Troubleshooting Guide
Garage Door Won’t Close? Start With the Free Fixes
When a garage door refuses to close, the cause is usually the photo-eye safety sensors, not the motor. Here are the seven causes we find, ranked from free two-minute fixes to real repairs, so you spend nothing before you have to.
The Seven Causes, In the Order You Should Check Them
| # | Cause | The tell | Fix and typical cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blocked or dirty sensors | Door reverses immediately; a sensor light is out or blinking | Wipe lenses, clear the beam path. Free |
| 2 | Sensors knocked out of alignment | Light steadies when you press a bracket | Square and tighten brackets. Free, or $85 to $150 professionally |
| 3 | Sun glare on a lens | Fails only on sunny evenings, west-facing garage | Shade hoods or side-swap the eyes. Small service visit |
| 4 | Travel limits drifted | Door touches the floor, then springs back up | Limit recalibration, usually bundled in a $85 to $150 visit |
| 5 | Force setting tripping | Reverses at the same mid-travel spot; track feels tight | Lubrication, track alignment, force adjustment |
| 6 | Failed sensor wiring or eyes | Lights dead no matter what; hold-to-close still works | Rewire or replace eyes, $120 to $180 |
| 7 | Mechanical failure: spring, cable, track | A bang, a crooked door, or visible slack cable | Stop using the door and call. Springs $150 to $350 each |
The Two-Minute Sensor Routine (Cause 1 and 2)
Kneel by the two small eyes mounted about 6 inches off the floor on each side of the opening. Wipe both lenses. Clear leaves, cobwebs, bikes, and bins from the line between them. Now look at the indicator lights: on most brands one eye glows steady as the sender and the other lights solid only when it sees the beam. Nudge and square the brackets until both are solid, then snug the wing nuts. Test the door. In our experience across Tigard and Tualatin, this routine closes the case for a large share of callers before a truck ever rolls, which is exactly how we like it.
What Hold-To-Close Is Telling You
If the door closes only while you keep a finger on the wall button, the opener has taken its own sensors offline and handed you manual responsibility. Every opener sold in the US since 1993 includes photo eyes under the UL 325 safety standard because closing force alone cannot be trusted around kids and pets. Hold-to-close is a get-through-tonight mode, not a lifestyle. The sensor repair page covers what a proper fix involves.
When It Is Not the Sensors
A door that reverses at the same physical spot every time is usually feeling real resistance: dry rollers, a pinched track, or a failing roller. And a door that will not move at all after a loud bang is a spring case; stop pressing the button, because dragging a dead-weight door strips opener gears. Either way, describe the symptom on the phone and we will tell you honestly whether it sounds like a free fix or a repair: (503) 278-7407, every day 8 AM to 8 PM across the southwest Portland metro.
Won’t-Close Questions
Why does my garage door start to close then reverse back up?
The opener believes something is under the door. In order of likelihood: blocked or misaligned photo-eye sensors, sun glare hitting a sensor lens, an object or debris in the beam path, travel limits set too long so the door thinks the floor is an obstruction, or excessive closing force triggering the auto-reverse.
How do I fix garage door sensors myself?
Wipe both lenses with a soft cloth, clear anything in the beam path, and gently square up brackets until both indicator lights glow steady. If a light flickers when you touch the bracket, tighten its wing nut. That two-minute routine resolves a large share of will-not-close calls at zero cost.
Why will my garage door only close if I hold the wall button?
Hold-to-close is the opener’s sensor-bypass mode, and it means the photo-eye circuit has failed or lost alignment. The door is telling you its safety system is down. Holding the button works in a pinch, but the sensors need real repair; they are what stops the door from closing on a pet or a bumper.
Can weather make a garage door refuse to close?
Yes, two Oregon-specific ways. Low west sun floods a sensor lens on summer evenings and mimics a blocked beam, and cold snaps stiffen old lubricant enough to make the opener hit its force limit and reverse. Shade hoods fix the first; a winter-grade lubrication service fixes the second.
When is a door that will not close an actual emergency?
When it is stuck open and will not secure the house, when it stopped midway and hangs unevenly, or when you heard a bang before it quit, which usually means a snapped spring. Those cases go to the front of our same-day queue at (503) 278-7407, every day 8 AM to 8 PM.
Tried the Free Fixes Already?
Then it is probably a real one. Sensor, spring, and track repairs every day, 8 AM to 8 PM.
Call (503) 278-7407