There’s nothing more stressful than dealing with a garage door that just won’t budge. Especially when you’re already running late. Operating at the press of a button, multiple times daily, can strain any appliance. The garage door is no exception. Most garage doors don’t receive the attention they deserve until it’s already too late.

If your garage door isn’t budging, there are a few things you should check, before calling in a garage door repair pro. Because many homeowners aren’t familiar with the mechanics of garage doors, they often fail to check for obvious causes to the problem, even though a quick glance over could save them the expense of calling a garage door repair pro.

Of course, the best way to avoid encountering unexpected garage door downtimes and repair costs is to perform some simple garage door maintenance tasks, many of which are do-it-yourself friendly. If your door needs repairing; then it’s best left to the professionals. For more information on the importance of routine maintenance; please click here.

Here are just a few of the things you should give a quick once over:

1) No Power – When you push the button on your remote control, wall opener, or keyless entry and the door doesn’t respond your problem may lie with a power source issue. Make sure the motor didn’t accidently become unplugged. If you notice the motor is plugged in, check that the outlet’s fuse wasn’t tripped by plugging in another appliance.

2) Misaligned Photo Safety Eye Sensors – If the door goes up, but doesn’t come down, check to see if the door’s photo safety eye sensors are in proper alignment. The small light on each of the sensors should be lit when nothing is between them. If, after ensuring they’re in proper alignment, they still don’t light up then they may need to be replaced.

3) Dead Batteries in the Door’s Remote – The most common cause of garage door remote control failure are weak or dead batteries. Fortunately, that’s a really simple, and affordable fix. If replacing the remote’s batteries still don’t do the trick, then you may need a new remote, or there’s some bigger issue at fault. At this point it’s best to contact a professional.