Owning and using a garage door and opener can be a wonderful experience. Here at Garage Door Services, we want to help make sure you continue to enjoy it as long as possible with some helpful information to keep everything running smoothly. Request a service directly via our online form to get started. All of our services come backed by installation and manufacturer warranties. Call for more information.

Like any mechanical parts, your garage door does require some basic preventative maintenance to keep running at its best. Here are the recommended maintenance tasks and how often they should be run.

Not feeling very handy? Fill out our form or give us a call and we’ll be happy to schedule a preventative maintenance visit.

Remember: regular maintenance can help prevent costly repairs, extend the life of your door and operator, and is even required by most manufacturers’ warranties!

Note: This is a very general guideline; your door and/or operator came with specific instructions on regular maintenance and should always be your first stop for this information.

If the door tries to close but stops and reverses for no apparent reason, but will close fully if you hold down the button on the wall station, you may have an issue with your photo eyes (also known as safety sensors).

There are a few steps you can try for common issues before having to call for service:

• Make sure both units have a solid light on. Depending on your operator, these lights can be red, amber, green, or a combination of those. All that matters here is that the light is solid.
• Note: If you have a newer operator, the lights may shut off between uses to conserve power. Check that both lights are on (solid, not blinking) when you try to run the door.
• If it’s blinking, that means it senses an obstruction and won’t allow your door to close.
• Make sure there are no objects blocking the path between the sensors and remove any obstructions.
• Check to make sure the lenses are clean – use a fine cloth (glasses or phone/tablet screen cleaning cloths work best) to gently wipe the lens.
• If the light is off, it’s likely one of two issues.
• Try to move the one with no light so that it faces the other unit directly. The light will come on when they are lined up.
• Tip for lining them up: Affix (use painter's tape or something else easily removed) a piece of scrap paper or cardboard behind one sensor (the one you aren’t moving around) so it sticks out above or to the side. Affix a laser pointer to the other sensor (on the same side you left the paper sticking out on the other sensor) to help provide a line of sight to get them pointing straight at each other.
• Check if it is connected to its power source. Photo eyes get their power from the operator through a set of small wires. Check the wires for signs of damage.

Still having trouble with the sensors? It might be time for a service request. Fill out our form today to get started.