall or remote then be sure to apply this step. Find the electrical outlet on your garage ceiling where your opener unit is plugged into. Did you find it? Now, unplug the opener by pulling the cord out. Plug something else into it for the test. You can use a small appliance like a shaver or a radio. Does the appliance work? If yes, it’s not your power supply. If not, be sure to check your breaker box to see if one of them has tripped. If so, you will need to reset it. You’d be surprised how many times Marietta Garage Door Repair has responded to a service call and simply found that the power supply was the culprit. Save yourself some time and money by checking first.
On To Step Two!
So your power supply is fine. Try this. Let’s see if your opener system has somehow locked. Many opener units have a locking mechanism on the wall switch that can be triggered into the “off” position. Something as simple as a bump can sometimes cause your opener system to lock down. Not all openers have this lock. If you are not sure about yours, check your owner’s manual or do a YouTube search for your particular opener model to find out more.
Step 3 – Your Safety Eyes!
It’s true. Something as simple as your garage door’s safety eyes can cause your opener system to stop working. Our Marietta Garage Door Repair crew often finds that a blocked signal is the cause for many garage door opener service calls. In crowded garages, it’s very simple for a bicycle or garden rake to bump one of our safety eyes so that the light beam from one sensor doesn’t connect with the other one.
Bumps aren’t the only thing that can cause your safety eyes to stop working. They may have become unplugged from the power source or even some of their wiring could have been cut or frayed by having a shovel or something heavy fall on them. Again, check your owner’s manual (if you have it), or go online and “Google” your opener unit’s brand to see what videos come up relating to its repair or to safety eye alignment.
More Tips
Be double sure to check the battery in your remote! And no, your remote is NOT your opener! Many people confuse this and there’s a difference. After all, your television’s remote is not the TV is it? Your entire garage door opener system can work like a charm and need no repair or even adjustment but if your remote’s battery is dead, it won’t operate like usual. Simply take out the battery and test it if you have a battery tester. If not, don’t despair. In Marietta GA you can take that battery to any Radio Shack, Wal-Mart or K-Mart store and they will test it for you for free. Most home improvement stores like Lowe’s or Home Depot will too.
Marietta Garage Door Repair also recommends this fast and simple test. You can override your garage door’s sensors by pressing the wall switch and holding it down. Use this tip when you are trying to operate your garage door and all you get is blinking lights but no door movement.
You can also check your garage door opener’s capacitor. You can look online for videos and easy instructions on how to do this or you can just follow these simple steps. Firstly, unplug the unit; you don’t need shocks to yourself or further damage to your system by leaving it plugged in. Secondly, open the panel to your mounted garage door opener. Look for any bulging or leaking of fluid. If you see any, you’ll need to replace the capacitor. A new one of the same size simply snaps into place. Replace the panel and plug the opener unit back into the power source.
If you’ve tried these helpful tips and your opener still doesn’t work you may need it serviced or even replaced. You can always call your favorite automotive garage door repair shop or you can try our helpful Marietta Garage Door Repair service. Don’t forget, we offer free consultations, free price quotes, affordable rates and same day appointments!
Article source here: Troubleshooting Garage Door Openers
