Can't Close Garage Door with Remote

Not being able to open and close your garage door with a remote can be an annoying inconvenience. If you can’t close your garage door with the remote specifically meant for it, there could be various issues at play. There are some fixes you can make to the door yourself, as well as a few things you can do to use your garage in the meantime.

Button in the Garage

In addition to the garage door remote, many high-tech garages will have a device that looks similar to a doorbell or a switch built inside the garage to open the garage door. You can use this while you repair the garage door remote that resides in your car.

Manually Lift It

If your garage door remote isn’t working, you can manually lift and close the garage. Garage doors have an emergency release cord for this specific purpose. The cord is usually red. Before opening or closing the door manually, disengage your garage door opener from the door using the release cord.

Pull the cord until the release lever locks. From there, you can use your hands to raise or lower the garage door. If you are on your way to work, you may want to bring hand wipes with you and be careful not to get any dirt on your professional attire.

A note of caution: make sure the garage door is securely up before moving your car in and out of the garage. A garage door falling at the wrong time could be a safety risk, not to mention damage to your property. Doors should stay up on their own if their springs are working correctly.

If you are manually lifting the door, make sure to lock it as well. Just because it’s shut won’t mean it’s locked. Your garage should have a manual lock you can use to secure it. Once you get the garage door remote fixed, you will have to re-engage the emergency release cord. Make sure the door is closed before doing so.

Check the Manual Lock

If your garage door remote is not working, make sure the manual lock is not in use. If it is, unlock it, and your garage door remote should start to work again.

Clicker Code

Some garage door remotes use a code that is the same code associated with the garage door itself. If the remote does not seem to be working, open it and make sure none of the numbers were jostled out of place. If you live in a shared living situation, check to make sure no one else changed the code.

You could also try resetting the keypad and looking for frayed wires. If the wires look out of place or are frayed, it may be time to invest in a new remote.

Lubrication

A garage door may stick or have trouble opening at all if it is sticking. When this happens, the rollers and hinges on the door can become stuck. Lubricating the door should fix the issue.

Clean the Track

If your garage door track is dirty, the door may stick and have trouble opening and closing. Cleaning it can fix this issue. While you clean, inspect it to make sure it's not misaligned.

Interference

Something may be interfering with the signal in your garage door. Interference can be caused by radio signals, a cell phone, or other devices. To fix this, locate the antenna inside of your garage and turn it in the opposite direction. You may need to move the antenna to change the frequency more than once if the issue is ongoing.

Seal Issues

You could also have an issue with your garage door seal. To fix this, adjust the brackets that secure the track to the frame around the door. Have someone hold the door fully closed and tighten the nuts and bolts. If this doesn’t do the trick, you may need to replace the bottom of the seal.