If you ever have found your garage door open, and you are sure you or a family member did not leave it open, it could have opened by itself. This is known as a “phantom operation.” Unfortunately, it leaves your garage vulnerable for anyone to walk in and either steal out of the garage or have unwanted access to the house. We have had calls regarding this type of phantom operation from our Athens and Huntsville residences. Before installing a new garage door opener, here are the reasons why your garage door opens by itself and what you can do to stop it from happening again.
Reasons Why Your Garage Door Opens on Its Own
It Could Be Your Code or Frequency
The signal transmitted to open your garage door travels on a specific frequency and uses a specific code to program. The most likely culprit is that your neighbor is using the same frequency or code. This happens mainly if both of you are using an older garage door opener. Next time your neighbor opens the garage door, look to see if yours is opening too.
Newer models, in rare incidences, can pair with the wrong garage door opener as well. If you have a new model with an LCD control panel, it might be possible for you to see the transmitters programmed to operate the garage door opener. If you find more than the ones you use, you’ve found the issue.
The quickest way to fix the issue is to history and reprogram your transmitters. Each garage door opener manufacturer has a different way of reprogramming and/or switching the frequency, so consult your garage door opener’s manual, or consult with a garage door professional.
Remote or Wall Control
Your remote and wall control panel send a signal to open and close the garage door. Buttons on either one could be starting to stick or malfunction. Stuck buttons can cause the signal to continue to fire, and the garage door to appear to randomly open or close.
Make sure you are paying attention to where you put your garage door remote. If you leave them somewhere that objects could easily push down the button — like a drawer — this could also be causing the unexplained garage door openings and closings. If the buttons are not getting pushed or stuck, try changing the batteries. Batteries that are starting to go bad are also known to cause the garage door to act erratically and close and open on its own.
Your Garage Door Safety Sensors
Your garage door safety sensors are those “eyes” that are located on either side of the garage door opening, and in some cases, they shoot a beam of light across the door. These help detect objects in the garage door’s path and “reverses” so it does not come down and damage property or people.
Unfortunately, this sensor, while being one of the most important garage door features to be invented in the last 50 years, can get tricked and become a problem. If your garage door is closing, and the sensor identifies a stick, rock or some other kind of debris, it will trigger the reverse mechanism. Look for debris or any items you store in your garage that might be too close to the threshold and preventing your garage door from closing all the way. It can rain a lot here in Athens, and that can cause dirt and build up in front of or on the garage door sensors.
There are also times the garage door sensor can get misaligned, causing it to malfunction. When the sensors get out of alignment, the beam of light that is supposed to travel from one sensor to the other is disrupted, triggering the message that something is in the way, activating the reverse mechanism, despite the fact that there are no obstacles in its path. If the sensors have not been physically moved, then it’s probably best to have a garage door technician check the sensors out. One could have gone out or have faulty wiring.
Electrical Issues With the Garage Door Opener
Power outages and surges can cause some of the circuits in the logic board to malfunction. The motherboard or logic board in the opener is the brain of the system. Issues with this board can lead to erratic behavior, including self-opening doors. Sometimes, a simple reset can resolve minor glitches. If that does not work, then it’s time to call a garage door professional to check your garage door opener to see if replacing the logic board will repair the garage door opener.
Getting a Professional
Checking and solving these issues can be simple in some cases and a daunting task in others. Knowing your comfort level and the time needed to make checks and repairs is crucial. Garage door companies like ours here in Athens, AL can take care of these issues for you. Here at Stateline Garage Door LLC, we have repaired hundreds of openers in the Athens/Huntsville area, including the logic boards. Do not hesitate to call us to schedule your appointment today.
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