Help! My Garage Door Opens Halfway And Stops!

It gets terrible when you need to access the garage for some urgent reason, but the garage door opens halfway and stops. Now, you are stuck with absolutely zero idea on what went wrong and more importantly, how to troubleshoot it.

The solutions to garage doors opening halfway can be different based on the root causes. Rust, shrink, sensor issues, and broken parts are the reasons behind this kind of situation. To fix them, you need to use lube, change parts, adjust the sensor, or replace the problematic part.  

It’s surely not that simple task and needs effort, time, and patience. Prepare all the gears and then match the root cause to find the exact solution that I’ll be sharing right belwo.

The Garage Door Opens Halfway And Stops – Reasons & Fixes!

Locating the reason is hard as you need to be careful and observe each part deeply. I’ll show some of the possible causes along with their fixes, so you don’t suffer from the garage door opens halfway only and stops.

Causes	Signs	Solutions
Sensor issue.	Sensor light flickering and not sensing.	Adjust the sensors or clean them.
Jam or resistance.	Rust or lack of oil on the track.	Lubricate the metal parts (rollers, track, and jambs).
Fault with travel speed.	Makes weird noise when going halfway.	Program the travel system.
Broken spring	Moves roughly and stops in halfway.	Replace the spring.

Problem #1: Fix The Sensor Issue

• Close the garage door using the remote.
• Look beneath the door corner. You’ll see the 2 sensors (on the left and right side that sense).
• Inspect the light conditions. Find the light that flicks and is unclear.
• Take an all-purpose cleaner and spray on the clean cloth to wipe the sensor.
• Move your one hand in front of the sensor to see if the light blinks or not.
• If not, reach behind the sensor and adjust it. Shake it to see if the light illuminates brightly. It’ll fix the issue.

Reminder: If still not working, replace the sensor with a reliable one like the Chamberlain 820CB.

Problem #2: Troubleshoot Jam & Resistance Of Door

• Open the garage door with the remote.
• Check the garage door rollers, track, and jambs closely to locate rust.
• Grab a strong lubricant like the Blaster 9.3 Oz Garage Door Lubricant and attach the spray head.
• Apply the spray on the rusted parts for around 3 – 4 seconds.
• Wait for around 5 – 10 minutes to moisture the track, rollers, and jambs deeply.
• Close the garage door and open for a couple of times.

Problem #3: Program The Travel System

• Close the door of the garage.
• Grab a ladder and ensure it sticks on the ground without shaking.
• Reach the main sensor on top. You’ll find 2 nuts side by side which helps raise the chain travel speed.
• Use a screwdriver on the right-side screw (down) and twist it to one full turn.
• Close the garage door and open it to see if it is still stuck in the midway or not.
• Then, remove the cover of the sensor and locate the force setting. Turn the screwdriver to adjust based on chain travel flow.   
• Take out the power plug and insert it again.
• Now the moment of truth, close the garage and open it to see the result.

Problem #4: Replace The Broken Spring

• Insert winding bars below and side.
• Unwind the spring by turning the winding bar.
• Take out the little nuts and screws with a screwdriver.
• Use the locking plier to hold the torsion tube.
• Take out the torsion tube and then spring (on both sides).
• Oil the surface (if needed).
• Insert the new spring set on both sides then attach the torsion tube to secure.
• Then, install all the stuff back to its place.

Read: How To Build Sliding Barn Doors For Garage

The Garage Door Maintenance Checklist You Should Consider!

In most cases, you have to regularly take care of the garage door once a month. Lack of maintenance can cause issues like the garage door half open and don’t close.

Let’s see what things need to be done to upkeep the garage door.

1. Look closely at the door condition. No matter how small the crack or rust seems, treat it ASAP.
2. Inspect the noise and swing ability of the door. Change the hinges or adjust them to fix if the door makes a sound or weird movement.
3. Wash the door panel and window (if included) using a rag and liquid cleaner.
4. Paint the door, frame, and side doors to keep the garage door well.
5. Moisture the hinges, strike plate slot and latch system (all metal components) with a tiny brush to reach the unreachable areas.
6. Tighten out the loose bolts on the hinges. If you find the bolts broken or rusted, remove them, and insert new ones.
7. Inspect the moving parts (rollers, cables, pulleys, bearing plates, spring bars, tracks, jamb brackets, and so on) and replace them if you find any fault.
8. Clean the photo-eyes sensor using a tiny brush for the edges and cloth for the overall surface.
9. Check the remote and batteries. If the remote isn’t working, then replace it. Similarly, change the batteries to deliver the needed power on the remote.
10. Ensure the motor, wire, and light bulbs are working. If not, change them.

Wrapping Up

We all need to use the garage to take out or in the truck. And it gets worse if the garage door opens halfway and stops.

The given solutions are pretty simple to try in order to fix this kind of snag. If you are still suffering the same issue, then call the expert to troubleshoot the trouble.

But be sure to have ready at least $190 – $290 in your pocket to pay. Hope you find this guide detailed and explained to get the desired help.

Thank You For Reading This Guide!