garage door opener wouldn't close

[tractorguy2]

Today like most days. I opened my garage door half way and then pushed the stop button on the controller. The door is 12x12 steel door. I went to shut it and pushed the close button. Nothing happened, pushed it again, nothing. I then checked the breakers and all were good. I went back to the door control and pushed the open button two or three times nothing happened. The fourth time I pushed open button The door started going up. I pushed the stop button, and it quit. I then pushed the close button several times and then the door came back down. Do I need a new control box with the buttons or something else wrong.

 

[Dingo3]

Loose wire at the motor or switch. Contacts at switch need cleaning. Motor getting worn out. Start at the switch, check for power when it quits working and work your way forward.

 

[stevieb49829]

Today like most days. I opened my garage door half way and then pushed the stop button on the controller. The door is 12x12 steel door. I went to shut it and pushed the close button. Nothing happened, pushed it again, nothing. I then checked the breakers and all were good. I went back to the door control and pushed the open button two or three times nothing happened. The fourth time I pushed open button The door started going up. I pushed the stop button, and it quit. I then pushed the close button several times and then the door came back down. Do I need a new control box with the buttons or something else wrong.

Cobwebs or something else blocking the safety switch at the floor?

 

[tractorguy2]

Cobwebs or something else blocking the safety switch at the floor?

This one is too old to have and safety switch.

 

[stevieb49829]

This one is too old to have and safety switch.

I kind of suspected that. Then it's a loose wire or dirty contacts. Look first to the places that get the most vibration during operation.

 

[chuckthin]

First thing I always do is make sure it will go up and down all way by hand. If not then why?

 

[Blackhole49]

Today like most days. I opened my garage door half way and then pushed the stop button on the controller. The door is 12x12 steel door. I went to shut it and pushed the close button. Nothing happened, pushed it again, nothing. I then checked the breakers and all were good. I went back to the door control and pushed the open button two or three times nothing happened. The fourth time I pushed open button The door started going up. I pushed the stop button, and it quit. I then pushed the close button several times and then the door came back down. Do I need a new control box with the buttons or something else wrong.

When I built my second barn in 02, I installed 2 10' x 10' roll up doors (new). The city I worked for was forced to replace (OSHA) all their door openers (identical to yours) because they had no stop or reverse safety features. Even though they were around 30 years old at the time, after they fell off the turnip truck, I had the door company that installed my doors retrofit them for me. They installed a new 3 button controller on one and an original 3 button controller on the other. The old switch has acted up a couple of times doing things similar to yours and others. I have always been able to take the cover off and give the contacts a good cleaning and get it working again. Never had a problem at the motor end. My doors are feathers compared to what they lifted previously. I would try cleaning the controller, and if that doesn't solve your problem, replace it. When you have the cover off, you can carefully by-pass the buttons with a jumper wire to verify that is the issue.

 

[tractorguy2]

I learned today. If I push the stop Button first, then the down button it works.

 

[Hoenes]

First thing I always do is make sure it will go up and down all way by hand. If not then why?

Sadly enough, city people around here don't know how to operate the red pull rope to open the door by hand. I see on an app called "nextdoor" where people are looking for an overhead door company, to come out and open their door for them, if the opener has failed.

 

[Blackhole49]

I learned today. If I push the stop Button first, then the down button it works.

Glad you found an easy solution. I stop mine less than full open all the time with the stop button. Never had to hit anything except open or closed to get it moving again. Same with all the doors (9) at work when they were there. Something still sounds off. Is this a new problem to doors you've been using for a long time or something you just acquired?

 

[tractorguy2]

Glad you found an easy solution. I stop mine less than full open all the time with the stop button. Never had to hit anything except open or closed to get it moving again. Same with all the doors (9) at work when they were there. Something still sounds off. Is this a new problem to doors you've been using for a long time or something you just acquired?

Dad put this building up in 1974. First time I had any problem with the door opener was Saturday night. I opened the door halfway to get a car out. Went to close the door three minutes later and nothing happened when I pushed the down button. I first checked the breakers. They were fine. Then I just started pushing the UP, DOWN, and STOP buttons randomly. The door opened all the way and I thought now I've done it! I think I pushed stop and then the down button and it came back down. I must have something wrong with the controller. Before Saturday night I just had to push either the UP or DOWN button to make it work. I will try cleaning the contacts again. I noticed they were really black. I think will replace the controller. Dad has pushed those buttons a million times since 1974.

