Why won't my garage door close all the way?

Start with the sensors

The most likely culprit is the pair of safety sensors on either side of the door, a few inches off the floor. Chamberlain's advice is to check that your safety sensors are aligned, as this is a common cause for garage doors not closing.^[1] Each sensor sends a beam to the other. A bump from a bike, a loose bracket or a film of dust is enough to break it, and the opener then refuses to finish closing or reverses partway.

Wipe each lens with a soft cloth and see that both are pointing straight at each other. Most sensors have a small light that is steady when the beam is made. If the eye is used on your door, it should be installed at a height of 4 to 6 inches above the floor.^[2] Do not unscrew the wires or bring a ladder into it: a sensor is only a bracket and a lens, and a gentle nudge is all it needs.

Look at what the door is doing

How the door fails tells you a lot.

• It goes down, touches the floor and goes back up. The opener believes something is in the way. If the door hits an obstruction while closing, the door will reverse, the opener will beep and the lights will flash 5 times.^[1] Check the floor and the weatherstrip for a leaf pile, a stone or a stray tool.
• It stops partway down and goes back up. Usually a sensor beam interrupted, or a track or roller that is catching.
• It stops a little above the floor and sits there. Often the opener's close limit has drifted. LiftMaster's monthly checklist says: "Check to be sure door opens and closes fully. Adjust if necessary, see manual on page 12."^[3]
• It will not move at all. That is a different problem, such as a dead remote, a locked-out wall control or a broken spring, and is better handled with the opener's own troubleshooting guide.

Check the door by hand

Take the opener out of the picture. With the door closed, pull the "quick release" mechanism to detach the garage door from the opener.^[2] Then lift and lower the door by its handle. A properly operating garage door will be "balanced." This means that the door will stay in place when stopped in any partially-open position.^[2]

If it feels heavy, drifts down or springs up, or scrapes and catches, you have found the reason the opener struggles to close it. If doors are not "balanced," or if they bind or stick, they should be serviced by a professional.^[2] LiftMaster says the same in its checklist: if it is unbalanced or binding, call a trained door systems technician.^[3] A severely unbalanced garage door could unexpectedly crash to the floor, possibly striking someone under the open door.^[2]

Keep the tracks clean, not greasy

While the door is detached, look along each track for dirt, a pebble, a bent edge or a roller sitting outside the groove. Wipe the track with a dry rag. Do not grease the doors tracks.^[3] Grease picks up grit and makes sticking worse. Hardware and fittings should be checked to keep the door on track at all times.^[2] Rollers, hinges and bearings can be oiled; the steps are in how to lubricate a garage door.

Test the reversal after any change

Once the door runs again, test the safety reversal system.^[3] The CPSC's method is to place a 2x4 on the floor of the garage in the door's path; if the door does not properly reverse when striking it, the opener should be disengaged until it is adjusted according to the owner's manual, repaired or replaced.^[2]

Stop and call a pro if

• The door is heavy, drifts or slams. The springs may be worn or broken. Do not adjust or try to loosen anything on the springs or cables; they are under tension.
• The track is bent, a panel is cracked or a cable is frayed. These need replacement parts and the right tools.
• Hinges or brackets have pulled out of the wood. The door can come off its track.
• The door will not stay closed after you reset the opener, or the sensor lights stay dark with the sensors aligned.
• The door will not reverse in the safety test.

Before it comes to a repair price, what garage door repair costs in Virginia and whether an old garage door is worth repairing explain what to expect.

Getting help in Virginia

When you hire a garage door company, the Board for Contractors tells homeowners that a license number in an advertisement or on a business card does not necessarily mean the contractor's license is valid.^[4] Check it with DPOR, and Ask the contractor for local references.^[4] Loclis lists DPOR-licensed businesses with their licence number and class: browse garage door services or see more garage door answers.

When you are ready, describe the problem once and licensed local garage door pros quote it.