CMC Door ServiceGarage Doors & Gates
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Troubleshooting

Garage door won't close

Nine times out of ten it is the photo-eye sensors, and the tell is a blinking opener light. A five-minute fix most homeowners can do themselves.

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Diagnosis

What's actually causing it

Work down the list. The tells are what separate one cause from another.

Where the photo-eye safety sensors sit in a garage door opening Looking at the opening from inside. A sensor is mounted on each vertical track about six inches above the floor, and an invisible infrared beam runs between them across the doorway. If anything breaks that beam, or if the two sensors are not pointed at each other, the door will not close. Infrared beam Sensor Sensor About 6 in
The photo eyes, seen from inside the garage. One sits on each side of the opening about six inches off the floor, and the beam between them has to be unbroken and dead straight for the door to close.

Photo-eye sensors misaligned or blocked

You can check this
How you know
The opener light blinks 5 or 10 times when you press close. One sensor LED is off or flickering. Something is parked in the beam.
The fix
Clear the beam, wipe both lenses, and nudge the brackets until both LEDs are solid.

Dirty sensor lenses

You can check this
How you know
Both LEDs lit but weak or flickering. Common in a dusty Florida garage.
The fix
Wipe both lenses with a dry cloth.

Close-limit set wrong

Technician job
How you know
The door closes fully, touches down, then immediately reverses and goes back up. Sensors are fine.
The fix
Adjust the down-limit screw on the motor unit. A small adjustment, easy to overshoot.

Obstruction or debris in the track

You can check this
How you know
The door stops at the same point every time. Look for a bolt, a stone, or a bent section of track.
The fix
Clear it, or straighten the track if it is bent.

Binding or seized roller

Technician job
How you know
The door judders on the way down and stops. Rollers no longer spin freely in the track.
The fix
Roller replacement, as a full set.

Down-force setting too low

Technician job
How you know
The door reverses partway with no obstruction and no sensor fault. Often after a temperature swing.
The fix
Force adjustment on the opener. This is a safety setting, worth having set correctly rather than cranked up.
Before you call

Safe things to check yourself

Any of these could save you a service call, and none of them will hurt you or the door.

  1. Look at the two small sensors near the floor on either side of the door. Both LEDs should be solid, not blinking.
  2. Clear anything in the beam: a bin, a bike, a coiled hose.
  3. Wipe both lenses with a dry cloth. Dust alone is enough to break the beam.
  4. Gently nudge one bracket until both LEDs go solid, then tighten.
  5. Count the blinks on the opener light. Most manufacturers use a blink code that identifies the fault.
  6. Check the track at the point the door stops for a bolt, stone or dent.
Garage door opener rail and interior during an installation
When we come out

What a service call looks like

We diagnose on site, tell you what failed and why, and give you a written price before touching anything. If it turns out to be something you could have fixed in five minutes, we will say so.

Our trucks carry springs, cables, rollers, hinges and common opener parts, so most repairs finish in a single visit rather than needing a return trip.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Why does my garage door close then immediately open again?

Two likely causes. If the opener light blinks, the photo-eye safety sensors are misaligned or blocked. If the sensors are fine and the door touches down before reversing, the close-limit is set slightly too low, so the opener thinks it has hit an obstruction. The limit is adjustable but easy to overshoot, so it is worth having set properly.

Where are the garage door safety sensors?

Near the floor on both sides of the opening, usually four to six inches up the track, pointing at each other. Each has a small LED. Both should be solid when the door is working.

Can I just disconnect the safety sensors?

No. They are the only thing that reverses the door if something is underneath it, and they are required by federal law on every opener sold since 1993. If they keep tripping, the cause needs fixing.

Why won't my garage door close in the rain?

Moisture on the sensor lenses, or a sensor bracket that has shifted. Water and the low winter sun angle both scatter the beam. Wipe the lenses and check both LEDs are solid.

How much does it cost to fix a door that won't close?

Sensor realignment is often a quick fix and we will tell you if it is something you can do yourself. If it turns out to be rollers, our published guide puts a full set at roughly $150 to $250; opener repairs run $200 to $350. The estimate is free.

Related repairs

Our work

Jobs like this one

Our own work across Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe County. No stock images.

Newly installed white garage doors seen from inside
Residential garage interior with a newly fitted opener
A CMC technician's equipment during a garage door repair
Range

Models and collections we install

The doors, finishes and hardware we fit across South Florida.

A nylon roller and hinge seated in a garage door track
A cutaway of a garage door bottom seal seated against the floor
What the work involves

How the job is actually done

What a proper installation and service visit actually involves, step by step.

Technician installing a belt drive garage door opener from a step ladder

Want it looked at today?

Same-day service across Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe County, seven days a week. Free estimates, upfront pricing.

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