Won't open · Brisbane northside
Garage door won't open? Here's what's usually behind it.
A door that won't open is either a door problem or an opener problem — and the difference matters, because one of them is safe to check and the other isn't. Start here.
- Spring, cable, opener or remote
- What’s safe to check
- Repair-first, priced before we start
What's usually behind it
Six reasons a garage door won’t open.
- 01
Broken spring
The big one. A bang from the garage, then a door too heavy to lift by hand — or an opener that hums and gives up.
- 02
Cable off the drum
One side lifts, the other doesn’t. The door sits crooked or jams a few centimetres up.
- 03
Opener has failed
Nothing happens at all, or the motor runs but the door doesn’t move (a stripped gear or broken drive).
- 04
Remote or wall button
Flat battery, lost code, or a receiver fault. The door is fine — it just isn’t being told to open.
- 05
Power or lock-out
A tripped circuit, an unplugged unit, or the opener’s holiday lock engaged from the wall console.
- 06
Door physically jammed
Something in the track, a bent guide, a seized lock or a frozen roller.
Before you call
Safe to check before you call.
Work through these in order. Stop the moment something looks like a spring or cable.
- 01
Try the wall button, not just the remote
If the wall button works and the remote doesn’t, it’s the remote — a battery or re-code. If neither works, keep going.
- 02
Check power and the lock-out
Is the opener’s light on? Is it plugged in, and has a safety switch tripped? Some wall consoles have a lock or vacation button — make sure it’s off.
- 03
Look, don’t lift
Look at the spring above the door and the cables at each side. A gap in the spring coils, or a slack or dangling cable — stop here and call.
- 04
Listen to the opener
Motor hums but nothing moves: the door is probably too heavy (spring) or the drive gear has stripped. Either way, stop pressing the button.
If the door feels heavy, that’s the spring
A door that has suddenly become hard to lift by hand has lost its spring. Don’t keep lifting it and don’t keep running the opener — call, and we’ll replace the spring and balance the door.
0408 190 595How we fix it
Door first, then opener.
Spring
the most common reason a door won’t open
Door first
checked by hand before the opener is blamed
Same visit
for most repairs, parts permitting
Before we blame the motor, we disengage it and check the door by hand: does it balance, does it run freely, are the springs and cables sound? Most “opener” faults on a door that won’t open turn out to be a door that the opener can no longer lift. Fixing the door fixes the opener.
Then the opener, honestly.
If the door is fine and the unit has genuinely failed, we'll tell you whether it's a repair (limits, gear, board, drive) or a replacement, with a price for each. Older units are repaired where it's sensible — not condemned for their age.
Usually done in the visit.
Springs, cables, rollers and common opener parts are on the van, so most “won’t open” calls are fixed the same visit. If a part needs ordering, the door is left safe and we come back promptly.
Related
Also worth a look.
How it works
Straightforward from the first call.
- 01
Tell us what it’s doing
Call or send an enquiry. We'll ask how old the door is, what happened before the fault, and whether anything's been tried.
- 02
We inspect it properly
The whole door system — not just the part that looks broken. Developing wear gets pointed out, not hidden.
- 03
You get the price first
What's wrong, what needs doing now, what can wait. Then the price. No pressure to proceed.
- 04
Fixed, often on the spot
If parts are on the van, the repair is usually done the same visit. If not, we return promptly — generally within a couple of days.
Straight answers
Questions we get about this.
Can’t see yours? Ask on the phone — it’s usually a two-minute answer.
0408 190 595Usually the door is too heavy for it — a broken spring — or the drive gear inside the opener has stripped. Both need an inspection; keep pressing the button and you risk damaging the unit further.
Get it sorted
Tell us what the door is doing.
Call for the quickest answer. Or send the details and we'll come back to you — a photo of the door helps.
Quickest answer0408 190 595- Brisbane northside to Caboolture, plus the bayside, southside and west
- Residential doors only
- Price before we proceed
- info@australiandoorman.com.au