When Your Garage Door Remote Will Not Open or Close the Door

Owning a garage is one of the best parts of being a homeowner. Being able to store one’s vehicles, bikes, storage, and other items is one of the main reasons a lot of homeowners make the switch from apartment to home living. While garages are an amazing feature to own, they are prone to problems and issues. Just like any other home electronic or appliance, your garage door may occasionally need to receive repairs or maintenance of some kind.

One of the most common problems that garage door owners will encounter is a garage door that will not open or close with the garage door remote. There are several reasons why this may happen, and luckily, some of them can be handled or resolved by homeowners quickly. If you are currently dealing with a garage door that will not respond to it remote control, find out how you can troubleshoot the remote and get your garage door working properly again.

Replace the Batteries

This is the first thing to try whenever there seems to be something wrong with your garage door remote control. Replace the batteries and see if that helps to fix the problem. If you have recently replaced the batteries in the remote, open up the slot to double check that the batteries have not slipped out of place. Sometimes when you replace batteries in a given device, they may not be pushed in all the way the first time. Make sure that the batteries are placed securely in the slots.

You are Out-of-Range

Your garage door remote may not be working because you are out-of-range of the motor. The remote control will only work if it is within a certain distance of the garage. If you are having trouble getting your garage door open or closed, you may need to try pressing the button on the remote while you are closer to the garage door.

If you want to extend the range of your garage door remote signal, you can purchase extenders that are installed inside of the garage motor. For this kind of installation, you will want to consult an expert. A garage door technician can quickly and easily install an extender in your motor that will allow you to use your garage door remote from a greater distance. This may be a good solution for homeowners that have longer driveways or want to use their remotes from longer distances for other reasons.

The Antenna on the Motor is Damaged

If you know you are within range of the motor, and yet your garage door will still not open with the remote, then it is possible the antenna on the motor has been damaged. Check to see if you can notice any visible damage to the antenna on your garage door motor. An antenna replacement or repair will likely fix the problem and make it so your garage door remote will connect and work properly again.

Reprogram the Remote

Reprogramming the garage door remote may also be a troubleshooting step to consider. By reprogramming your garage door remote, you are basically resetting it. Your garage door owner’s manual will be a good place to check for specific troubleshooting steps related to your garage door remote. You can either reprogram your garage door remote yourself, or you can call in a garage door expert to help you. Especially if you have tried to reset or reprogram your remote several times and have tried other remedies, you may want to turn over the problem to a garage door company. Garage door issues can be complicated and even dangerous, so if you have been on your own and have still not fixed the issue, be sure to call someone who can help.

Work with an Experienced Garage Door Technician

While some quick fixes can be done easily and will restore your garage door back to normal immediately, such as with a battery change, there are other fixes that will not be as simple.

It is especially recommended that any kind of garage door spring repairs be handled by an experienced technicianl. These can be particularly dangerous to work with. You will also want to contact an expert if you need to replace any parts on your garage, such as the motor, portions of the track, or any cables.

Garage doors have a lot of moving parts that need to work in tandem. If even the smallest part related to your garage door is not working as it should, this can make your garage functioning go haywire.

Because it can be difficult to find the source of your garage door trouble in the first place, you may consider consulting a garage door company right from the very start. While some home projects can be handled or repaired on your own, garage doors are often the exception. You do not want to try and repair your garage door on your own, only to have the repair fail and cause injury to yourself or someone else..