Garage Door Won't Close?
A door that reverses, stops short, or refuses to seal leaves your home open. It's usually the sensors — and usually fixable fast.
Quick Answer
When a garage door won't close, the safety sensors are the prime suspect: if the two photo eyes near the floor are blocked, dirty or knocked out of alignment, the door refuses to close or reverses immediately — that's them doing their job. Other causes include drifted opener limits, an obstruction in the tracks, and cable or spring faults. Sensor repairs run $150–$300 in Perth; a door that won't secure your home overnight is worth an emergency call.
Common Causes
Safety sensors blocked or misaligned
The photo eyes near the floor must see each other. A bin, cobweb, dirt or a knocked bracket stops the door closing.
Sunlight on a sensor
Low afternoon sun shining straight into one photo eye can blind it — a classic west-facing Perth garage problem.
Travel limits drifted
If the opener thinks 'closed' is higher than the floor, the door stops short or touches down and reverses.
Obstruction in the track or under the door
The door reverses when it meets resistance — check the tracks and the floor line for anything in the way.
Cable or spring fault
A slack cable or tired spring changes the force profile mid-travel, tripping the opener's safety reverse.
Worn rollers binding
Rollers that bind on the way down read as an obstruction to the opener, which stops and lifts the door again.
What You Can Check Safely
Safe to check yourself
- Clear and clean both safety sensors near the floor and check their brackets point at each other
- Check the sensor indicator lights — most show solid when aligned, blinking when blocked
- Remove anything on the floor line or in the tracks
- Hold the wall button down — many openers force-close past a sensor fault while the button is held, confirming the sensors are the cause
Do not attempt
- Do not disconnect or bypass the safety sensors so the door will close — they're what stops the door closing on a person or pet
- Do not force the door down with the manual release if it resists
- Do not adjust the opener's force settings to push through an unknown obstruction
When to Call a Technician
Call a technician straight away if any of the following apply:
- The sensors are clean and aligned but the door still reverses
- The door stops at a different height each time
- It closes fully only when you hold the wall button
- The door slams the last stretch or bounces off the floor
- A cable looks slack or the door sits crooked
- You need the door secured tonight and it won't close at all
Recommended Services
Cost Guidance
| Scenario | Typical Price Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Safety sensors / photo eyes | $150–$300 | Replace and realign the safety photo-eye sensors. |
| Door off track / stuck | $440–$770 | Re-rail the door, straighten/realign the tracks and replace damaged rollers. |
| Cable snapped or off the drum | $280–$550 | Lift cable(s) replaced or re-seated and re-tensioned. |
| Service / tune-up | From $140 + parts | Full service and safety adjustment — $140 plus any parts required. |
| After-hours / emergency call-out | +$500 | Emergency or after-hours attendance adds $500. |
Final pricing depends on the cause, parts required, and door size — confirmed on inspection before any work begins.
Door won't close and you're heading to bed?
An open garage is an open house. Our emergency team can secure the door tonight and fix the cause — 24/7 across Perth.
Frequently Asked Questions
That's the safety reverse. Either the photo-eye sensors lost sight of each other mid-travel, or the door met resistance — an obstruction, binding rollers, or a force/limit setting that's drifted. Clean and align the sensors first; if it still reverses, the mechanics need checking.
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