Most "broken opener" calls turn out to be one of about a dozen simple things — a sensor lens covered in spider web, a remote battery, an obstruction tripping the auto-reverse. This is the checklist we run through ourselves on the truck, in roughly the order that catches the most problems fastest. Run through it before you call anyone.
Start here: identify the symptom
Five common failure modes. Skip to whichever matches:
- Door opens but won't close — usually sensors
- Door won't open at all — usually power, remote, or spring
- Wall button works, remote doesn't — usually battery or pairing
- Motor hums but door doesn't move — usually a broken spring or stripped gear
- Door reverses partway down — usually force settings or an obstruction
Door opens but won't close
Almost always the photo-eye sensors near the floor. The opener won't close the door if the infrared beam between the two sensors is broken. The opener's overhead light typically blinks 10 times when you press the button to indicate this.
Run through this in order
- Look at the indicator LEDs on both sensors (one on each side of the door, ~6 inches off the ground). Both should show a steady light. If one blinks or is off, the sensors are misaligned or the wire is loose.
- Wipe both lenses with a dry cloth. Spider webs and dust are the #1 cause.
- Check for objects blocking the beam — bikes, leaves, pet toys.
- Adjust alignment. Loosen the wing-nut on the bracket and aim each sensor at the other until both LEDs go solid.
- Check the wires. Where they connect to the opener motor, the screws should be tight and the wires intact. Mice chewing through sensor wires is more common than you'd think.
If the LEDs are solid and the door still won't close, the issue is upstream. See door reverses on close.
Door won't open at all
If pressing the wall button or remote does nothing — no motor sound, no light, no movement — work through:
- Check the outlet. Plug a lamp into the outlet the opener uses. If the lamp doesn't work, the breaker or GFCI tripped.
- Check the lockout switch on the wall control. Most wall controls have a vacation lock — a small slider or button. If you've bumped it, the opener ignores remote signals.
- Check the manual disconnect cord. The red cord hanging from the trolley. If it's been pulled, the trolley is disconnected from the carriage. Stand under it and pull the cord toward the door (not toward the motor) to re-engage.
If the motor whirs but the door doesn't move at all, that's the next section.
Remote works sometimes / doesn't work
- Battery first. Most remotes use a CR2032 or 9V. Replace it even if you replaced one "recently."
- Re-pair the remote. On the opener motor, find the "Learn" button (usually under a panel near the antenna). Press it once — the LED next to it lights up. Within 30 seconds, press the remote button you want to program. The LED clicks off when paired.
- Check the antenna wire hanging from the motor. If it's broken, the receiver range drops to a few feet.
- Distance test. Try the remote standing right under the opener. If it works there but not from your driveway, the receiver or antenna is weak.
Motor hums but the door doesn't move
This is the unhappy diagnosis: the motor is trying, but something is mechanically preventing the door from moving. In order of likelihood:
- Broken torsion spring. Look at the spring above the door. If you see a clean break or the spring is in two pieces, that's it. The opener motor isn't strong enough to lift the door without spring counterbalance, so it strains and either trips or makes a humming sound. Spring replacement.
- Broken cable. One of the cables running from the bottom of the door to the drum is snapped. The door drops on one side and binds in the track.
- Stripped opener gear. Inside the opener is a plastic gear that wears out around year 10–15. If you can run the motor with no door movement and the spring is intact, gear is suspect.
- Door off the track. Roller jumped out of the track, door is now wedged.
For all four, stop trying to operate the door — you can make the damage worse — and call a tech.
Door reverses on close
Door starts down, then reverses back up before fully closing. Causes in order:
- Sensor obstruction. Same checklist as won't close.
- Travel limits drifted. The opener thinks the floor is lower than it actually is, hits the floor before its programmed limit, registers an "obstruction," reverses. Adjust the down-travel limit (procedure varies by brand — see your manual).
- Force settings too sensitive. The opener interprets normal door friction as an obstruction. Adjust the down-force setting up by one increment.
- Bottom seal binding. A new or cold-stiff bottom seal creates resistance the opener reads as an obstruction. Lubricate the seal or wait for it to flex with use.
- Door is heavy for the spring. Disconnect the opener (red cord), lift the door manually halfway, and let go. If it falls, the spring is too weak — door is fighting the opener every cycle. Replace the spring.
New or louder noise
If the opener is suddenly louder than it used to be:
- Roller bearing failure sounds like a coffee grinder. Replace the rollers — typically a quick service-call job.
- Loose chain or belt sounds like rattling on the rail. The rail has a tension nut at the front idler — tighten until the chain/belt has about 1/4" of deflection.
- Hinge wear creaks as the door folds around the curve. Lubricate the hinges or, if they've worn through their bushings, replace.
- Stripped gear sounds like the motor is running but with a click on each cycle. Internal opener fix.
When to stop and call us
Three situations where you should stop poking and pick up the phone:
- Anything involving the springs, cables, or drums (this is a big one — torsion springs hold massive stored energy)
- Door off the tracks
- You've followed the checklist and the symptom doesn't match anything here
Service call to a Metro tech is $0 with any repair. If we get there and the fix is a 2-minute sensor wipe, we'll tell you it's a 2-minute sensor wipe.
