Garage Door Stuck in Lubbock: What to Do First

Emergency garage door repair starts with staying safe. What to do when the door is stuck up, stuck down or stuck halfway, or a car is shut inside.

First, get people and pets away from the door, and don't stand under it if it is partly open. Stop pressing the button. DASMA warns that serious injury or death may occur, and says to keep people out of the opening while a door is moving.

Then look, without touching. A broken spring, a loose cable or rollers out of the track all mean leave the door alone and call. Chamberlain gives the same advice when a door feels extremely heavy or drops quickly.

If nothing looks broken, check the easy things. Is the power out? Lubbock Power & Light handles outages inside the city, even if your bill comes from a retail electricity provider. Outside the city, check your bill for Xcel Energy or South Plains Electric Cooperative. The Public Utility Commission of Texas lists their outage lines: Lubbock Power & Light 806-775-2509, Xcel Energy 800-895-1999, and South Plains Electric Cooperative 888-741-0111. Then check whether the opener lights are flashing and whether a manual lock on the door is engaged.

With the door all the way down and no power to the opener, you can open it by hand with the red emergency release. Chamberlain says to use the release only when the door is fully closed if possible, and never to use the handle to pull the door up or down. Clear the doorway of people, pets and things, and unlock any manual lock. Pull the cord or handle (down on most openers; on a wall-mounted opener, firmly until it clicks), then lift the door by a safe handhold with your fingers away from the joints between sections. DASMA cautions that a released door may start to move on its own. If it feels very heavy, won't stay up or comes down hard, stop and keep clear.

If the door is stuck open or partway, don't pull the release. With weak or broken springs it can drop fast and without warning. Keep people clear and call.

To reconnect afterwards, most Chamberlain and LiftMaster openers pick the door up again the next time the opener runs, once the release is reset. Steps vary by model, so follow your manual. Some garages also have a small keyed release outside, near the top of the door. It disconnects the opener but doesn't lift the door.

Winter mornings can glue a door to the slab. Clopay, a door maker, says ice or wet snow can freeze around the bottom seal. Lubbock doesn't get much snow, about 7 inches a year, but January averages a high of 55 °F and drops to freezing or below on about 24 nights (NOAA 1991–2020 normals), so slush that melts in the afternoon can refreeze overnight. Don't force the door or keep running the opener against it, and don't raise the force setting to break it free.

When you call, say first if a car is shut inside or the door won't close, then ask when the shop can come out. If nobody can pick up and you need someone today, also call a garage door company directly. Hours and arrival times vary from shop to shop, so this site can't promise them. A rush is also when people get overcharged: the Better Business Bureau says not to be pressured into a quick decision, and to get a written estimate before work starts. See how to avoid garage door scams.

Common jobs

• Door stuck down with a car inside
• Door stuck open or halfway
• Doors that won't move after a power cut
• Broken springs, cables or rollers

Have this ready when you call

• Whether anyone or anything is at risk: a car shut inside, or a door that won't close
• Whether the door is up, down or stuck partway
• What you can see from a safe distance (spring, cable, rollers)
• Whether the power is on
• Your street or town

Common questions