Opener not working: eight checks, in the order that finds the fault fastest
Most dead-opener calls in the West Valley are solved by one of the first four checks below, and three of those cost nothing. Work down the list in order; it is arranged from the most likely and cheapest to the least likely and dearest.
1. The remote is dead but the wall button works
A remote battery, nine times in ten. Replace it, then press the remote within sight of the opener. If nothing, the remote has lost its pairing: hold the learn button on the powerhead and press the remote. If the opener has no learn button or the remote is older than the opener, a universal remote set to the opener's protocol solves it.
2. Nothing works, including the wall button
Look at the opener's light. If it is on or the unit responds to the wall button with a click but no motion, go to check 5. If the unit is completely dark, go to check 3. If the wall button's own light is blinking, the opener is in lock mode, a vacation setting on many LiftMaster and Chamberlain consoles; hold the lock button for two to three seconds to clear it.
3. Dark unit: the outlet and the breaker
Plug a lamp into the opener's outlet. No light means the breaker or a GFCI tripped; find the garage GFCI, often on a wall outlet, and reset it, then the panel. If the outlet is live and the opener is dark, the opener's board or transformer is gone, almost always from a monsoon surge. Go to check 8.
4. The door starts down and climbs back up
The photo-eyes. Look at the two sensors near the floor: both lights should hold steady. Wipe the lenses, clear whatever is in the path, loosen a wing nut and re-aim until the receiver's light stops flickering. If the door only does this late in the afternoon on a west-facing garage, the sun is flooding the receiver; shade it with your hand and try again.
5. The motor runs but the door does not move
Either the trolley has disengaged, which happens when someone pulled the red cord during an outage, or the drive gear has stripped. Pull the cord toward the door with the door closed and run the opener; if the trolley catches and the door moves, you are done. If the motor runs and the chain or belt moves but the trolley stays put, or the motor runs and nothing moves at all, the gear is stripped and it is a kit and an hour.
6. The motor hums and quits
A failed start capacitor, common on openers that live in 130°F garages. Not a user repair; it is a $110 to $190 part and a short visit.
7. The door moves a few inches and stops, or feels heavy
Pull the red cord with the door closed and lift the door by hand. Heavy, or will not stay put at waist height: the springs are the problem, and the opener was never going to fix that. Do not keep pressing the button; that strips the gear. Call.
8. Dead after a storm
The logic board took a surge. On an opener under about ten years old with a board in production, a board is the repair. On an older unit, a battery-backup replacement is usually the better spend. Both prices go on the sheet, and a surge protector goes on the outlet either way.
Questions on this topic
The remote works from the driveway but not from the street.
The antenna wire on the powerhead is tucked up or broken, or an LED bulb in the opener is interfering with the signal. Let the antenna hang straight down and try a different bulb.
The door closes only when I hold the wall button.
The opener cannot see the photo-eye beam, so it refuses to close from the remote. Holding the wall button overrides it. Check 4 is the fix.
The keypad stopped working after I changed the opener's battery.
The keypad lost its pairing. Re-learn it at the powerhead the same way as a remote.
The opener works but the light stays on.
Many units have a light timer that runs a few minutes; if it never turns off, the light socket or the board's relay has failed. It does not affect the door and can wait for the next visit.
The opener trips the GFCI every afternoon.
Heat-related leakage in an old motor or a failing board. It is a sign the unit is near the end; have it looked at before the monsoon.
When should I stop troubleshooting and call?
At any point involving the springs, the cables or a door that is heavy by hand, and at check 8. Everything else on this list is safe to try first.
See also: Opener repair · LiftMaster, Chamberlain and Genie · Opener replacement · Safety reverse test