Symptom check
Why won't my garage door open?
A garage door that won't open most often has a broken torsion spring, and that calls for a spring repair, not a reset. A locked wall control, a pulled release cord and a tripped breaker are worth two minutes of checking first.
Updated
Two tries, then hands off the button
Do not press the button a third time or try to drag the door up yourself. If the opener strains or raises the door a hand width and quits, a spring has likely let go, and every retry asks the motor to haul the whole door by itself. Unplug the opener, look up at the spring shaft, and text us a photo.
What usually causes it, in order
Ranked by how often each one keeps a door on the floor, with the sign that gives it away.
- Most common
A torsion spring that snapped
What you notice: Over the door, one spring has split into two coils with open space between them, and the opener strains or lifts the door a few inches before giving up.
The repair: A spring sized to the door goes on the shaft, with its partner on a two-spring door, and the door is balanced before the opener runs it again. Garage Door Spring Replacement, from $245
- Common
The lock feature switched on at the wall control
What you notice: Inside, the wall control raises the door normally; from the driveway, neither the car remote nor the keypad gets any response.
The repair: Switch the lock feature off, and if the remotes still fail, re-pair them to the opener receiver. Garage Door Remote and Keypad Programming, from $105
- Common
The trolley released from the door arm
What you notice: The red release cord hangs lower than usual, and the chain or belt runs the length of the rail while the door sits still.
The repair: Reconnect the trolley with the door fully closed; a carriage that will not latch gets repaired or replaced. Garage Door Opener Repair, from $155
- Common
No power reaching the opener
What you notice: The opener light stays dark and nothing in the head clicks or hums, often the morning after an outage or a tripped garage outlet.
The repair: Get power back at the breaker or outlet; a head that stays dead gets its wall control wiring and logic board tested. Garage Door Opener Repair, from $155
- Less common
Ice holding the bottom seal to the slab
What you notice: On a freezing morning the top of the door flexes toward you as the opener pulls, while the bottom edge stays stuck to the concrete.
The repair: Free the seal gently by hand, then replace any rubber the opener tore out of its retainer. Garage Door Weather Seal Replacement, from $145
Safe checks before you call
None of these needs a ladder or a tool, and none brings your hands near a spring, cable or bracket.
- Press the wall control once and watch the opener light: dark points to power, lit means look further.
- Find the lock button on the wall control, often marked with a padlock, and make sure the lock is off.
- Swap a fresh battery into the remote you use, or try a spare remote.
- Look up at the opener rail: a trolley sitting apart from the arm bolted to the door means the release has been pulled.
- After an outage, a dark opener may only need a tripped breaker flipped back on, or a GFCI outlet in the garage reset with its button.
- Standing well back, check the spring over the door for a split in the coil, and if you find one, stop and leave the door closed.
A broken spring or an opener fault: how to tell from the floor
Watch what the opener does when it tries: a strain, a hum or a short lift followed by a stop points at a spring, because the springs, not the opener, carry the door.
An opener that does nothing at all, with no light and no motor sound, has an electrical problem: power, the wall control, its thin low-voltage wire or the logic board. That is cheaper news than a spring, and it rarely puts anyone at risk.
On an older door with extension springs along the side tracks instead of a shaft, look for a spring hanging slack against the safety cable that runs through it. A door that will not open even manually, with the release pulled, usually has a broken spring or ice at the seal, so stop lifting.
Why forcing a door that won't open gets expensive
Forcing the door turns one broken part into several, because the weight the spring used to carry has to land somewhere else. Usually it lands on the opener gear and the top section.
Each retry with a dead spring loads the drive gear inside the opener head and pulls on the bracket where the opener arm meets the top section. Lifting by hand is worse: with its spring gone, a two-car door is far heavier than one person should hold, and it comes down the moment a grip slips.
Why it won't open after a power outage in Clark County
After an outage, a door that will not open often has nothing broken at all: the release was pulled to get a car out and never reconnected, or the outlet never came back on.
The arctic front of January 12 and 13, 2024 brought east gusts in the 40 to 55 mph range and, in the National Weather Service account, widespread and extended power outages, with an ice storm close behind. A week like that leaves doors run by hand, release cords left hanging and seals frozen to the slab.
Reconnect the trolley only with the door fully down and both springs whole. If the house has power but the opener light stays dark, plug a lamp into the same outlet to test it, then call.
What the repair involves when the spring is the cause
A spring repair starts by measuring what is on the shaft: wire diameter, inside diameter, length and wind direction, then checking that size against the door's real weight.
Two-spring doors get both springs replaced together, because the survivor has worked through the same cycles as the one that broke. Ordinary springs carry a rating near 10,000 cycles, and high-cycle springs suit a door that opens many times a day. After winding, we set the balance, check the cables on their drums and run the opener so it only has to steer.
Door will not open: questions and answers
What should I check first when my garage door won't open?
Start with the opener light, then the lock on the wall control, then the spring above the door. A dark opener means a power problem, and a lit opener with the lock on means a remote problem. If the light works, the lock is off and the opener quits after a few inches, a spring has probably broken, so keep the door closed until it is replaced.
How can I tell whether a broken spring or the opener is why my garage door won't open?
A broken spring shows as a split coil above the door, while an opener fault leaves both springs whole on the shaft. Listen too: a spring failure makes the opener strain or lift a few inches and stop, while an opener fault usually means silence or a motor that runs without moving anything.
Why shouldn't I force a garage door that won't open?
Forcing it moves the door's weight onto parts never built to carry it. With a spring broken, the opener gear, the arm bracket and the top section take the load, and a hand lift puts it on your back and fingers. A spring repair alone costs far less than a spring plus a new top section and an opener gear.
How do I get my car out if the garage door won't open?
If both springs are whole, the red release cord lets you lift the door by hand, and our guide to opening a garage door manually walks through it. If a spring is broken, leave the door down and mention the trapped car when you call or text, so the visit is planned around getting it out. Never lift a broken-spring door to free a car.
Can a locked wall control make it look like my garage door won't open?
Yes, the lock feature blocks every remote and keypad while the wall control itself keeps working. It is easy to press by accident while reaching for the light or the door button, and the opener then seems dead from the car. Turn the lock off as the label or manual for your wall control shows, then try a remote again.
Where to go next
Nearby service areas
This call comes in from Image and North Image, Meadow Glade, Riveridge and the rest of our Washington service area.
Want a price before anyone drives over?
Call and describe what the door is doing, or text a photo of the door and the spring above it. You hear the likely repair and where its price starts, then decide.