Garage door problem is not so common. But once you face a problem closing the garage door, you might not know the actual reason. Moreover, you have to put more effort into opening and closing the garage door. This is also pretty irritating, especially when you are in a rush.
So, you might be confused about why your garage door only closes when holding the button. You must know about the associated problems if you want to fix the door. Moreover, learning about the processes to solve the problem is essential. So, let’s see details about fixing the problem with your garage door.
Garage door only closes when holding button
The garage door only closes when the holding button might occur when there is a problem with the sensor. For example, sensor blockage, dirty sensor eye, faulty lock-out button, wiring issues, etc., problems might be responsible. You can fix the door problem by solving these issues.
Table of Contents
However, different reasons might be responsible for the garage door problem. If you want to solve the problem, you must know the problems in detail. Otherwise, fixing the problem might be difficult. So, let’s see some major issues that can cause the garage door closes when holding button.
Blocked sensor:
Sensors are the most effective elements in garage doors. These sensors can detect items or objects that can be obstacles in the movement of the garage door. The sensors will prevent the door from crashing any objects.
So, the sensors in the garage door work actively to keep the garage door safe. But once the sensors are blocked, they will not work properly. So, the garage door will not close smoothly. You have to hold the button when closing the garage door. So, a blocked sensor can create this problem in the garage door.
Misalign sensor:
If the sensors of the garage door are not properly aligned, the sensors will not work properly. Then the garage door will get the wrong signals. So, when you are trying to close the door, you will face difficulty.
The problem will not be solved until you realign the sensors. After realigning the sensors, the sensors will work properly.
Electrical wiring issue:
If the door garage or sensors have electrical wiring issues, the door garage might face problems while closing the door. Sometimes, the wires might be loose, which causes the door problem. Unless you solve the loose wire problem, you will face a problem closing the door of the garage.
Sometimes, the electrical tapes are twisted and covered over the wires. This might cause a problem with the wiring of the sensors and the garage door. So this can cause an electrical problem in the sensor. So, the sensor will not work properly. As a result, the door will only close when you hold the button.
Dirty or damaged sensor eyes:
Dirty or damaged sensor eyes can also be responsible for the garage door problem. Generally, the eyes of the sensors work as camera lenses. So, the sensor eyes also work when the door closes or opens.
However, if the sensor eyes get dirty or damaged, the eyes will not detect anything. So, while closing the garage door, you will have to press the button. Unless you clean the sensor eyes or replace the sensor, the garage door will not work properly.
Defective lock-out button:
If the lock-out button of the garage door is faulty, it can cause problems while closing the door. Sometimes, the lock-out button is turned on. When the button is on by accidentally or intentionally, it will cause a problem.
When the button is turned on, it will stop the door from closing smoothly. So, if you hold the button, the door will only be closed then. The normal mechanism of closing the garage door will be interrupted.
You can easily find the problem. You have to notice the lock-out button whether the light is on or not when you try to close the door. You have to deactivate the lock-out button. Otherwise, the problem will not be solved.
Other problems:
If the above problems are not associated, some other problems might be responsible. For example, defective garage door openers, garage door closing limits, etc., can also be responsible. If the problems are not solved, you will face difficulty while closing the garage door.
Do automatic garage door only closes when holding button?
No, an automatic garage door works well when you just press the closing button. If you press the closing button of the garage door on the remote or in the garage, the signal will pass from the transmitter to the receiver. Then the receiver will send the signal to the door and the door signal. As a result, the door will be closed.
The whole process is automatic. So you don’t have to hold the button for a long time. If you see that the garage door is only closing when you hold the button, then there might be a problem.
Most commonly, when the sensors or sensor eyes of the garage door have a problem, the door doesn’t close without holding the button. Sometimes, wiring issues and other problems might also be responsible.
But the automatic garage door is supposed to work automatically. You don’t have to hold the button to close the door. So, if your garage door has this problem of holding the button, you must look for a solution.
How do I know if my garage door sensor is out of alignment?
A misaligned garage door sensor can cause a problem when you close the garage door. But you don’t know instantly whether the door sensor is misaligned or not. So, you have to know the identifying process.
One of the effective ways to know whether your garage door is out of alignment or not is to check the exterior LED light. For this, you have to try to close the garage door and notice the exterior LED light.
If you see that the LED light is blinking green light, then the sensor is okay, and the alignment is also okay. But if you see that the LED light is blinking red, that means the alignment of the sensor is not right.
The problem with closing the garage door will not be solved until you realign the sensor of the garage door.
How do you fix a garage door that only closes when holding button?
Now that you know different reasons that might be responsible for the garage door problem, you might want to solve the problems. So, let’s see how you can fix a garage door that only closes when holding button.
Cleaning the sensors:
You might have already known that dirty and blocked sensors might be responsible for the sensors not working properly. So, you have to clean the sensors well to make them sensors work correctly again.
Realigning sensors:
Misalignment is another serious issue if you see that the garage door only closes when holding button. So, you have to realign the sensors again. After realignment, you have to check whether the sensors are working properly or not by noticing the exterior LED light.
Replacing the sensors:
When the sensors get damaged, it can also create a problem. So, you must replace the sensors with a new ones. Otherwise, you have to hold the button while closing the garage door.
Fixing wiring issues:
Loose wires and other wiring issues can cause the problem. So, you have to tighten the loosed wires. Moreover, you have to check whether any wire is twisted or not. If you find any twisted wire, you have to fix the wire to make the garage door work again.
Resetting the sensors:
Sometimes, some undefined problems might be aroused. So, you can try to reset the garage door sensor. After resetting, the door sensors might start working again.
How do you reset garage door sensors?
Now that you know resetting the garage door can solve the door closing problem, you might want to know the process of resetting. So, let’s see how you can reset garage door sensors.
Fix the door in a position:
If you are middle of opening or closing the garage door, you have to set the door fully opened or closed.
Pressing the reset button:
You have to find the reset button on the remote or in the opener keypad. Then you have to press the reset button. Then you have to allow some time to make the reset work properly.
Checking:
Finally, you have to check whether the door is closing automatically or you have to hold the button. If the problem is not solved, you can search for other issues.
Final Thoughts
If you see the garage door only closes when holding button, then the door sensor might be misaligned. Moreover, dirty or damaged sensor eyes, wiring problems, turned-on lock-out buttons, etc., can also cause the problem. These problems can also be solved following some processes.