Broken spring
Without spring assistance, the door is too heavy for the opener.
Door movement
Garage Door Only Opens a Few Inches
If the opener lifts the door only a few inches and then stops or reverses, the most likely cause is a broken spring. The opener senses the full weight of the door and gives up. Other possibilities include force settings and a locked door.
Short answer
Look above the door for a gap in the torsion spring or at the sides for a broken extension spring. Check that a manual lock is not engaged. If a spring is broken, stop using the opener, do not try to lift the door and book a technician for spring replacement.
Likely causes
Manual lock engaged
A T-handle or slide lock prevents the door from rising.
Force setting too low
The opener stops at normal resistance.
Cable off drum
A slipped cable can make the door bind after a short lift.
Safe checks you can make
- Look for a gap in the spring above the door
- Check that manual locks are disengaged
- Look for loose or slack cables from a distance
- Note whether you heard a bang recently
Stop and call a technician if
- You see a broken spring or loose cable
- The door is crooked
- The opener strains or smells hot
- The door feels extremely heavy
What a technician may inspect
- Springs and cables
- Drums and bearings
- Opener force settings and drive
- Manual locks
Describe what the door is doing when you call. A provider may ask follow-up questions, but a reliable price normally needs an on-site look rather than a phone-only quote.
Services that address this problem
Garage Door Spring Replacement
Most homes have torsion springs on a shaft above the door or extension springs that run along the horizontal tracks.
Garage Door Cable Repair
On a torsion system, cables wind around drums at each end of the shaft.
Garage Door Opener Repair
An opener only moves the door; it should never be doing the heavy lifting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most often a spring has broken, so the door is too heavy for the opener. Many openers stop or reverse when they detect that weight.
It is not recommended with a broken spring. The door can be extremely heavy and may drop. Wait for a technician.
Not if the spring is broken. The opener is not designed to lift an unbalanced door. The spring must be replaced first.
Yes. An engaged manual lock can stop the door almost immediately. Check that locks are open before assuming a bigger problem.
Yes. If an extension spring along the track breaks, the door loses lifting help on that side. Look for a stretched or snapped spring.
It depends on whether you need the garage. A broken spring makes the door unsafe to use, so book service soon.
Get your garage door working safely again
Call to schedule a technician visit with an independent provider who serves your area.