Did you know that the garage door is one of the most common entry points for burglars? Your garage is very tempting for thieves because they can steal expensive tools, your car, or any items stored in there. Consider yourself lucky if they stop there because they will try to get into your home for more valuable stuff.
If your garage door opens by itself then you might as well put a “please rob me” sign in front of your house.
Saying that a garage door that opens without your command is a security risk is a huge understatement. You should take care of it as soon as you notice the problem.
What can you do about a garage door that seems to have a mind of its own? Here are some things that you can try.
1. Check Your Remote and Door Opener Button
If you have a TV that gets louder even if you’re not doing anything, your first hunch is that the volume ‘up’ button may be stuck. This could be what’s happening to the buttons of your remote transmitter or your door opener button. If the buttons are sticking, the signal fires repeatedly causing your garage door to randomly open or close.
Dead or worn-out batteries in the transmitter are one of the common causes of garage door problems. Failing batteries have been observed to send random signals, which may be the reason the garage door keeps opening. Try replacing the batteries and see if that stops the problem.
2. Check the Safety Sensors
All automatic garage door openers manufactured after 1993 are required by law to have a safety feature installed. This is the ‘external entrapment protection device’ which is meant to protect people and objects from being crushed by the heavy door. Basically, it’s a sensor that detects if there’s something in the way of the door which will trigger a reversing mechanism.
Anything that might set off the sensors will reverse the closing of the garage door. Debris such as leaves or snow may activate the sensors. A short circuit could be the culprit so check the condition of the wires. Misalignment of the sensors is also a possible cause of the malfunction.
3. Identical Frequencies May Be the Reason Why the Garage Door Opens by Itself
It’s possible that you and your neighbor are sharing the same garage opener frequency or code. This is a rare occurrence and is more common with older garage door openers that are programmed with positioning clips.
Check with your neighbors. Ask them to open their garage doors and see if yours open too. If this happens, the solution is to reprogram the code for your garage door.
Take note that each garage door operator has a different way of resetting the code or switching the frequency. Check if your opener comes with instructions on how to do this. If not, you’ll need to contact a professional to address this problem.
Stumped? We’re Here to Help!
If you can’t figure out why your garage door opens by itself, there’s no need to worry. We’ll figure out what’s wrong and recommend the appropriate and affordable solution.
Don’t wait, don’t let thieves get a whiff that they have an easy entry to your home. Contact us today!