If your garage door won't close, the cause is usually one of three things: blocked or misaligned safety sensors, debris or damage in the tracks, or a dead remote battery. Check those first. If the door is crooked, a cable is loose, a spring has snapped, or the door won't move at all, stop and call a technician.
That's the short version. Here's what happens in practice. It's 10 p.m. in Renton, rain coming sideways, and you hit the button to close up for the night. The door starts down, then jumps back up. You try again and get the same thing. Now you're standing in the garage wondering whether you'll be guarding an open door until morning. We've taken that call thousands of times. Most of the time the fix takes five minutes and costs nothing. Sometimes it doesn't, and knowing the difference keeps you safe.
The Doorman Service Co. is a family-owned garage door company that has been in business since 1978. We have a showroom in Kent, WA, and we provide 24/7 emergency garage door repair across 69 cities in King and Pierce County, including Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue, Auburn, Renton, Federal Way and Kent. Three generations of our technicians have worked on doors in this region's rain, wind and salt air. This guide covers what they'd tell you to check first.
Why does my garage door close, then open back up?
When a garage door closes, then opens again, the opener thinks something is in the way. Every modern opener has a safety reversal system. It has two parts: photo-eye sensors near the floor and a force setting that reverses the door if it meets resistance. If either part reports a problem, the door goes back up. That's the system working as intended, even when it's annoying.
Clopay, the manufacturer we represent as a Master Authorized Dealer, offers a quick diagnostic in its guide to why a garage door reverses as soon as it hits the floor. If the door reverses immediately but closes all the way when you hold down the wall button, the problem is almost certainly the sensors. If the door reaches the floor and then bounces back up, the opener's down travel limit may be set too far. In that case the opener reads the concrete as an obstruction.
The two most common patterns
- Reverses partway down: Usually a sensor problem: blocked, misaligned, dirty, or affected by direct sunlight.
- Reverses after touching the floor: Usually a travel limit or force setting. This can also happen when the slab has heaved or the bottom seal has worn down.
How do I fix garage door safety sensors?
Garage door safety sensors are the small boxes mounted on each side of the door opening, about four to six inches off the floor. One sends an invisible beam and the other receives it. If anything breaks that beam, the door won't close. Here's how to check them, in order:
Step 1: Look for obstructions
Check for a recycling bin, a bike tire, a leaf drift, or a spider web over the lens. All of these can break the beam. In fall around Puget Sound, wet maple and alder leaves blow into garage corners constantly, and a single leaf stuck to a sensor is enough to stop the door.
Step 2: Check the indicator lights
Most sensors have a small LED. On many openers, including most LiftMaster models, the receiving sensor shows a steady green light when it's aligned. If that light is off, dim, or flickering, the sensors aren't seeing each other. The opener's own light may also blink in a pattern that signals a sensor fault, and your owner's manual will explain what the pattern means.
Step 3: Clean the lenses
Wipe both lenses with a soft, dry cloth. Our damp climate leaves a film of grime and condensation that builds up over a winter, especially in uninsulated garages.
Step 4: Realign them
Sensors get bumped by mops, kids, and car bumpers. Loosen the wing nut or bracket screw, aim the sensor straight at its partner, and adjust it slowly until the light goes steady. Then tighten it back down. A string line or a small level can help you match the heights.
Step 5: Watch for sun glare
If your garage faces west and the door only acts up in the late afternoon, low sun may be shining straight into the receiving sensor and overwhelming it. Some homeowners solve this by swapping the sending and receiving sensors from side to side. A small shade tube over the receiver also works.
Step 6: Check the wiring
Follow the thin wires from each sensor up to the opener. Look for staples pinched through the insulation, chewed spots (rodents love garages in November), or loose terminal connections. If you find damaged wire, that's a reasonable thing to replace yourself, as long as the opener is unplugged first.
