Is your garage door opening and closing on its own? Before the ghosts get the ‘blame’, you may want to do some technical troubleshooting. More often than not, your garage door’s electronic components are causing this not-so-supernatural phenomenon.
For this post, we asked our expert technicians to explain why a garage door randomly opens and closes and what you can do about it. Read on to learn more!
Why does my garage door open by itself?
A garage door opening by itself can be due to a wide range of reasons. According to our experts, here are the reasons behind this very common garage door problem:
1. Stuck remote control button
Let’s start with the basics. Check if your door’s remote control has stuck buttons, which might be causing the unintentional operation.
Frequent use of the remote control can cause dirt and dust to accumulate around the buttons.
If your remote is clean and working, you should check if it’s getting pressed inside your center console or sun visor. Also, press the buttons and see if they will stick in place.
In this case, you can try cleaning the remote control by brushing out the stuck dirt. Take note that you should never wash the remote control, as this will damage the circuits.
Did your cleaning efforts fail to fix the problem? This is when you need to call a garage door professional for a remote replacement.
2. Faulty safety sensors
Another possible reason why your garage door opens by itself is its faulty sensors. These sensors detect obstructions and reverse the door automatically to prevent injuries or property damage.
But since they are located right at the opening of your garage door, the safety sensors are prone to dirt. When this happens, your door may reverse even if there’s no object or person in the way.
A quick solution here is to wipe the lenses of your sensors with a clean cloth. After that, test your garage door to see if this simple step fixes the problem.
However, if your garage door opens and closes by itself after that, you should check for misalignment.
Basically, your door sensors create an invisible tripwire using infrared beams. When the two photo-eyes producing the beams are misaligned, it will cause the door to reverse erratically.
To fix this, look for the two sensors: the sending sensor with an amber light and the receiving sensor with a green light. If any of these lights are off or flickering, you’ll need to adjust the height of the sensors until they are on steadily.
However, if this still doesn’t work, you should consider calling us for professional garage door repair.
3. Damaged garage door opener
If the previous solutions didn’t work, it’s possible that your garage door opener is the problem. As the ‘brain’ of your garage door, the opener controls when it opens or closes. However, this component can also malfunction.
First, try to remember if you had a power surge or electrical issue before your door starts opening and closing on its own. If yes, then the motor of your garage door opener probably got damaged.
If you can’t recall any power surges, the next thing you should check is if there are any stuck buttons. The same goes for the remote control earlier. You should try cleaning the buttons and pressing them to see if they will stick.
However, if you’re unsure what’s wrong with your opener, you can always contact us for emergency garage door opener repair.
If our Chamberlain garage door opener opens by itself, we are the expert to call. Our technicians can also fix the problem if your Liftmaster garage door opens by itself despite trying the solutions we discussed here.
We can provide a complete replacement for heavily damaged openers. Contact us today to know how much your new garage door opener costs.
4. Tacky door tracks
A big part of how your garage door works relies on its tracks. If it’s blocked or worn out, it may cause the rollers to bind and your door to reverse on its own. This happens because your sensors detect the binding as an obstruction.
It’s possible that your door tracks are bent or have shifted out of its original place. You can try re-aligning the tracks back or fixing the minor bends you’ll see.
However, if your tracks are all worn out, it’s best to get replacements. Feel free to call us for this repair or if you’re planning to upgrade, we can also provide you with a new garage door installation.
5. Damaged wirings
Garage doors use thin, low-voltage wires that eventually fray or become bare. When this happens, the wire short-circuits, causing the door to open and close uncontrollably.
In this case, you should perform a quick check on your garage door’s electrical wires. This includes the wiring of your sensors, the wall control button, and even the opener itself.
You should look for damaged insulation or covering on the wires. This is fairly common when the wires are not installed carefully, with some installers piercing through them.
You can wrap bare wires with electrical tape. However, if large portions are bare, frayed, or in bad shape, you should get a replacement.
This is also one of the reasons why you should get your garage door repaired by experts. Instead of doing guesswork, you can let our technicians do the work fast and easily.
6. Frequency interference from your neighbor
If you and your neighbor have old garage door systems, it’s possible that the radio signals are interfering with each other. This may cause your garage door to open or close out of nowhere when your neighbor is trying to operate his own door.
Nowadays, this problem is no longer common as garage door systems get more and more advanced. Still, it will not hurt to check with your neighbor to rule out this culprit.
If this is indeed the case, you can try resetting your door’s code to restore its connection to your remote. You just have to press the button that says ‘Reset’ or ‘Learn’, depending on your door’s model.
You can refer to the user manual for your door to learn the steps you need to follow. When in doubt, you can always call us, and we will send a technician to handle it for you.
No time for these solutions? Let experts fix your garage door problem!
If all these troubleshooting and fixes sound like too much work, you can always call California Garage Door Repair for a more convenient solution. We can fix any reason behind your door that’s opening and closing by itself.
We’re skilled in repairing any garage door, make, or model. We also provide roll up door repair for both residential and commercial properties. Our emergency garage door repair is available 24/7, anywhere in Los Angeles and surrounding areas.
As a family-owned business, we know that garage door problems can put your loved ones at risk. Instead of waiting for business hours, call us, and we’ll reach you in as fast as one hour.
