Common Issues with Overhead Doors

Issue: My door will open 6” to 8” and then close. What’s wrong?

Solution: Often, this is a problem with the springs at the top of your overhead door. If your springs have broken, they’ll need to be replaced. We recommend you replace both springs, unless the unbroken spring was replaced in the last 3 years. It is our experience that if one spring has broken, the other will soon follow. Also, it’s less expensive to replace both springs at once then repairing them separately.

If your overhead door has tubes, not springs, or if you are not sure, contact Action Door to set up a service call.

Issue: My door starts to close, but when it’s about 6” to 8” down from the top (header) it opens again. What’s wrong?

Solution: First, go to your garage door and hold down the wall control button continuously to see if the door will close. If this works, the problem is most likely a photo-eye alignment issue.

There is a method that will sometimes work to solve this problem. The photo eye is a small plastic device with a lens and is located about 10” from the floor on both sides of the garage door. Look at both photo eyes and see if there is a green flashing light on the device. If there is no flashing eye, check to make sure nothing has been placed in front of the photo eyes (this area must be kept clear), and ensure they haven’t been  mis-aligned.

Next, take a measuring tape and measure from the ground up to the centre of one photo eye and write down the measurement. Next measure out from the wall to the center of the photo eye and write down that measurement. Take the same measurements for the other photo eye. Adjust the photo eyes to the exact same measurements. Test the door and it should work, if it does not work, call  Action Door, and set up a service call.

Issue: When my door is closing, it seems to bind/doesn’t seal properly. Sometimes the door groans, grinds, and automatically reverses. I have to do this a few times to get the door to close. What can I do?

Solution: If your door is not sealing on the bottom, take pipe insulation (this can be purchased at the hardware store and is used to insulate copper pipes) and stuff it into the bottom rubber, where it is not sealing very well. This is something that should be done in warmer weather.

If the door is binding on the side of the weather seal, rub a bar of soap on areas where it’s sticking. This should stop it from catching.

Issue: My remote is not opening my door. What’s wrong?

Solution: First, ensure the remote has fresh batteries and they are inserted correctly. If the batteries are working, the remote control may need to be reprogrammed to the operator. For this you will need the manual for the operator.

Use a ladder to reach the back of your garage door’s operator, you should see a button. Push this button for one second, then release. Next, point your remote at the operator and push down the button for one second, then release. The garage door should either open or close, based on what position it was in.

If this does not solve the problem, call Action Door and book a service call.

Issue: My operator doesn’t respond from the wall controller, remotes or keyless entry. How can I fix this?

Solution: First, look at the photo eyes and see if you see any light. If not, go to your breaker panel and find the breaker for the garage. Flick the breaker on and off again. Now see if the Operator is working.

If not check to see if there is power to the Operator. Go into the garage and look for a power cord from the Operator. If it is unplugged, plug it in.

If it is already plugged in, test the outlet with a separate electrical device, like a hand lamp, the outlet may be malfunctioning.

Issue: My door is jamming or grinding. What should I do?

Solution: You can try to re-align tracks if you feel confident to do so. An alternative would be contact Action Door and book a service call

You can try lubricating the inside of the tracks and the rollers with WD-40 or 3 in 1 oil as a temporary fix. If that works, we recommend you come to our parts department and purchase high quality lithium grease.

If this doesn’t work it’s an issue that will require a service call.