Automatic overhead doors that can be operated with garage door opener remotes are a great addition to any home but, as with almost all technological innovations, they do occasionally go wrong. One of the most confusing faults that an electric garage door opener can develop is a sudden and random tendency to open of its own accord. If your garage door has started to open at random and you don’t know what to do about it, you may find the solution to your problem in this guide. And if you don’t, please don’t hesitate to call or message us for personal assistance. As Littleton garage door repair in Littleton, we help people all over Arapahoe County, as well as in towns and cities in the surrounding area.
Solutions to Try Before Calling Our Littleton Garage Door Repair Team
Before we get started, we want to reassure you that we are always happy to help. If you are not completely comfortable trying out these solutions on your own, you are more than welcome to call and book a visit from one of our experienced technicians. With that said, let’s get into the 5 possible fixes that you can try if your garage door is opening of its own accord.
- Faulty Control Button – All automatic garage doors have a control panel, which is normally screwed on the wall to one side of the door, inside the garage. If your door starts to open of its own accord or starts constantly opening and closing without any prompting from you, this is a good place to start your fault-finding journey. In cases where a garage door keeps opening and closing without ever stopping for breath, the culprit is usually the button on the control panel (which is stuck in the on position). In cases where the door occasionally opens without warning, the relay that the button operates could have deteriorated to the point where it shorts out intermittently. In both cases, the solution is either to clean or replace the faulty component.
- Nearby Remotes Programmed with the Same Code – This is an unusual problem that rarely occurs but it is so simple to solve that it’s still well worth checking in the event your door starts to open of its own accord. If one of your neighbors has programmed their remote with the same code as yours, it could be operating your door as well as theirs: every time they press the button to open their garage door, your door is receiving the same signal and responding because it recognizes the code. Fortunately, you can fix this issue in a matter of minutes because all you need to do is to change your code or ask your neighbor to change theirs (it is a simple process to program a new code for most garage door opener remotes but if you have any difficulties, please feel free to call and speak to one of our experts).
- Malfunctioning Sensors – In cases where an automatic garage door opens on its own immediately after it has been closed, the problem often turns out to be a faulty sensor. The safety sensors that are fitted to the bottom of your garage door frame will alert the opening mechanism if they think there is an obstacle in the path of the door when it is closing, telling it to open again. While they normally work as intended, sometimes they may develop a fault and believe they have sensed an obstacle when there is in fact none present. If this is what is causing your door to act strangely, the solution is to have the offending sensor replaced. Call your local overhead garage door repair specialists and ask them to send a technician as soon as possible. For the majority of door makes and models, a competent technician should be able to replace one or both sensors in less than 60 minutes.
- Control Panel Wiring Issue – A more difficult problem to diagnose but still an easy fix for a garage door specialist is faulty wiring in the control panel. Some types of control panel suffer from an issue with the internal wiring, where it becomes loose over time. In cases where one or more bare wire connections end up touching the metal casing, a short circuit can cause the door to open by itself. Experienced electricians are normally able to whip off the metal housing and sort this problem out within a few minutes. If you are not happy messing around with electrical wiring or you are not sure how to isolate the power first, don’t hesitate to call and ask one of our experts to come and do it for you.
- External Wiring Issue – It is also possible that the wiring in between the control panel and the motor that operates the garage door opener could cause a short circuit. Although this wiring will have been covered with a protective plastic sheath when the door opening mechanism was manufactured, this sheath can sometimes wear away in a certain spot, due to repetitive rubbing against the wall or another nearby object. Your local repair specialists will be able to replace this wiring if it turns out to be causing your door to open at random.
Whether you have a problem with a door that opens at random or a stuck garage door, our Littleton repair team will be delighted to help. Call now for immediate assistance.