How to Fix a Garage Door That Won't Go All the Way Down

Garage doors are heavy, and to prevent injuries manufacturers of automatic openers include safety sensors to stop the door when someone is in the way. When the door won't go down automatically, these sensors are often at fault. If the door does go down but stops before hitting the floor, you may need to adjust the opener itself. It's important to keep the floor around the door clear, because small objects impede its movement.

Safety Sensors

If the door goes up, but you can't make it go down, you probably need to adjust the sensors. There is one on each side of the door; they both have lights, and both lights should be on. If one of them is off or blinking, it means the invisible beam that tells the opener that the way is clear for the door to close isn't aligned. You can usually realign it by loosening a knob or simply pushing against the metal bracket holding it. When the light comes back on and stays on, the door opener should operate normally.

Frequent Sensor Misalignments

If you're in the habit of leaving the garage door open, a variety of things, including dust, water and even pollen, can blow in with the wind and settle on the sensors. Cleaning the sensor lenses periodically prevents this from becoming a problem. Another issue that can arise-- especially if your garage door is heavy -- is that the vibrations the door makes on the tracks throws off the sensors. If so, each track may need a brace to stop the vibrations; it won't hurt to tighten the sensor adjustment screws a little more, as well.

Door Travel Adjustment

When closed, the weatherstripping on the bottom edge of the door should be in contact with the ground. If your door doesn't come down that far, you can adjust the automatic opener until it does. Inside the casing of the opener you'll find two adjustment knobs. One controls how far the door closes, and one controls how far it opens. Adjust this knob to lower the door to the floor, but don't adjust it too far, or the door will push against the the top track. If it does, it will bow the track, which can cause excessive wear on the opener.

Worn Gear, Binding Tracks

If you hear a grinding sound when you operate the controls but the door doesn't move, the gear inside the opener is worn out. You can replace this yourself, but you'll have to consult the manual for your model to do it properly. Before working on the opener, release the emergency catch and lower the door, then disconnect the power. If you can't find any other reason that the door won't close, check the alignment of the side tracks. One of them may be slanted toward the door and binding it. There should be 1/2 to 3/4 inch of clearance between each side of the door and the track. Adjust the clips with a wrench or screwdriver.

For more tips, just click How to Fix a Garage Door That Won't Go All the Way Down.