How to Tell if a Garage Door Opener is Broken

Given the fact that fixing or replacing a broken garage door opener can be quite costly, a homeowner will want to assess a seemingly broken door opener properly before taking it to a repairman or throwing it out. Following are some steps that one can take to see if the door opener is malfunctioning or not.

Assess the Garage Door

Before assuming that the opener is not working properly, check the garage door itself. Look for signs that the door may be out of alignment and/or have a broken spring. If it is difficult or impossible to open the door manually, then the problem is with the door, not the opener.

Assess the Door Opener

If the garage door can be opened easily without the opener, then check the opener itself. If the wall control lights are off, then there is a tripped circuit breaker that needs to be reset.

If the lights are on, then unplug the unit, plug it back in and try again. Sometimes resetting a garage door opener in this way fixes the problems. However, if this is not the case, then the opener needs to be fixed or replaced.

What to do About a Broken Garage Door Opener

The two most common repair problems with garage door openers are logic board malfunctions and stripped nylon gears. Both of these problems are costly to fix and in most cases a person would be better off buying a new unit instead of attempting to repair the old one.

However, there are some cases when fixing an old unit can save a person a lot of time and money. To start with, a homeowner will want to check the warranty to see if parts and labor repair costs are covered by the warranty terms and conditions.

If the opener is not covered by warranty, then a person should call a local repair company to ask about the cost of fixing the old unit. Whenever possible, talk to the technician who will do the actual repair work, as this individual should be able to diagnose the likely cause of the problem over the phone and give a repair cost estimate.

In Summary

If the garage door opener seems to be broken, a homeowner should take the following steps:

– Check if the electricity is on

– See if the door can be opened manually

– Check the opener light

– Unplug the unit and try again

If these steps do not resolve the problem, then the garage door opener is most likely broken and homeowner will need to either repair the old unit or invest in a new one.

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