Emergency workaround: If the sensors are the problem and you need the door shut tonight, press and hold the wall button until the door reaches the floor. Many openers will override the sensors this way. Watch the door the whole time it's moving and keep people, pets, and cars well clear.
What if the remote is the problem?
Before you assume the door is broken, rule out the simple stuff:
- Try the wall button. If the wall button works and the remote doesn't, the problem is the remote.
- Replace the remote battery. Most remotes use a coin cell or small battery, and the range drops off before the remote dies completely.
- Check the lock button. Many wall consoles have a vacation lock that disables remotes. It's easy to press by accident.
- Reprogram the remote if you've recently had a power outage or replaced the opener's logic board.
- Check the power. Make sure the opener is plugged in and the outlet's GFCI or breaker hasn't tripped. Windstorms that knock out power across the plateau towns and Bellevue often trip garage circuits along with everything else.
How do I tell if the garage door tracks are the problem?
If the door moves unevenly, makes a grinding noise, or stops partway with the motor straining, look at the tracks. These are the vertical and horizontal metal rails the rollers ride in.
What you can safely check
- Debris: Use a flashlight to look inside the track channels for pebbles, packed dirt, or a stray screw. Clear anything you find with a rag or a small brush.
- Dents and bends: A small dent from a lawnmower can catch a roller. You can sometimes tap out minor dents gently with a rubber mallet. If a track is visibly bent or pulled away from the wall, leave it alone.
- Rust and grime: Homes near the water in Des Moines, Gig Harbor, and West Seattle see faster corrosion on rollers and track hardware. Rust adds friction, and the opener may read that friction as an obstruction. Our guide on salt air damage and rust prevention covers what to do about it.
- Loose brackets: Check the bolts that hold the tracks to the wall and tighten any that have backed out.
Never lubricate the inside of the track channel itself. Grease attracts grit. Lubricate the roller bearings, hinges, and other moving parts with a garage door lubricant instead.
When track problems become a pro job
If a roller has popped out of the track, the door is hanging crooked, or there's a gap between the door and one side of the frame, don't try to force it. A door that's off track is carrying hundreds of pounds of weight on parts that weren't designed to carry it that way.
Why is my garage door stuck open and won't move at all?
A garage door stuck open that won't respond to the button, or a motor that hums while the door stays put, usually points to something mechanical rather than electrical. The most common culprits are:
- A broken torsion spring: You may have heard a loud bang, like a gunshot, from the garage. Look above the door for a gap in the coiled spring on the bar. The opener can't lift the door's weight without the spring.
- A snapped or slack lift cable: The cable may hang loose beside the door, or one side of the door may sit lower than the other.
- A disengaged trolley: If someone pulled the red emergency release cord, the opener will run without moving the door. Pull the cord toward the door, or run the opener through a cycle, and the trolley should reconnect.
- Cold weather: Freeze snaps can stiffen lubricant and freeze the bottom seal to the slab. We wrote a whole piece on common cold weather door problems for Puget Sound homes.
When should I stop troubleshooting and call for emergency repair?
This is the most important section of this article. Springs and cables are under tremendous tension. Releasing that tension takes proper winding bars, training, and experience. Every year people in our region end up in emergency rooms after trying to adjust them. Springs and cables are technician work, full stop.
Call a technician right away if you see:
- A broken spring, or a gap in the spring coil
- A frayed, snapped, or slack lift cable
- A door that's crooked, off track, or hanging unevenly
- Bent or cracked panels after a vehicle impact
- Burning smells, sparks, or an opener that clicks but doesn't run
- A door that slams down fast when released (this means the springs are no longer balancing the weight)
- Any situation where a door is stuck open overnight and your home or business is exposed
If you're in South King County and wondering what to ask when you call, our post on what to do when a spring breaks walks through it.
Is a garage door that won't close actually an emergency?
