If your garage door starts to come down then stops partway, it can be very frustrating. Your door might start to come down, and then suddenly reverse. You might also see that the light on your garage door opener blinks when this happens.
This happened to us recently and we’re here to tell you what we did to fix it!
Remember, for safety sake, never try to adjust your garage door springs, tracks or the electronic internals of the motor yourself. Leave that to a professional.
Check for Obstructions
The first thing we did was to look for any obstructions that might be blocking the door. This can be something obvious, like a stroller left in the path, or something less obvious, like a leaf or spider’s web fluttering over the “eye” of the light sensor.
The door detects an obstruction by using little light sensing eyes on each side of the door. As the light eyes shine at each other, a path is completed and the door knows nothing is in the way.
If something is in the way, the light path is broken and the door won’t close. You can check this by looking for a green light illuminated on the side of the light sensor. If the light is illuminated, there is most likely nothing in the way.
Check the Bracket
The next thing we did was to check the bracket holding the light sensor onto the garage door track. We had this happen to us before where the bracket pops off of the track and it can be out of alignment or sitting on the ground.
To fix this, make sure the brackets are attached and the same height on each side of the door. It’s pretty easy to do, just put the back part on and click it into place. If this is the issue, the problem should be solved!
Adjust the Door Force
The next thing we did was to adjust the door force. This is what ultimately did it for us. There are little knobs on the back of your garage door opener that tell the door how much force to open and close with.
If you turn the dials clockwise (at least on a Liftmaster unit–YMMV), it increases the amount of force the door can use. If this is set wrong, especially if it has recently rained and the door is a bit swollen, it can be harder for the garage door opener to open and close.
So, what you want to do is increase the force by turning the dials clockwise until you reach the point where it can open and close with no issues. Then, dial it back a little bit at a time.
These dials are a safety feature; they help the door detect if it hits something, and to reverse before causing damage. You want them adjusted so that the door can open and close without stopping partway, but will still reverse if it bumps into something it shouldn’t.
Check the Light Bulb
The last thing we did was to check the light bulb. Apparently, if you have an LED bulb in an older garage door opener, the circuits in that LED can create some interference that can mess with the door and reduce the range of the remotes.
To fix this, try removing the LED bulb and replacing it with a compact fluorescent or even an incandescent bulb.
Conclusion
If none of these fixes work for you, it might be time to call in a professional garage door service person who can look at any deeper problems that you may have.
If the motor is worn out or the track of the door is out of alignment, they can fix it for you. Hopefully, all of these tips help you to get your garage door working again!
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Key Takeaways
- Check for any obstruction, like a stroller, that might be blocking the door from completing a light path.
- Make sure the laser eyes on the side of the door are aligned and the green light is illuminated on the laser light sensor.
- Check for the brackets that may have come loose from the track and make sure they are the same height on each side.
- Adjust the door force with the knobs on the back and make sure it’s not too low or too high.
- If you have an LED bulb, replace it with an incandescent or fluorescent bulb, as it may be causing interference.
- If all of these fixes don’t work, call a garage door service technician to look at the deeper issues.
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Video Transcript
If your garage door starts to come down, then stops part way and begins to go back up again, there are a few things you can try to fix this problem.
First, look for any obstruction that might be blocking the door. This could be something obvious like a stroller in the way, or something less obvious like a leaf, spider web, or bug. On each side of the door, there is a light eye that emits a path to know if there is something in the way. If you block this with your hand, the light will go off. If you can see a little green light illuminated, that means the eyes are seeing each other, and you are all good.
The next issue is the little bracket that can pop off the track. Make sure that these brackets are attached and it is easy to do. Put the back part on and click it into place. If falls off or gets knocked off, make sure that those two sides can see each other.
The next thing you can check is the door force adjustments on the back. These little knobs are going to tell you the amount of force the door is going to open and close with. If you turn these dials clockwise, it will increase the amount of force the door is able to use. If this is set wrong, it can be a little harder for the garage door opener to open and close it, and it might think it has bumped into something and try to bring it back up. Increase the force and turn the dial all the way up to nine kilograms. After it can open and close with no issues, dial it back a little bit to the minimum amount of force needed for the door to close.
The last thing to check is if you have an LED bulb in an older garage door opener. The circuits in the LED can create interference that can reduce the range of the remotes and cause the door to behave erratically. If this is the case, try removing the LED bulb and replacing it with something like a compact fluorescent or an incandescent bulb.
If all these things do not fix the issue, it might be time to call a garage door service person. They can come out and look at the deeper problem, such as the motor in the unit or the track of the door being out of alignment. If these simple fixes don’t prevent the garage door from stopping part way down, it is time to get help.