Broken garage door: Finding the cause and how to fix it

A broken garage door can leave your home and its possessions vulnerable to theft. It’s also incredibly frustrating when your garage door is not working as it should. We understand it’s a problem you want to fix immediately.

Remember, if in any doubt, and to ensure a professional job, use the search box below to find experienced garage door technicians in your local area.

Broken garage door troubleshooting

In some cases, it’s possible to tackle a broken garage door yourself. We’ve outlined where it’s possible to take a DIY approach below.

In these instances, please ensure you take the necessary safety precautions, protecting your eyes, hands, and feet. An extra pair of hands is often necessary too.

Garage door spring repair

Garage door springs balance the weight of the garage door when it opens and closes to ensure safe and smooth operation.

Therefore if your garage door appears wonky, opens and closes unevenly, or closes dangerously fast, it could mean the garage door spring needs repairing or replacing.

Springs do have a lifespan – they normally fail due to simple wear and tear. If your garage door spring is broken, it will need to be repaired immediately. The effect of gravity on a heavy garage door without adequate springs can be incredibly dangerous.

For this reason, it’s essential you contact an experienced garage door technician to repair or replace the garage door springs for you.

Roller door repairs

Their space-saving design and the convenience of a motorised set-up have made roller garage doors more popular than ever.

However, should they fail, is it possible to do roller door repairs yourself?

If you have uneven rolling and movement of the door it could be due to loose brackets and/or hinges. Tightening the screws and brackets on the rollers and the bolts on the hinges should remedy this.

If your garage door opener is not working, it could be as simple as needing new batteries in your remote.

However, it could be a problem with the electric motor. For example, a broken part or gear, damage to the door springs or mechanism, or misalignment with the tracks.

To avoid injuring yourself or others or causing any further damage to the garage door, it’s recommended to instruct the services of an experienced garage door technician. 

Garage door cable repair

The garage door cable sits horizontally between the springs on the inside of the garage. These two elements work in combination to ensure the door opens smoothly and easily.

If the garage door cable is broken or damaged you’ll be able to see this from the inside of the garage.

To fix it, we recommend contacting a professional. However, if you have considerable DIY experience, you can purchase replacement cables and cones, a pin punch, and a tension kit to set to work along with some standard tools including a hammer and a screwdriver.

Safety first, wearing eye goggles and safety gloves, you’ll need to check there’s no tension in the springs.

Once you’re confident there’s no tension left in the springs, replace the cones, run the replacement cable up the side track, and check the cable sits around the plastic cone.

Then, put the tension back in the springs and cable to complete the repair.

Tension springs can cause injury. Therefore if in any doubt, use the search box below to find an expert garage door technician in your area.

Garage door keypad not working

If your garage door keypad is not working, there are several things you can try to fix the problem.

The first two are fairly simple:

1. Check the infrared eyes on the remote and the receiver in the garage are clean

2. Change the batteries in the remote

If the garage door keypad is still not working after changing the batteries and cleaning the infrared points, check the connections where the batteries sit within the remote. If there’s any corrosion or discolouration, carefully clean this with a dab of lemon juice or vinegar. Once completely dry, replace the batteries.

Still not working?

Your operating manual will guide you through how to perform a hard reset and/or how to reprogramme the garage door remote.

If the garage door keypad cannot be fixed using the methods outlined above, contact your installer. It could be that it’s time for a garage door keypad replacement.

Garage door track repair

Tracks support and mount garage doors. They come in three basic types: standard lifts, vertical lifts, and high lifts.

If your garage door tracks are damaged or broken, the garage door won’t open and close properly. This can lead to jams, motor burn out and possibly the doors coming loose and falling to the floor.

In some cases, a bent garage door track can be bent back into shape using a claw hammer. However, it may be time for new tracks.

A garage door technician will be able to fix this problem safely and efficiently. Find an experienced technician in your area using the search box below.

Find an approved garage door technician near you

Garage doors can be tricky pieces of kit to work with. Heavier than you might think, with intricate mechanisms, we always recommend hiring an experienced professional to fix a broken garage door.

You’ll have peace of mind that the job is completed to a high standard, without the risk of injury to yourself or others.

• A garage door technician typically charges around £75 per hour to carry out repair work
• Most small to medium garage door repairs cost in the region of £100 – £400 (including labour)
• You may also be charged a callout fee for the technician to first inspect the problem that needs fixing and provide a more accurate quote

Check out our guide to the cost of garage door repairs for more information.

To find trusted and reliable garage door technicians in your local area, type your postcode into the search box below.