Garage door opener and lights both dead? Check the GFCI outlet first
When the opener and the garage lights go dead at the same time, a tripped GFCI outlet is a common suspect. Here is how to check it safely, what to try before you reset it, and the signs that mean stop and call an electrician.
The remote does nothing. The wall button does nothing. The light on the opener is off, and the other lights or outlets in the garage may be dead too. When everything electrical goes quiet at once, the first thing to check is the power, not the door. If the whole house lost power, our guide to what to do when the garage door won't open in a power outage is the better place to start.
In many homes the garage outlets are protected by a ground fault circuit interrupter, a GFCI. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says these outlets are often located in bathrooms, kitchens, garages and other spots that may be exposed to water. When a GFCI trips, it cuts power to that outlet. Whether it also cuts other outlets or lights depends on how your house is wired, which we cannot tell from here, so the steps below start by checking the power at the opener's own outlet.
First, check the power, not the opener
Chamberlain's support steps for an opener with no power start the same way: confirm the outlet has power. Plug a known working 120-volt device, such as a lamp, into the same outlet the opener uses. Chamberlain says that if the device does not run, check the circuit breaker, and check whether the outlet is controlled by a light switch. If power cannot be restored, Chamberlain says to call a qualified electrician.
Chamberlain's article does not mention GFCI outlets by name. A tripped GFCI is one way an outlet ends up with no power, so these steps apply to it, but check your own opener's manual for anything it says about the outlet.
Reset the GFCI
A GFCI has a TEST button and a RESET button. CPSC says that on a working GFCI, pressing RESET should restore power to the outlet. The GFCI protecting your garage may not be in the garage. It can be in a bathroom, a kitchen or outdoors, so if the garage outlets are dead and you do not see one, look for the other GFCI outlets in your house.
Before you press RESET, the electrical maker Leviton's reset guide says to look in the panel for any tripped breakers, reset those, and then unplug whatever is connected to the outlet or to any outlets downstream. If the outlet resets, something that was plugged in caused the fault.
In your garage that means unplugging the other things on the circuit, such as a freezer, a charger or a shop light, and testing the opener last.
When to stop and call an electrician
These are from the CPSC and Leviton guidance:
- The RESET button does not pop forward or will not stay in. CPSC says that if the RESET button does not pop forward when tested, the GFCI is defective and should be replaced.
- The GFCI still will not reset after the steps above. Leviton says it may be time to call a licensed electrician.
- The outlet is damaged. Leviton lists face discoloration, cracking or warping, plugs that fall out, and water exposure as reasons to replace it.
One more rule, which is ours and not from those sources: if the GFCI trips again as soon as the opener runs, stop using the opener and have an electrician look at it. Do not keep resetting it.
Never open the outlet, the panel or the opener's housing yourself. Leviton says that unless you are experienced with electrical work, wiring should be handled by a licensed electrician.
Test it once a month
CPSC says all GFCI receptacles should be tested once a month. Plug in a lamp so it is on, press TEST, and the RESET button should pop forward and the light should go out. If the button pops forward but the light stays on, CPSC says the GFCI is wired incorrectly and you should call an electrician.
What to do this week
- If the opener and lights are dead, plug in a lamp to see whether the outlet has power. Check for a tripped breaker and a light switch controlling the outlet.
- Unplug other things on that circuit, then press RESET on the GFCI.
- If it will not reset, trips again, or the outlet looks damaged, call an electrician.
- If the outlet has power and the opener still shows no light at all, that is a problem inside the opener, and a garage door technician should look at it. Our guide to diagnosing garage door problems before you call a pro shows what else to rule out first.
