What to Do When Your Garage Door Isn't Closing

We’ve all experienced that frustrating moment when you pull out of your garage in a rush to go somewhere, hit the button to close your door, and cringe as it bounces back up. You hit the button again and watch in horror as it does the same thing. Unashamedly, you hit it a third time. (As we all do, thinking it must work now because everyone knows the third time’s the charm).

But it still won’t close! You sink into hopeless acceptance as all plans are dashed.

However, not all hope is lost! There is something you can do. Before deciding to panic or cancel your plans, stop and look at your garage door’s electric eyes.

How to Find Your Door’s Electric Eyes

1. Take one step inside your garage. Stop where the door usually meets the floor of your garage.
2. Look to the right and locate the metal track that your garage door is attached to.
3. Follow the metal track to the bottom, down by the base of the opening of your door.
4. Find a small black box with a lens and a light on the side. This light should be either green or yellow.
5. Find the other electric eye on the opposite side of your garage opening. It should have a light that is either green or yellow.
6. If the green light is flashing, that means something is wrong with the electric eyes. If so, proceed with the following:

How to Fix a Problem With the Electric Eyes

Check to see if something is blocking the door: Remove any item that may be causing the trouble. This could be the wheel of a garbage can, the handle of a broom, a small toy, or a runaway leaf. Once you remove the item, check and see if the green light is now solid. If not:

• Wipe the eyes: If there is nothing visibly blocking the door, the sensors may have a smudge on them, causing them to think something is blocking the door when there is nothing there. Take the bottom of your shirt or another soft cloth and give both sensors a quick wipe. Check the green light again. If it’s still flashing:
• Realign the eyes: Crouch near the flashing green light and wiggle the black box of the eye gently up and down or side to side until the light returns to a solid green. You can also unscrew the nut, adjust the eye, and tighten it back up. These eyes can be accidentally knocked out of alignment, causing trouble. Once they are realigned, the door should close properly.

If Your Door is Still Flashing After Troubleshooting:

• Disconnect the door and call Jim’s: If none of these are working, locate the red or yellow emergency release cord hanging from your door opener on the ceiling. This will disconnect the door, allowing you to lower and lift it manually. Grab this handle and slowly walk your door down until it’s about halfway closed. Exit your garage under the door and finish closing the door from the outside. Your garage door will not be locked, but it will at least be closed until you can return to your home. You can easily lift the door again once you return. Then call us! With 24-hour emergency service and knowledgeable and friendly service technicians, we can get your door back up and running in no time.

These quick tricks are helpful for any homeowner when troubleshooting garage door issues in a pinch. However, we’re still here to help you when needed. Just give us a call and we’ll walk you through any repairs you can do on your own.