Door Problems
Garage Door Won’t Open? Here Is Why
A door that will not lift is usually telling you one of five things. Here is how to tell which one, what you can safely check, and when to stop and call.
👥 100+ Local Customers Served
🕒 Open 24/7
✓ Written Price First
✓ Whole Door Safety Check
First, Listen to What the Opener Does
When you press the button, the opener does one of three things. It does nothing at all. It hums or clicks but the door stays put. Or it lifts the door a few inches and then stops or reverses. Each one points somewhere different.
Nothing at all usually means power or a lock setting. A hum with no movement often means a stripped drive gear inside the opener or a door that is too heavy to lift because a spring broke. Lifting a few inches and stopping is the classic broken spring sign: the opener feels the full weight of the door and its safety limit shuts it off.
| What happens | Likely cause | Safe to check? |
|---|---|---|
| No sound, no light | No power, tripped GFCI, unplugged opener, breaker | Yes |
| Wall button works, remote does not | Remote battery, lock mode, programming | Yes |
| Opener hums, door does not move | Stripped drive gear, broken spring, door locked | Partly |
| Door rises a few inches then stops | Broken torsion or extension spring | No, call |
| Door lifts crooked or one side hangs | Broken or loose cable, cable off the drum | No, call |
| Motor runs, trolley moves, door stays | Emergency release pulled, trolley disconnected | Yes, with door closed |
Cause 1: A Broken Spring
Springs lift the door. The opener only guides it. Most two car doors in Killeen use a torsion spring on a bar above the door, and many have two. When one breaks you usually hear a loud bang, like a gunshot in the garage, and the door suddenly feels like it weighs a few hundred pounds.
Look at the spring above the door without touching it. A broken torsion spring shows a clear gap of a couple of inches in the coils. On doors with extension springs along each track, a broken spring may hang loose or the safety cable inside it may be holding the pieces.
Do not lift the door by hand or keep pressing the opener. The opener can burn out its gear trying, and the door can drop. Spring replacement needs winding bars and a set procedure. See our broken spring repair page for what the job involves and what it usually costs.
Cause 2: A Snapped or Loose Cable
Lift cables run from the bottom brackets up to drums on the spring bar. If one frays through or slips off the drum, the door lifts on one side only and jams crooked in the track. Sometimes you see the cable hanging loose. Sometimes the door just stops halfway with a gap on one side.
A crooked door is under uneven tension and can fall or twist out of the track. Leave it where it is, keep cars and kids away, and call. Cables are always replaced in pairs. More on our cable repair page.
Cause 3: The Opener Itself
If the springs and cables look fine and the door lifts easily by hand, the problem is the opener. On older chain drive units the most common failure is a worn plastic drive gear inside the motor head. The motor hums, the chain does not move, and you may find white plastic shavings on the floor under the opener.
Other opener faults include a burned out circuit board after a power surge, a broken trolley, a stretched chain or belt, and travel limits that drifted. Some are cheap fixes. Some make a new opener the better buy, especially if the unit is old and has no battery backup. Our opener repair page explains the repair or replace call.
Cause 4: Power, Locks and Settings
- No power. Garage outlets are often on a GFCI that trips during storms. Find the reset button, which may be on an outlet in the garage, a bathroom or outside.
- Lock or vacation mode. Many wall buttons have a lock switch. When it is on, the remotes stop working but the wall button still runs the door.
- Manual slide lock. Some doors have a slide bar on the inside that locks into the track. If it is engaged, the opener will strain and stop.
- Emergency release pulled. If the red cord was pulled, the trolley runs but the door stays. With the door closed, run the opener once and it usually reconnects.
Cause 5: Power Outages and Storm Damage
Spring and summer storms in Bell County knock power out and sometimes dent the door. If the power is out and you need the car, close the door first if you can, then pull the release and lift from the middle. If the door is heavy or will not stay up halfway, a spring is likely weak or broken. Leave it closed and call.
Hail can dent the bottom panels enough that they catch on the track. If the door opened fine before the storm and now binds, look at the bottom section for dents near the rollers. For insurance claims, take photos before anything is repaired. Our homeowner resources page links to Texas Department of Insurance guidance on hail claims.
Won’t Open FAQ
Still not sure what your door needs? Call and describe it. We can often tell you on the phone whether it’s the spring, the cable or the opener.
Why does my garage door open a few inches and then stop?
That is the most common sign of a broken spring. The opener is built to stop when it feels too much weight, so it lifts a little, senses the load and quits. Check the spring above the door for a gap in the coils and do not keep pressing the button.
Can I open a garage door with a broken spring?
You should not. Without the spring the door is dead weight and can drop fast. If a car is stuck inside, call us. We are open 24/7.
Why does my opener hum but the door does not move?
Either the opener has lost its drive gear, or the door is too heavy because a spring has broken. Pull the release with the door closed and try lifting by hand. If it lifts easily, the opener is the problem. If it is very heavy, it is the spring.
How do I reconnect the opener after pulling the emergency release?
With the door fully closed, press the wall button. The trolley travels and should click back onto the door arm. Some models need you to pull the cord toward the door to reset the latch first.
How much does it cost to fix a garage door that won’t open?
It depends on the cause. A tripped outlet costs nothing. A spring, cable set or opener repair usually lands in the low hundreds. See our repair cost guide for typical ranges.
When the Door Binds Instead of Lifting
If the opener hums and the door moves a little then stops, the door may be binding, not broken. A buckled section or a seized roller can hold it in place. See panel replacement and roller replacement.
Related Repairs and Guides
Opener Repair and Installation
Chain, belt and wall mount openers, sensors and remotes.
Door Stuck Shut? We Are Open 24/7
Call any time, day or night. Tell us what your door is doing and we’ll tell you what it likely needs and what it should cost.
📍 202 N Gray, Killeen, TX 76541 · 🕒 Open 24/7 · 📞 (254) 325-2800