The door will start to go down, but then stop and go up

There’s nothing more annoying than when you’re pulling out of your driveway, running late, and just as you think your garage door is going to close, it decides to reverse course and start rolling back up. When you inspect the problem, you might even hear a persistent clicking, which is the system telling you something is up, (as if you didn’t already know). If you look at the logic board on your garage door opener, it might even be blinking to tell you that something is wrong, as well as making a clicking sound.

First Check the Sensors

The most common cause of this problem, is a dirty sensor. The sensors bookending your garage are there for safety reasons of course, causing the garage door to reverse course instead of crushing a child, animal, or prized possession in its path. Unfortunately, sometimes the sensors are a little too sensitive, and pick up obstructions you don’t notice at first. Make sure everything in your garage is pushed back away from the door. Check if any overgrown branches are invading the sensor’s target area.

If nothing is in the way, you might just need to give the sensors a shine. All you need to do is clean the sensors with a soft rag, as dirt and dust builds up over time. The sensors can also become loose, after withstanding constant vibrations from daily garage door use. This will be easy to determine by giving the sensor (and the bracket it’s attached to) a little wiggle. It should not be freely moving. It simply needs its screws tightened, if that is the case. It’s also possible that the wires connecting the sensors to their power source have become loose. It’s not hard to accidentally knock these wires loose when sweeping those dusty corners of the garage.

Then Check the Gears

One last cause of your garage door not closing (that doesn’t have to do with the sensors), is a warped or misshapen gear. The plastic components of your gears may warp over time, due to changes in weather or natural wear and tear. Your garage door opener will keep the door from going down all the way as a safety measure. Replacing the gears can be a DIY job, but it’s also a quick repair that Sacs Garage Door Repair can certainly do. Give us a call at 916-4-GARAGE, and we can inspect your garage door parts and components, and replace the gears if needed.