Garage Door Won’t Close? Troubleshooting Sensors and Remotes in Miami

It usually happens at the worst possible time. You are rushing to get to work in Downtown Miami or trying to get the kids to school in Coral Gables. You back out, hit the button, and watch the door start to close. Then, it stops. It reverses. It goes all the way back up and the main light starts blinking at you.

Frustrating? Absolutely. Expensive? Not always.

I have been fixing garage doors in South Florida for over 20 years. I have seen every mechanical failure and electronic glitch you can imagine. A massive chunk of the service calls I get are not actually broken springs or snapped cables. They are simple electronic issues that homeowners could often fix themselves if they knew where to look.

In this guide, I am going to walk you through the most annoying electronic gremlins: safety sensors, finicky remotes, and the specific ways Miami weather messes with your opener logic. We will figure out if this is a five-minute DIY fix or a sign that your motor is toast.

The Blink of Death: Understanding Safety Sensors

If your door goes down a few inches or feet and then immediately goes back up, your problem is almost certainly the safety sensors. These are the two little boxes located at the bottom of your door tracks, about six inches off the floor. They are required by federal law on every residential opener installed after 1993.

They work by shooting an invisible infrared beam from the sending unit to the receiving unit. If that beam breaks, the door assumes a child or pet is in the way and reverses to prevent crushing them.

The problem is that these sensors are sensitive. Here is how to troubleshoot them.

1. The Miami Sun Glare

This is unique to our area because of the intensity of our sunlight. Depending on which way your house faces, the sun might hit the receiving sensor directly at certain times of the day. Usually, this happens in the late afternoon or early morning.

If the sun shines directly into the lens, it blinds the sensor. It cannot see the infrared beam from the other side. The door thinks the beam is broken.

The Fix: Stand outside and cast a shadow over the sensor with your body. Try to close the door. If it works, you have a glare issue. You can fix this by swapping the left and right sensors (putting the receiving unit on the shady side) or by creating a small sunshade out of a piece of cardboard or toilet paper roll tube. Just tape it around the sensor to block the side glare.

2. The Landscaper Bump

I see this constantly. Your landscaper comes through with a leaf blower or a weed whacker. They accidentally nudge one of the sensors near the garage opening. Even a quarter-inch movement can throw the beam off target.

The Fix: Check the lights on the sensors. One should be amber (sending) and one green (receiving). If the green light is flickering or off, the alignment is bad. Loosen the wing nut on the bracket slightly. Wiggle the sensor until the green light glows solid and steady. Tighten it back up. It is really that simple.

3. The Salt Air Corrosion

We live near the ocean. Salt air is brutal on low-voltage wiring. Sometimes the sensors are fine, but the thin wires connecting them to the motor have corroded at the connection points. This creates high resistance, and the motor thinks the sensors are disconnected.

The Fix: Inspect the wires where they screw into the back of the sensors. If the copper looks black or green, you have corrosion. Strip a fresh half-inch of wire and reconnect it.

Why Your Remote Control Suddenly Stopped Working

Another common panic call involves the remote control. You press the button, and nothing happens. Or worse, you have to be standing right next to the door for it to work.

The LED Bulb Interference

This is the number one cause of reduced remote range I see today. People want to save energy, so they replace the light bulb in the garage door opener unit with a standard LED bulb from the hardware store.

Here is the problem: Cheap LED bulbs emit a frequency that interferes with the radio signal of garage door remotes. When you hit the button, the opener turns on the light. The light immediately blocks the signal, and the door stops or won’t respond to a second click.

The Test: Unscrew the light bulbs from your opener unit completely. Try the remote. If the range suddenly returns to normal, you found the culprit. You need to buy “garage door specific” LED bulbs that are shielded to prevent interference.

The “Lock” Button Mistake

I charge a service fee to come out and push one button. I hate doing it, but I have to cover my gas and time. Do not let this happen to you.

Most wall-mounted control panels have a “Lock” or “Vacation” button. If you press this, it locks out all remote controls. The door will only open from the wall switch inside. This is a security feature, but it often gets pressed accidentally when you are fumbling for the light switch in the dark.

