Garage door opener not working: a safe troubleshooting order

When the opener stops responding, the cause is often simple: power, a lock setting, a remote battery or a blocked photo eye. Work through the checks in order, and stop if the door itself looks damaged. A door with a broken spring or cable should not be run.

Genie's guidance includes checking the door balance, condition and springs. If the door is the problem, resetting the opener will not fix it. Look at the door from the floor first. If it sits level, closed or open, with cables in place and no visible spring damage, go on to the checks below.

Do these in order, and stop at the first one that fixes it. Each is a plain visual or button check. Exact steps, button names and indicator lights differ by brand, so check your model's manual for the specifics.

1. Power. Confirm the outlet the opener is plugged into has power. Genie suggests plugging in a lamp. If the lamp does not work, check the fuse or breaker.
2. Lock or vacation mode. Some wall controls have a lock setting that stops remotes or limits the door. Genie notes its Sure-Lock setting, also called vacation lock, should be off for normal use. Check your model's manual for the equivalent on your wall control.
3. Wall control. If the remote works but the wall button does not, the control or its wiring may be at fault. Genie advises checking the wire connections at the wall console and the opener for reversed, broken or cut wires. Leave wiring repairs to a technician if you are not comfortable with them.
4. Remote. If the wall control works but the remote does not, replace the remote battery and try again. Genie says that if every remote and wireless device stops at once, the circuit board may need replacing. Reprogramming steps differ by model, so check your manual.
5. Photo eyes. Look at the two small sensors near the bottom of the door tracks. Check that nothing blocks them, that they point at each other, and that their wiring is intact. Genie says its sensor LED should be on and steady, not flashing. Other brands use different light signals, so check your model's manual.
6. Manual release. Check whether the release cord was pulled, which disconnects the door from the opener. Genie says to re-engage the carriage if so, then test the opener. Read how to use the manual release safely before touching the release.

What the opener does, or does not do, narrows the cause. Use this as a guide, not a diagnosis.

Some brands report faults by counting blinks on the opener. Garaga's guide for LiftMaster, Chamberlain and Craftsman openers made after 2012 matches blink counts to causes, and many point to the sensors. Those codes apply only to certain models, so check your model's manual before relying on them.

Photo eyes are a federal safety requirement, so a blocked or misaligned eye often stops the door from closing. CPSC rules require openers made on or after January 1, 1993 to have an external entrapment protection device, such as an electric eye, or a constant contact button that closes the door only while a person holds it. UL 325 requires at least two entrapment protection mechanisms: an inherent reversal system plus an electric eye or edge sensor.

That is why a sensor problem can look like a dead opener. Do not bypass or disable the sensors to get the door to close. Fix the sensor, or have a technician fix it. For monthly protection, test the reverse feature. See how to test your opener safety reverse for the steps. CPSC advises testing monthly.

Stop and bring in a technician if any of these apply:

• The door is crooked, off its track, or one side is lower than the other.
• A spring may have broken, or you see a gap in a spring, a stretched spring or a frayed or slack cable.
• The opener hums, clicks or strains and the door barely moves.
• The door reverses or stops partway for no clear reason.
• The wall control or sensor wiring looks damaged, or the opener has no power after the outlet and breaker checks.
• The opener has stopped working after a power surge or storm.
• You cannot work out which check applies.

Our technicians inspect the door and opener together and confirm the cause first, since a failing opener and a failing spring can look alike. We handle opener repair, safety sensor repair and spring replacement. Genie's own guidance ends by saying the door may need professional repair if the problem continues.

Most opener problems come down to power, controls, sensors, a disconnected carriage or the door. Those are repairs. Replacement is a question only once a technician has confirmed the opener itself has failed, for example a failed logic board, or when parts for an older unit are hard to find. We cover that decision in repair or replace an opener. If you are choosing between drive types, read chain, belt, screw and direct-drive openers. Our opener installation service covers a new unit.

Keep your door and opener manuals nearby. DASMA notes that every model of door and opener has specific safety instructions unique to that model.

• Garage Door Opener Repair
• Garage Door Safety Sensor Repair
• Garage Door Spring Replacement
• Garage Door Opener Installation

• Genie: Garage door opener troubleshooting
• Garaga: Residential electric garage door openers, emergency troubleshooting guide
• CPSC: Safety Commission publishes final rules for automatic garage door openers
• CPSC: Safety standard targets garage door deaths
• UL Standards & Engagement: Automatic garage door standards
• DASMA: Garage door safety