It's 7 a.m., you hit the button, and nothing happens. Before you panic — or worse, start yanking on things — run down this list. It's the same one our techs use on the phone with customers across the Upstate, and about a third of the time the fix takes two minutes and zero dollars.
The quick, free checks first
- 1. Remote battery. Try the wall button. If the wall button works but the remote doesn't, it's a battery. Outdoor keypads run on a 9-volt more often than people think.
- 2. Power. Is the opener's light on? Check the outlet (openers love to share circuits with garage freezers that trip GFCIs) and your breaker panel.
- 3. Lock mode. Many wall consoles have a lock button that disables remotes. If the wall button opens the door but no remote does, hold the lock button ~5 seconds.
- 4. The red cord. If someone pulled the red release cord, the door is disconnected from the opener. With the door fully closed, pull the cord toward the door and run the opener — it should re-engage with a click.
The "call a pro" causes
- 5. Broken spring. Heard a bang recently? Door feels dead-heavy by hand, or the opener strains and quits? That's a spring — the #1 cause we see. Don't keep hitting the button; it burns out the opener.
- 6. Snapped or frayed cable. Door hanging crooked, or cable dangling loose? The other cable is holding everything under tension. Stop and call.
- 7. Worn opener drive gear. Motor runs, door doesn't move, springs are fine — on older chain-drive units the plastic drive gear strips. Sometimes worth fixing; on a 15-year-old opener, usually smarter to upgrade to a quiet belt drive.
One safety rule that covers everything
If the door is heavy, crooked, or partly open and stuck — leave it where it is. Every serious garage door injury we've heard about in Spartanburg County started with "I figured I could force it." A stuck door is an ordinary service call. An ER visit isn't.
Still stuck after the free checks? Call or text us at (864) 921-7373 — describe what it's doing and we'll tell you honestly whether it needs a truck or a tip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why won't my garage door open but the motor runs?
If the opener hums or runs but the door doesn't move, the most common causes are a broken torsion spring, a stripped drive gear inside the opener, or the trolley disengaged after someone pulled the red release cord.
Why does my garage door only open a few inches?
A door that starts then stops within a few inches usually has a broken spring — the opener senses the extra weight and shuts down for safety. Stop using the door and have the spring replaced.
Why won't my garage door close but it opens fine?
That's almost always the safety sensors near the floor: blocked, dirty, or knocked out of alignment. Clear the beam path, wipe the lenses, and make sure both sensor lights glow steady.
