Why won’t my garage door stay closed?
A garage door that refuses to stay closed is downright—or, in this case, you could say upright—frustrating. It also happens to be one of the more common garage door difficulties that homeowners face. If you’re asking, “why won’t my garage door stay closed?”, there are several possible causes. Read about them by symptom in the following post by Precision Garage Door of Delaware and North Maryland.
Only Closing Part Way, Then Reversing
If every time you push your door remote or wall unit, your garage door responds by beginning its closing routine as it normally would then stopping halfway through to reverse directions and return to the open position, look to the door’s safety eyes for a potential issue.
Set parallel to one another near the floor on either side of the door opening, the safety eyes are linked to a reversal mechanism that acts as one of the standard protection features on your garage door’s system, giving the door pause when it senses an object in its intended path. However, over time, the safety eyes can get dirty or even become knocked out of alignment by accident.
If your door is responding in this way, use a clean, soft cloth to clean the safety eyes. If you think they may be off-kilter, contact a garage door professional.
Closing Fully, Then Reversing
If your garage door is closing fully, staying shut for just a second or two and opening again on its own, incorrect opener limits are likely the culprit.
A garage door’s opener limits are a set of instructions that tell the door when it’s fully closed and flush to the floor. If the limits aren’t programmed quite right, your garage door may think that it has distance left to travel before the door is fully closed even though it’s reached the closed position. The safety sensors we mentioned above then register the floor as an obstruction in the door’s path and tell the door to go back up again.
Various garage door brands and models program limits in different ways. To recalibrate your garage door’s opener limits, consult your owner’s manual, which should provide step-by-step directions.
If the Problem’s Persistent, Get Professional Assistance
While these are the most common reasons for an overly active garage door, they’re not the only explanations. A trained garage door professional will be able to identify the issue quickly and confidently, and get it fixed so your door stays closed when prompted.
If the solutions above didn’t do the trick, get in touch with Precision Garage Door of Delaware serving Delaware and North Maryland. Our certified technicians have the tools and the training to get your garage door running as it should, day or night. For immediate assistance—yes, a door that won’t stay closed qualifies—reach out to us here.
Stubbornly reopening is just one of the ways garage doors signal for help. To learn more about common garage door problems and how to be better prepared, download Precision’s FREE eBook, The Homeowner’s Guide to Garage Door Repairs.