Often, yes. An open garage is an open door into your house. It also exposes your tools, bikes, and vehicles. In a Puget Sound windstorm, a partially open door can catch gusts and get damaged further. For businesses, a dock door or warehouse door stuck open in Kent or Fife can halt shipping and leave inventory exposed overnight. That's exactly why we run 24/7 emergency service across King and Pierce County.
What does a Doorman technician do on an emergency call?
When you call for emergency garage door repair in Seattle, Tacoma, or anywhere in our 69-city service area, the first goal is to make the door safe and secure. A full overhaul can wait. A typical visit includes:
- Inspecting the springs, cables, rollers, tracks, and opener to find the root cause instead of just the symptom
- Safely releasing and replacing broken springs or cables with the right tools
- Re-tracking and rebalancing the door
- Resetting the opener's travel limits and force settings, then testing the safety reversal
- Explaining in plain terms what failed and why
We stock parts for the brands we install and service: Clopay, Amarr, SteelCraft, Wayne Dalton, Hormann, and R&S doors, plus LiftMaster openers. Having those parts on hand means we can finish more repairs on the first visit. The cost of a repair depends on which component failed, the size and weight of the door, whether the call is after hours, and whether related parts are worn enough to replace at the same time. We'll walk you through those factors before any work starts.
If your door has needed several repairs in a short time, it may be worth weighing repair versus replacement for your door. We'll give you an honest answer either way.
How can I keep my garage door from failing again?
Most of the late-night calls we get could have been prevented with a few minutes of attention each season:
- Test the safety reversal every month. Place a roll of paper towels in the door's path; the door should reverse when it touches the roll.
- Wipe the sensors clean and check their alignment every month or two.
- Lubricate rollers, hinges, and bearings twice a year. Do this more often if you live near salt water.
- Look over the cables and springs for fraying or gaps, but look only. Don't touch them.
- Schedule a professional tune-up before winter.
Our seasonal maintenance checklist for Puget Sound breaks this down month by month.
Need help tonight? Call The Doorman Service Co.
If you've worked through the sensors, the tracks, and the remote and your garage door still won't close, or if you've spotted a broken spring or cable, call The Doorman Service Co. Our technicians are available 24/7 across King and Pierce County, from Seattle and Bellevue to Tacoma, Auburn, Federal Way, Renton, and Kent. We've been a family business since 1978, and we're rated 5.0 on Google across 128 reviews. Commercial customers with stuck warehouse or dock doors can reach us around the clock too. You're also welcome to stop by our Kent showroom to see Clopay and other doors in person.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why won't my garage door close all the way?
When a garage door won't close all the way, the most common causes are blocked or misaligned safety sensors, debris in the tracks, or a down travel limit set too short on the opener. Clean and realign the sensors first and clear the tracks. If the door is crooked or a cable looks slack, call a technician.
How do I close my garage door if the sensors aren't working?
If your garage door won't close because of a sensor fault, press and hold the wall button until the door reaches the floor. Many openers override the sensors this way. Watch the door the entire time it moves and keep everyone clear. Then have the sensors realigned, cleaned, or replaced soon, because the safety reversal is essential.
Why does my garage door close, then open again?
A garage door that closes, then opens again, is reacting to its safety reversal system. If it reverses partway down, the sensors are usually blocked or misaligned. If it reverses after touching the floor, the travel limit or force setting likely needs adjusting. A worn bottom seal or an uneven slab can also trigger it.
When should I call for emergency garage door repair in Seattle?
Call for emergency garage door repair in Seattle when your garage door won't close and you see a broken spring, a snapped cable, an off-track door, or impact damage. You should also call when the door is stuck open overnight. The Doorman Service Co. provides 24/7 emergency service across King and Pierce County.
Who repairs garage doors that won't close in Kent, Tacoma, and the Puget Sound area?
The Doorman Service Co., a family-owned company since 1978 with a showroom in Kent, WA, repairs garage doors that won't close across 69 King and Pierce County cities. Its service area includes Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue, Auburn, Renton, and Federal Way. Technicians are available 24/7 for residential and commercial doors.