Garage Door Won't Close? Start With the Sensors
A door that opens fine but refuses to close is a safety-system problem nine times out of ten — and the safety system is usually right to be worried about something.
What is causing it
Ranked by how often we actually find each one. Work down the list — the first two or three cover the large majority of cases.
1. Misaligned photo-eye sensors
The two small sensors six inches off the floor must see each other. A bump from a bin, a bike or a lawnmower knocks one out of line and the opener refuses to close. Look at the LEDs: one steady, one blinking usually means alignment.
→ Loosen the wing nut, aim until both LEDs are steady, retighten.
2. Dirty or sun-struck sensor lenses
Houston dust, spider webs, or afternoon sun shining directly into the receiver lens. The receiver cannot pick the beam out of the glare.
→ Wipe both lenses with a soft cloth; shade the receiver if the sun hits it directly.
3. A damaged sensor wire
The thin bell wire running along the wall gets nicked by a shelf bracket, chewed, or corroded at the terminal. This is more common than an actually failed sensor.
→ Wiring repair or sensor replacement — $89–$220.
4. Something in the door's path
A bag of soil, a coiled hose, a stray shoe. The sensors are doing exactly their job.
→ Clear the threshold and the track path.
5. Close-force set too light
If the down-force setting is too low, the opener reads normal travel resistance as an obstruction and reverses. Usually appears after a cold snap or a hardware change.
→ Force recalibration during a service visit.
6. Track obstruction or bent track
A dented track section or a roller catching part-way. The door meets resistance and the opener stops it.
→ Track repair and realignment — $149–$420.
What you can safely check yourself
- Clear anything sitting near the door opening or in the track path.
- Wipe both sensor lenses clean.
- Check both sensor LEDs — both should be steady. Blinking or dark means alignment or power.
- Gently adjust the blinking sensor until its light goes steady, then tighten the bracket.
- Hold the wall button down: if the door closes while held, the sensors are the cause and are being overridden by design.
⛔ Where to stop
Never disable or bypass the photo-eyes to "make it work". They are the only thing that stops a closing door on a child or a pet, and disabling them is illegal on a residential opener.
What it costs to fix in Houston
Most repairs for this problem land in the $89 – $290 range. You get a flat number in writing before we start, and it does not change once we are working. Our full published price book is on the pricing page.
The service that fixes this is Garage Door Sensor & Safety Repair — $89 – $220, typically 30–60 minutes on site.
Getting it sorted
We hold same-day slots across Greater Houston every day, and we run 24/7 for emergencies. Call (713) 555-0142, tell us what the door is doing, and we will give you a real arrival window plus a good idea of the cost before anybody drives anywhere.
Garage Door Won't Close — questions
Why does my garage door open but not close?
The photo-eye safety sensors. Closing is the direction where the safety system has authority — the opener will always allow opening, but it will refuse to close if the beam is broken, misaligned or dead.
What does it mean when the opener light blinks ten times?
On LiftMaster and Chamberlain units, ten blinks means the safety sensors are not communicating — misalignment, an obstruction, or a wiring fault. It is the opener telling you exactly where to look.
Can I close the door if the sensors have failed?
Holding the wall button down closes it — that is the built-in override for exactly this situation. Use it to secure the house, then get the sensors fixed. Do not leave a door in that state.
Stop guessing. We will tell you.
Describe the symptom on the phone and we will usually name the cause before we leave the shop.