The Fix: Check your wall console. Is there a blinking LED light on the button? Press and hold the lock button for a few seconds to disengage it. Try your remote again.

Opener Logic and Motherboard Failure

Sometimes, the issue is not the sensors or the remote. It is the brain of the operation. Miami is the lightning capital of the US. We get massive thunderstorms in the summer. Power surges are the enemy of garage door openers.

If your opener took a hit from a nearby lightning strike, the logic board might be fried. Signs of logic board failure include:

• The opener operates on its own (phantom operation).
• The programming for remotes keeps getting erased.
• The lights stay on permanently or won’t turn on at all.
• The unit makes a clicking sound but the motor does not turn.

If you suspect a logic board failure, you have a decision to make. Replacing a board can cost nearly as much as a new unit once you factor in labor. If your opener is more than 10 years old, do not waste money on a new board. A complete Garage Door Installation for a modern unit is a smarter investment. New units come with better surge protection and WiFi connectivity.

Physical Issues Masquerading as Electronic Problems

Sometimes the electronics are doing exactly what they are supposed to do: stopping the door because something is mechanically wrong. Most modern openers have a “force setting.” If the door requires too much force to lift or lower, the opener stops to protect the motor.

If your springs are weak or your rollers are rusted, the door becomes heavy. The opener tries to pull it, senses the extra weight, and shuts down. You might think the remote is broken, but the opener is actually screaming for help.

The Manual Test:
1. Close the door.
2. Pull the red emergency release cord to disconnect the opener.
3. Lift the door by hand. It should lift smoothly with one hand and stay open halfway up.

If the door is incredibly heavy or slams down when you let go, you have a spring issue. No amount of fiddling with the remote will fix this. You need professional Garage Door Services immediately to adjust or replace the counterbalance system.

Choosing the Right Garage Doors Expert in Miami

If you have gone through this checklist and the door still refuses to cooperate, you need a pro. But Miami is full of “chuck in a truck” handymen who claim to know garage doors. Hiring the wrong person can lead to dangerous situations or voided warranties.

When you look for a technician, ask these three questions:

1. Are you licensed and insured in Miami-Dade County?
Garage door repair is regulated work. A legitimate company carries liability insurance. If an unlicensed worker drops a door on your car, you are on the hook for it.

2. Do you carry parts on the truck?
A real pro knows the common openers (LiftMaster, Chamberlain, Genie) and carries sensors, capacitors, and gears in their van. You should not have to wait three days for them to order a $20 part.

3. Do you offer a warranty on labor?
Parts come with manufacturer warranties, but the labor should be guaranteed by the company. If the sensor falls out of alignment the next day because they didn’t tighten it, they should come back for free.

At Garage Doors Miami, we pride ourselves on transparency. We don’t just swap parts until it works; we diagnose the root cause.

Safety & Risks: When to Stop DIY

I am all for homeowners fixing simple alignment issues or changing batteries. However, there is a line you should not cross.

Never Bypass Safety Sensors: I have seen people tape the sensors together and mount them on the ceiling to bypass the safety feature. This is incredibly dangerous and illegal. If the door closes on a child or a pet, the liability falls 100% on you. The sensors are there for a reason.

Do Not Open the Motor Housing if You Are Unsure: Inside the plastic cover of your opener is a capacitor. It stores electricity even when the unit is unplugged. One wrong touch can give you a nasty shock.

Springs and Cables are Off-Limits: If your troubleshooting reveals that the door is physically heavy or jammed, stop. Garage door springs are under extreme tension. They can sever fingers or cause serious head trauma if they snap during a DIY repair attempt. Call a professional for anything related to the tension system.

Get Your Door Moving Again

A garage door that won’t close is a security risk for your home. It leaves your tools, your car, and your entry door exposed. Start with the sensors. Check the alignment, clean the lenses, and look for that green light. Check your remote batteries and those light bulbs.

If you have tried the steps above and are still staring at a blinking light, don’t force it. The Florida heat and humidity take a toll on these machines, and sometimes they just need an expert touch.

We are here to help you get your day back on track. If you are tired of fighting with your opener, give us a call today. We will get that door moving smoothly again so you can get back to enjoying the Miami sunshine.