How to make force adjustments if a garage door won't open or close video

Rule out safety sensor problem

Hi, this is Wayne from Sears PartsDirect. Today we're going to talk about what to do when your garage door won't open or close because the force setting is too low. Inadequate up force can cause the door to stop on its way up. If you set the downforce too low, the door will stop on its way down, then reverse and open back up.

Now, if the opener lights are blinking, you likely have a safety sensor problem. The lights don't blink when inadequate force causes a door reversal. Here's a link to a video that covers troubleshooting problems with the safety sensors.

Check trolley travel on rails

Before we adjust the force, let’s check the door for smooth travel. Sometimes, bent or damaged tracks can cause similar issues to incorrect force settings. Pull the emergency release rope to disconnect the trolley from the door. Manually lower and raise the door to make sure it goes up and down easily. If the door stops or gets stuck on the tracks, check to see if the tracks are bent or damaged. Fix any problems you find or you can have a Sears technician complete the repairs.

If the door opens and closes easily, reconnect the door to the trolley and increase the downforce by turning the adjustment screw clockwise. Turn the screw a quarter-turn at a time and retest after each adjustment until the door closes completely.

Setting downforce

Once the door is closing all the way, make sure that the downforce is not set too high. Excessive downforce is dangerous and can cause property damage or injury to anything caught in the path of door. Close the door with the opener and carefully grab it with your hand when the door is halfway down to make sure that the downforce isn't excessive.

If you can stop the door using your hand, then no further adjustment is necessary. If you’re unable to stop the door with your hand, reduce the downforce in small increments. Make adjustments until the door closes completely on its own but will still stop if you catch it halfway down.

Setting up force

Next, let’s look at up force adjustment. If your door stops without opening completely, then you may need to increase the up force on the garage door opener. You can increase the up force by turning the adjustment screw clockwise. Turn the screw a quarter-turn at a time and retest after each adjustment until the door opens completely. Just like with downforce, be sure to test the up force setting for safety.

Stop the door with your hand when it’s halfway up to make sure that up force isn't excessive. Continue making small adjustments until the door opens completely on its own and you can stop the door by hand halfway up its travel. If you don't see force adjustment screws on the motor unit, then your garage door opener may adjust force automatically. Check your owner's manual for more information.

I hope that this video helped you out. You can check out more garage door opener videos here on the Sears PartsDirect YouTube channel. Subscribe and we’ll let you know when we post new videos.