Garage door stuck card

Tape this inside the garage, next to the wall button. On the morning the door won't move, it tells you what's safe to check and when to stop and call.

Stop and call if you see

• A gap in the coil of a spring above the door, or you heard a loud bang from the garage
• A cable hanging loose or off its drum at a bottom corner
• The door crooked, off its track, or a roller popped out
• The door stuck partway open
• The door suddenly very heavy, or it won't stay put when lifted

Never

• Adjust, unwind or remove a spring
• Pull the release cord while the door is open
• Push the door up with the car, or pry it with a bar or shovel
• Keep pressing the button on a door that won't move
• Run or remote-start the car inside a closed garage while you wait
• Tie off or cut the release cord to stop break-ins

Safe to check

• Power: the opener's light comes on, and no breaker or GFCI outlet has tripped
• The lock or vacation switch on the wall control is off
• Fresh batteries in the remote and the keypad
• Sensors near the floor: lenses clean, path clear, both lights steady
• Bottom seal frozen to the floor: free it gently, never pry the door up
• After a power outage: run the opener through a full cycle so the trolley reconnects

Getting the car out by hand

• Only with the springs whole and the door fully closed
• Clear the doorway and unlock any slide lock on the inside
• Pull the release cord, then lift from the bottom section with a helper, hands flat on the door
• If it fights you or feels very heavy, lower it and call

Have ready when you call or text

• Opener brand and model, from the label on the motor unit
• Whether the springs are on a bar above the door or along the side tracks
• A photo of the springs and the bottom corners, taken from where it's safe to stand