Garage door will not open and you have to leave?

Many no-open mornings are simple. A tripped breaker, an unplugged opener, a wall button with the lock feature on, a dead remote battery, or a sensor lens blocked by a stored item will all stop the door. Cold nights can also cause the door to stick in the track or the bottom seal to freeze to the floor. It is worth ruling these out first.

If the door is closed and you want to try the manual release, check three things before you pull anything. First, the door should be fully closed. Second, the door should look straight, with no cable hanging and no gap in either spring. Third, nobody should be under or beside it. If all three are true, the red cord hanging from the opener trolley can be pulled once to disconnect it.

After you pull it, lift the door from the bottom using both hands, keeping your fingers away from the section joints and track. A properly balanced door should rise easily and stay up. If it feels like a dead weight, or if it drops back, stop right there. That means the springs are not doing their job and the door should not be moved by hand.

A door that will not open is usually a repair, not a replacement. The exceptions are a door that has been hit hard, or an opener at the end of its life, which our repair or replace opener guide covers.

If you are leaving the house and the door is stuck open or closed on the car, the safe choice is a technician, not a rushed attempt.