Garage Door Opener Works Sometimes and Not Others? Here's Why

Question 01

Why does my garage door opener work sometimes and not others?

An opener that only works some of the time has a cause that comes and goes. A remote battery on its way out is a common one. B&D says wind, dust and extreme temperature changes can make a door reverse. Sun on the safety beams, radio interference and a door that drags also make openers unreliable.

The trick with an intermittent fault is to notice the pattern. Match what your door does to a row below. The safe checks cost nothing more than a coin battery and a few minutes.

If the door won't move at all, rather than only now and then, start with garage door won't open or close instead.

Question 02

Why does my garage door opener stop working after a few uses?

An opener that quits after a few runs is usually fighting the door. A door that's heavy, stiff or binding makes the motor work harder. B&D lists motor overloaded or stalled as one of its SmartPro warning alerts, and its remedy includes disengaging the motor and checking the door runs smoothly. That points at the door, not the remote.

On B&D's SmartPro openers, the main light flashes 9 times to flag that the motor has overloaded or stalled. Check the manual for your own model. A door that's grown heavy is a lot to push. According to Steel-Line, one of its roller doors can weigh close to or more than 150kg.

A door that's out of balance is one thing to suspect. B&D's manual says the door must be well balanced and able to be operated by hand. Steel-Line says that if the door isn't correctly balanced, call a garage door professional. Spring tension is not a job to try yourself. The heavy roller door guide explains what an out of balance door feels like.

Question 03

Why does my garage door opener play up on windy days?

Wind pushes on a garage door. B&D's SmartPro manual says intermittent operation may happen in areas with very strong winds, because the wind puts extra pressure on the door and tracks and can trip the safety obstruction detection system. The opener reads that pressure as something in the way, so it stops or reverses.

Wind isn't the only weather that does it. In its troubleshooting table, B&D says a door that reverses for no apparent reason may be reacting to environmental conditions, such as areas that are windy, dusty or have extreme temperature changes.

• Keep a note of the weather each time the door plays up. A fault that only shows on gusty days fits the pattern B&D describes.
• If it happens on calm, mild days as well, the wind isn't the whole story. Look at the beams and the door's balance next.
• Don't turn the force setting up to stop it reversing. B&D says to make sure the door runs smoothly before increasing the force.
• If a storm has bent the door or knocked it off its tracks, don't run it. The storm-ready garage door guide covers wind and doors.

Question 04

Why will my garage door only refuse to close at certain times of day?

A door that won't close at one time of day often has sun on its safety beams. Steel-Line says to avoid mounting the beam sensor and reflector in direct sunlight, as this could interfere with the safety beams. B&D's wireless beam manual places the receiver in shade. When the sun swings round onto the sensor, closing can fail.

• Note the time each time the door won't close. Same hour, sunny days only? That's the strongest hint.
• Wipe both beam lenses gently with a soft cloth.
• Check nothing is half in the beam path. B&D says partly obstructed beams can make a door reverse for no apparent reason, and a bin, a hose or a plant that moves in the wind comes and goes.
• Faults that come and go can also be the beam itself or its wiring. B&D's troubleshooting lists repairing the beam or replacing the wiring, which is work for a technician.

The safety beams and auto-reverse guide covers lining the beams up and the monthly safety test.

Question 05

Why is my garage door opener signal weak some days?

Garage door remote range really does change. B&D says variations in range are normal depending on conditions such as temperature or external interference. A battery on its way out shortens range further, and Steel-Line says a metal garage door, foil insulation or metal side walls reduce it too.

1. 01Put a new battery in the remote, even if the old one still works some of the time.
2. 02Aim the remote through the windscreen. B&D suggests this, and also names where the remote sits in the car as a cause.
3. 03Think about what's new nearby. Steel-Line says interference nearby can stop a remote working while the door control still works.
4. 04Steel-Line also lists a loose or not extended aerial on the opener. If the aerial looks loose, leave it for a technician rather than reaching up beside the motor.
5. 05Still dropping out with a new battery? Leave the opener for a technician to check.

A remote that's dead every time, not just some days, belongs in garage door remote not working, which covers lock mode, coding and batteries.

Question 06

Is it the remote, the wall button or the opener that's cutting out?

When the opener cuts out, try the remote and wall button in turn. If the wall button works and the remote doesn't, it's the remote side. If both fail, look at the power and the opener. If it's the remote that fails, a fresh battery is the cheapest first check.

1. 01The next time it fails, press the wall button straight away. A fault that's gone by the time you test is hard to pin down.
2. 02Try a second remote. If one works and the other doesn't, the fault is in that remote.
3. 03Look at the opener's light. Steel-Line says that if there's no light, check the fuse box or circuit breaker, and contact an electrician if the power point is faulty.
4. 04If the wall button is the one that comes and goes while the remote is fine, that's a fault to leave for a technician to trace.

Door moving on its own now and then? Steel-Line says to check that a remote's push button isn't stuck on, including the one in the car. Garage door won't open or close covers a door that opens by itself.

Question 07

When should you stop using an opener that keeps cutting out?

Stop using the opener if the door drags, sticks, lifts crooked or feels heavy, or if it went bang. B&D's manual says not to use the door if repair or adjustment is needed, since a fault or an incorrectly balanced door may cause injury. Steel-Line says all repairs except inspection and cleaning belong to qualified door service personnel.

• Don't keep pressing the remote when the door stalls. B&D says sticking or binding doors must be repaired.
• Don't adjust the door to make it behave. B&D's manual warns that doors, springs and brackets are under extreme tension and tells owners not to attempt any garage door adjustment.
• Don't touch the springs, cables, drums or bottom brackets. They hold the door's weight under tension.
• Do keep the door shut if you can, and keep kids and pets clear of the doorway.

An opener that keeps cutting out on a door that runs smoothly may need repair or replacing. The motor replacement cost guide covers repair or replace.

Question 08

What should you note down before you book a callout?

For an opener that plays up now and then, write down when it fails, what the door does and the weather. An intermittent fault may not show itself while the technician is there, so a short log helps. Note whether the remote, the wall button or both failed, and any flashes or beeps.

• Date and time of each failure, and how many runs the door had done that day.
• What the door did: nothing, stopped partway, reversed, or ran slowly.
• The weather: wind, heat, rain, or low sun on the doorway.
• Which control failed: the remote, the wall button, or both.
• Any lights or beeps. B&D's SmartPro openers show service and warning alerts by flashing the main light a set number of times after a run. The opener beeping guide explains what common patterns mean.
• The brand and model on the motor unit, and roughly how old the opener is.

With that log, Thom can look at the door, the beams and the opener together. He handles garage door repairs and garage door motor replacement across the Sunshine Coast. Call Thom on 0402 882 653 or book a callout.