Garage Door Opener Repair
Your garage door opener is a motor, a drive system, a circuit board, and a handful of safety sensors all working together. When any one piece fails, the whole thing stops. Sometimes it's a $15 gear kit. Sometimes the logic board fried during a power surge. Either way, we figure out exactly what's wrong before we touch anything.
Drive Types We Work On
Chain drive openers are the workhorses — reliable, affordable, and loud. The chain stretches over time, which causes the door to jerk or the trolley to slip. Adjusting or replacing the chain usually solves it.
Belt drive openers run quieter because they use a reinforced rubber belt instead of a metal chain. The trade-off is that belts wear out and can snap after 10 to 15 years. We carry replacement belts for most LiftMaster and Chamberlain models.
Screw drive openers use a threaded steel rod to move the trolley. They have fewer moving parts, but the lifting mechanism needs periodic lubrication. When the grease dries out, you'll hear a loud grinding noise and the door may stall halfway.
Brands We Repair
- LiftMaster — most common in newer homes, Wi-Fi enabled models included
- Chamberlain — consumer line from the same manufacturer as LiftMaster
- Genie — popular for their Aladdin Connect smart home integration
- Craftsman — older models still in many garages, parts still available
- Wayne Dalton, Raynor, Linear — less common but fully supported
Common Opener Problems and What Causes Them
- Opener hums but door won't move — stripped main gear, usually a nylon gear that wears down over time
- Remote works from close range only — weak antenna signal or dying remote battery
- Door reverses right after hitting the floor — close-limit switch needs adjustment, or the safety sensors are misaligned
- Opener light blinks but nothing happens — safety sensor wire is cut or the sensor lenses are dirty
- Door opens by itself — stuck wall button, a neighbor on the same frequency, or a short in the wiring
- Grinding noise from the motor — worn gear and sprocket assembly or dry screw drive rail
Safety Sensor Troubleshooting
Federal law has required photoelectric safety sensors on all garage door openers since 1993. These small sensors sit 6 inches off the ground on either side of the door opening. If something breaks the beam — a bike tire, a leaf, a spiderweb — the door won't close. We see more sensor calls than any other opener issue. Usually it's an alignment problem or a wire that got nicked by a weed trimmer.
Smart Opener Features
Newer openers from LiftMaster (myQ) and Genie (Aladdin Connect) let you monitor and control your garage door from your phone. If your smart features stopped working after a power outage or Wi-Fi change, we can reconfigure the connection and get the app working again.