 

[cjunrau]

I learned today. If I push the stop Button first, then the down button it works.

is your stop button not coming out all the way. give it a shot of wd40

 

[Geo-TH,In]

Today like most days. I opened my garage door half way and then pushed the stop button on the controller. The door is 12x12 steel door. I went to shut it and pushed the close button. Nothing happened, pushed it again, nothing. I then checked the breakers and all were good. I went back to the door control and pushed the open button two or three times nothing happened. The fourth time I pushed open button The door started going up. I pushed the stop button, and it quit. I then pushed the close button several times and then the door came back down. Do I need a new control box with the buttons or something else wrong.

This time of the year when the sun is low in the sky, I have to put a piece of wood outside to shade my sensor. Go figure. I've even tried moving the sensor.. no luck. I wish I could figure out how to bypass the sensor. Many years ago the door openers didn't have sensors. Sensors are the major cause for doors not closing.

 

[jniolon]

This time of the year when the sun is low in the sky, I have to put a piece of wood outside to shade my sensor. Go figure. I've even tried moving the sensor.. no luck. I wish I could figure out how to bypass the sensor. Many years ago the door openers didn't have sensors. Sensors are the major cause for doors not closing.

no kids around my house and was always having trouble with the sensors. I moved them above the door and mounted to the header over the door and about a foot apart... fixed all my problems

 

[Geo-TH,In]

no kids around my house and was always having trouble with the sensors. I moved them above the door and mounted to the header over the door and about a foot apart... fixed all my problems

I'm guessing one light sensor sends out a beam of light, perhap light we can't see. The other sensor is a CdS cell. Cadmium sulfide cell that decreased its resistance when exposed to light.
When I get around to it I plan to measure the resistance of the light sensor and see If my garage door won't work if I use a resistor instead of using the Light sensor.

 

[Watthour]

This time of the year when the sun is low in the sky, I have to put a piece of wood outside to shade my sensor. Go figure. I've even tried moving the sensor.. no luck. I wish I could figure out how to bypass the sensor. Many years ago the door openers didn't have sensors. Sensors are the major cause for doors not closing.

I installed my I/R light source on the north side of the opening, and the receiver on the south side. That prevents the receiver from being washed out with sunlight. Installations below the equator might want to consider doing it just opposite of that.

 

[wore out]

I'm guessing one light sensor sends out a beam of light, perhap light we can't see. The other sensor is a CdS cell. Cadmium sulfide cell that decreased its resistance when exposed to light.
When I get around to it I plan to measure the resistance of the light sensor and see If my garage door won't work if I use a resistor instead of using the Light sensor.

I think you will find that the IR light is "pulsed" and the sensor picks up and sends the pulsed signal to the opener circuit board and a simple resistor isn't going to "trick" it.

Try swapping the "sender" and receiver to the opposite sides of the doorway so the direct sunlight doesn't hit and overwhelm the receiver.

Of course, you might have to make a seasonal swap, as the sun angle changes!

 

[cumminstinkerer]

This time of the year when the sun is low in the sky, I have to put a piece of wood outside to shade my sensor. Go figure. I've even tried moving the sensor.. no luck. I wish I could figure out how to bypass the sensor. Many years ago the door openers didn't have sensors. Sensors are the major cause for doors not closing.

there is a way, I am waiting on my door guy to get from a vacation to show me how, on my dads we put about 4 inches of PVC that just fits nice over the sensor and have it taped on, seems to work for that sun issue

 

[Rbellucci]

Bumping this old post since it popped up while I was troubleshooting a similar issue on a 12x12 shop door.

If anyone else hits this down the road: check the wall control button contacts first. On these commercial setups, micro-switches or loose wiring inside the wall box usually fail before the motor board does.

Had the same exact intermittent response last year. Turned out the board relays were sticking after checking the switch contacts with a meter. Ended up calling Garage Door Doctor to grab a replacement logic board instead of buying a whole new opener assembly.

If your limit switches and safety eyes are clear, it's almost always that wall switch connection or the main board going out.

 

[Mule Meat]

The manly man thing to do first is take a hammer and hit it a few times. If they doesn't work.
Kill the power. Open the controller and check for loose wiring and/or dirty contacts.

Lastly if all else fails. Get out the owners manual and read it.

Or
Try pressing.
Up
Stop
Stop
Down or Up (whichever way you want the door to go).

Had one at the shop once that it would not move after stopping it until you pressed Stop a second time. Not sure why. Only guess was that the limit switch was not tripped when only raised part way.