Why does my garage door open all the way and then slowly start closing again?

expert EXPERT January 22, 2008

If the garage door weight and balance are adjusted correctly then spring tension actually holds the door in position and not the opener itself. For that reason the opener does not have any specific "brake" or "clutch" or other door holding function other than the resistance of the motor and the safety systems which typically just reverse the door open.

However, if the upper travel limit were set too high, meaning the door is actually being lifted too far, then the spring pressure that normally holds the door up could actually start to pull the door back down again. In that case you might even see slack appear momentarily in the spring/door cables when the door gets close to the full open position.

Typically, when the door is in the up position the bottom of it should be even with, or slightly lower than, the upper frame of the garage door. In other words, even when the garage door is fully open some of its lower edge should be visible in the garage door opening and the lowest section of the garage door should be partly vertical so the entire garage door does not sit flat on the rails. If the open door position is off then you might find that adjusting the upper limit until the door sits slightly lower might resolve the issue with the door creeping downward.

If the door continuously creeps downward until it is partly closed, or the door upper limit is not too high and the door/springs are balanced correctly, then you might have an issue with the Logic Board allowing partial engagement of the door close function when it should not. You can try resetting the Logic Board by unplugging the opener for a few moments and double-check that the incoming power outlet is wired and grounded correctly, but if there is a problem with the Logic Board closing the door, slowly and without any input, then the Logic Board will likely need to be replaced.