Garage Door Opener Repair and Installation

Start here: the five-minute checks

A lot of opener calls are solved by something simple. Before you call, it is worth checking these:

• Photo-eye sensors. The two small sensors near the floor on each side of the door must face each other. If one is bumped, dirty or in direct sun, the door will refuse to close or will reverse. Look for a steady light on both.
• Lock button. Many wall consoles have a vacation lock that disables remotes. If the wall button works but remotes do not, check for it.
• Power. Openers are often plugged into a ceiling outlet on a GFCI circuit that has tripped. Check the outlet and the reset button in the garage or basement.
• Remote battery. Cheap and quick to rule out.
• Manual release. If someone pulled the red release cord, the opener will run without moving the door. Running the opener through a full cycle usually re-engages it.

If none of those fixes it, or if the door itself is hard to move by hand, the problem is mechanical and needs a technician.

Common opener repairs

Stripped drive gear

Many chain and belt openers use a plastic drive gear inside the motor head. When it wears out, the motor hums and runs but the door does not move. On a newer opener, replacing the gear kit is often worth it. On an old one, it is usually time to replace the opener.

Logic board and sensors

Power surges and lightning are hard on opener circuit boards. Symptoms include an opener that does nothing, lights that flash in a pattern, or random operation. Many modern openers flash a diagnostic code that tells the technician exactly which part failed.

Force and limit settings

If the door stops short, slams down or reverses on its own, the travel limits or force settings may need adjusting. These should never be turned up to overcome a door that is binding: that hides a mechanical problem and defeats the safety reverse.

Safety reversal is required by federal law

Since 1993, residential garage door openers sold in the United States have had to meet a federal safety standard (16 CFR Part 1211, which follows UL 325) that requires them to reverse when they hit an obstruction and to have a secondary entrapment protection system, usually the photo-eye sensors at the base of the door.

If your opener is older than that, or if someone has bypassed the sensors by bundling them together on the wall, it is a genuine hazard to children and pets. A technician can test the reverse with a board on the floor and fix or replace the sensors.

Choosing a new opener

Technicians commonly install and service openers from brands such as LiftMaster, Chamberlain, Genie, Craftsman and Linear. Many current models offer battery backup, which is worth having if your area loses power in storms, and smartphone control so you can check whether you left the door open.

Repair or replace?

A rough rule many technicians use: if the opener is more than 12 to 15 years old, has no battery backup, or the repair would cost more than about half the price of a new installed opener, replacement usually makes more sense. Newer openers are quieter, safer and more secure, with rolling codes that change every time you press the remote.

Before replacing an opener, make sure the door itself is balanced. A new opener on a door with tired springs will wear out early. See our guide on why a garage door will not close for more troubleshooting.

Sizing an opener for the door

Openers are sold by motor strength. A half-horsepower AC motor, or the DC equivalent, handles most single and double steel doors that are properly balanced. Heavier doors, such as wide insulated steel, solid wood and carriage-house doors with overlays, are usually paired with a three-quarter or larger unit. DC motors are often rated in horsepower equivalents and start and stop more softly, which is easier on the door and quieter.

Remember that the springs carry the weight, not the opener. A bigger motor does not fix a door with tired springs; it just hides the problem until something else breaks. Before choosing an opener, the technician should check the balance of the door with the opener disconnected.

What to know before an opener is installed

• Door height. Standard opener rails fit a 7-foot door. An 8-foot door needs an extension kit, and a high-lift or low-headroom track may call for a wall-mount opener.
• Power. The motor should plug into a grounded outlet near it on the ceiling. Manufacturers advise against extension cords, so a new outlet may be needed in an older garage.
• Ceiling structure. The motor hangs from angle iron fastened to the ceiling joists or a header. In garages with a finished ceiling or a room above, mounting takes a little more planning to avoid vibration.
• Wall button and sensors. The wall control goes high enough that small children cannot reach it, and the photo eyes go no more than about six inches above the floor, as manufacturers specify.
• Old opener removal. Ask whether removing and disposing of the old unit is included in the price.

Openers and power outages

Storms knock out power on Long Island and across upstate New York several times a year. An opener without battery backup still works by hand through the emergency release, provided the springs are sound. If your garage has no side door and the power fails while you are outside, you cannot reach the release at all, which is why some homeowners add an outside quick-release lock. Our guide to opening a garage door without power walks through the steps.

Where calls are connected

Calls about opener repair & installation are taken across Long Island and upstate New York. On Long Island: Nassau County and Suffolk County. Upstate: Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren, Washington, Columbia, Greene, Schoharie, Montgomery, Fulton, Otsego, Delaware counties.