Garage Door Opener Troubleshooting Tips

A garage door is often taken for granted when homeowners get the hang of opening and closing it. This is an understandable thing to happen since they are quite easy to use and just as easy to take for granted. That is until it stops working properly.

The safest way to go about trying to troubleshoot it is not to fiddle with the actual entry units themselves. This can be dangerous. One of the common reasons for them not to function properly can be traced back to the opening mechanism control or the remote control.

These should be checked first before getting all do-it-yourself and placing one's self in a dangerous position under the half opened door! Never go under a semi opened entry way which may have stopped functioning in the middle of opening or closing. If one has no idea what to do (such as electrical training or experience as a handyman) then contact someone who does or the supplier of the units after trying out the suggestions below.

Power Source

When the garage door does not function properly or does not function at all, it is safe to say that the first thing to check is the power source of the opening mechanism or the remote control. Whichever unit the homeowner used and did not get a reaction should be checked.

If the unresponsive unit was the wall control, it is best to check the wall plug to see if it is plugged in correctly. Next to check is the fuse of the unit as well as the circuit breaker if anything is amiss there. For remote control power source, the batteries may have run out already.

Reprogramming

The remote control and the garage door receiver need to be in synch to be able to communicate with each other. Remote controls usually need to be in the same frequency as the unit they are supposed to control. Some of the remote units may have instructions in the containers about how to program and reprogram them. This may happen when the batteries are changed or if the power source may have been cut off.

Another reason why the garage door may be acting up is the range of which the receiver and the transmitter are used and positioned. The receiving end (the antenna) at the motor unit should be hanging down from the top to give the transmission from the remote better access to it. On the other hand, use the control within a reasonable range to be able to utilize the garage entrance properly. The range is usually state din the instruction manual that comes with the unit.