A handful of causes cover almost every "won't open" call we get. Here's how to tell which one you're dealing with.
1. Broken or weakened spring. By far the most common reason a door won't open. The spring carries most of the door's weight, and once it fails, the door either won't lift at all or takes serious effort. See our spring replacement page.
2. Blocked or misaligned sensors. Modern openers won't operate if the safety sensor beam near the floor is blocked or knocked out of alignment, this is a safety feature working correctly, not a fault. Check for anything in the beam's path first.
3. Opener or motor fault. A hum with no movement, or a door that only partially opens, usually points to a mechanical issue inside the opener itself. See our opener repair page.
4. Off-track door. If the door's visibly hanging at an angle or grinding rather than simply refusing to move, the track has likely come loose or taken a knock. See our off-track repair page.
Don't keep pressing the remote or forcing the door manually if it's clearly not moving smoothly. Repeated attempts on a spring or cable fault can damage the opener motor too, turning one repair into two. If the cause isn't obvious within a minute or two of checking the sensors, it's better to call than keep experimenting.
Usually the remote's battery or its programming, not the opener itself. Try a fresh battery before assuming anything more serious.
Most doors have a manual release for exactly this situation, but only use it if you're confident the fault isn't a broken spring, manually lifting a door with a failed spring is where injuries happen.
Most calls booked before early afternoon get a same-day slot. No callout fee if we carry out the repair.