Garage Door Opener Repair in New Jersey

Our technicians inspect the opener and the door it runs, confirm the cause of the problem, then repair the opener, its sensors or its controls.

The opener is a convenience. DASMA, the Door and Access Systems Manufacturers Association, says the motor operator is provided as a convenience to operate the door, not to lift its weight. When an opener stops working, the cause is often somewhere else in the system, so we look at the door as well as the motor unit.

• The opener unit: motor, drive, limit and force settings, circuit board and light.
• Safety sensors and their wiring. See safety sensor repair.
• Remotes, keypads and wall controls.
• The connection between opener and door: the trolley, arm and travel limits.
• Balance of the door itself, which decides how hard the opener must work.

• The door does not respond to the remote, keypad or wall button.
• The opener hums or runs, but the door does not move.
• The door starts to close, then reverses, or stops partway.
• The opener runs only part of the way, or opens but will not close.
• The opener light blinks or the unit makes grinding or clicking noises. Signals differ by model, so check your model's manual.
• The opener strains, or the door shakes or jerks as it travels.

Start with the basics in our guide on an opener that is not working. If the unit hums but the door will not move, read opener hums, door will not move. Controls that quit are covered in remote or keypad not working.

The technician inspects and confirms the cause before replacing anything. A door that will not move is not always an opener fault.

1. We check the door first: balance, springs, cables, tracks and rollers, because a stuck or unbalanced door can look like a failed opener.
2. We check the opener's power, controls, sensors, wiring, limit settings and drive.
3. We confirm what failed and explain what we found.
4. We explain the repair, and whether the opener is worth repairing or should be replaced.
5. We make the repair and adjust travel and force as the manufacturer's instructions direct.
6. We test the door through full cycles, and test safety reverse and sensors.

The reverse test uses a 2x4 laid flat on the floor in the door's path. The CPSC says the door should reverse when it touches it. Our guide on the opener safety reverse test explains each step.

• Which part failed: sensors, controls and settings are different jobs from a failed motor or circuit board.
• Whether the door is out of balance or binding, and the opener has been straining against it.
• Whether a spring, cable, track or roller problem needs repair first.
• The age and condition of the opener, and whether parts are available for its model.
• Whether the sensors, wiring or wall control also need work.

See what affects garage door repair cost.

The CPSC notes that a door that does not reverse on contact should have its opener disengaged until it is adjusted, repaired or replaced. Read our guide on auto-reverse for how the feature works.

A worn control, a misaligned sensor or a drive setting is usually a repair. Replacement is worth considering when the opener has failed repeatedly, parts for its model are hard to get, or the unit cannot meet current safety features. We tell you what we found and what each choice involves. See repair or replace an opener and our opener installation service. For the door itself, see garage door repair.

This service is available across New Jersey through our three regional teams.

• North Jersey
• Central Jersey
• South Jersey