Most people know what to do when the torsion springs of their automatic garage doors are broken or when the photo-eye is misaligned. However, some garage door problems are more perplexing than others. What would you do if your automatic garage door opens by itself? Won't it look ghostly? A garage door with ghost openings increases your security risks. If the garage opens when you aren't at home, your assets and children would be extremely unsafe. See what you should check if your garage door shows ghost openings:
Identical Codes
Garage doors open when the signal is transmitted on a specified frequency or when a specific code is used. Did you know you could be sharing code or frequency with your neighbour? If you still use garage door openers that can't be programmed without positioning clips, the door is likely to open on its own. Check if your garage door would open when your neighbour opens theirs. If it opens, get a garage door expert to reprogram your remote transmitters or set your door to a new frequency. If your garage door uses a modern LCD control panel but still opens on its own, clear the history or get an expert to reprogram the door's transmitters to switch the frequency. The garage door won't operate on its own if the codes and frequencies are properly set.
Safety Sensors
An auto-reverse feature in a garage door is designed to enhance safety. Safety sensors help the garage door to open back up whenever they sense something in the door's path. This way, the garage door avoids hitting something that could cause damage. However, these sensors won't function if small things such as dirt, leaves or snow block them. Clean your safety sensors regularly to increase sensitivity and prevent the garage door from opening on its own.
Control Buttons
The control buttons at the entry side of your garage door could be the reason the door closes and opens on its own. Though the wires may be in good shape, the control buttons could be defective. Most control buttons get stuck when they are dirty or even old. Garage doors with faulty control buttons are often in constant motion–they open fully, descend immediately and open again in this cycle. If the button housing has loose wire connections, the garage door will open at any time because the electrical impulse has activated the door opener. Just replace the faulty control button to avoid insecurity issues.
Your garage door could also operate by itself if the electrical circuits or control wiring are damaged. Broken springs, faulty remote, malfunctioning circuit board and limit settings could also cause ghost openings. Get timely garage door service if you want to avoid a garage door that opens on its own.
We hope that this blog will help to clear up some of the mysteries regarding the garage door. You have possibly stopped to read this blog because you have questions you want answers to, such as 'why does my garage door make a funny sound when it opens?' or 'Why isn't the remote control system working on my garage door?'. We hope that the articles researched and written by keen amateur garage door fans will help you to maintain this important piece of equipment. Although we may not be experts, you can rest assured that each article published here has been carefully researched.