Why Your Garage Door Is Opening and Closing On Its Own

When you have a problematic garage door, it can be very annoying. It opens sometimes and won’t open at others. Sometimes you may be sitting in your favorite chair in your lounge and you hear your door going up and down. This can be upsetting and confusing for anyone. However, this is a problem that occurs more often than you are aware. You might not know the first place to look to determine why your garage door is doing this but be assured that our garage door technicians at Alpharetta Garage Door Repair in Alpharetta, GA will know where to begin to probe the problem.

Probable Causes

When your garage door goes up and down on its own, there is usually a good reason for this. There is often a reason that can be explained, we just need to determine what it is. Our technician might begin to probe the problem by focusing their attention on your circuit board. Perhaps it is something as simple as a wiring issue or even easier than this, reprogramming your garage door opener. Our service technicians have even discovered that a fuse has blown and they simply needed to replace it in order for the garage door to begin functioning as usual. Your garage door has sensors at the bottom of them on either side of the door. If there is even the smallest thing blocking the sensor, it will begin to operate on its own. It could be something like a cord, a small trashcan or even a spider web that could cause the door to begin to operate without your doing anything.

Safety Concerns

If your garage door is opening and closing on is own, it could affect the safety and security of your home and valuables. Imagine going inside your home without locking the door behind you only to go back to the garage to notice that the garage door is wide open. This is a situation that has occurred on numerous occasions to plenty of homeowners. The idea that the door was closed when you left the garage and then it later opened on its own without your knowing it can be rather unnerving. The idea that someone could have came right in and stolen your sports equipment, gym equipment, lawn supplies and equipment or anything else of value that you store in your garage is too much! Worse than this, if you have a garage door that leads directly from the garage into your home and you don’t usually lock this door, imagine the possibility of someone simply coming inside your home due to your garage door opening unexpectedly. This would be devastating indeed.

Seeking Professional Help

Homeowners who like to do things themselves are to be commended. However, there are certain things that they simply shouldn’t take chances with and something as serious as their garage door malfunctioning is one of them. A garage door is extremely heavy and can be dangerous when it is inoperable. It’s ok to do routine maintenance on your garage door, such as lubricating the parts or cleaning the sensors but the minute the door begins to malfunction, move aside and allow the qualified garage door professionals at Alpharetta Garage Door Repair have a look at it for you instead. Our technicians will use specific safety precautions that they have been trained to use when troubleshooting garage doors. Rather than making the situation any worse than it already is, why not simply allow our team of professionals resolve the problem for you and keep you out of harm’s way.

Common Reasons Your Garage Door Opens On Its Own

Your next door neighbors has the same garage door opener
Changing the access code or having the remote controls reprogrammed may remedy this problem.

Your next door neighbors has a similar garage door opener with the same frequency
Changing the access code or having the remote controls reprogrammed may remedy this problem.

Wired keypad has a short in it
Remove the keypad to troubleshoot. Replace once wiring issue has been discovered and resolved.

Wired keypad short in the wiring
Remove the keypad to troubleshoot. Replace once wiring issue has been discovered and resolved.

There may be a short in the wall button
The wiring should be removed for examination. Once the problem is determined, it can be replaced

Problem with the button wiring
The wiring should be removed for examination. Once the problem is determined, it can be replaced

Safety beam sensor wiring has a short
To troubleshoot, replace wiring to safety beam sensors. It may be necessary to upgrade from a 22 gauge wiring to 16 gauge wiring. When the temperatures drop it can cause a short in the wiring. Lower gauge wiring is thicker. Wiring will be evaluated for frays or pinches wires; these can cause a short in the wiring. Wires that have been stapled can also cause a short in the wiring because it cuts straight through the plastic coat that protects the wires.

Safety beam sensors have a short
If your safety beams are defective they will need to be replaced. They will have to be completely removed in order to troubleshoot the exact cause of your problem. When you own two of the same type of garage door openers, the safety beams of both will need to be removed to troubleshoot the problem.

Short in the logic board
You may have a defective circuit board. The circuit board will need to be removed and evaluated. When there are two of the same openers, remove the one that is working and add it to the one that isn’t working to troubleshoot.

Alpharetta Garage Door Repair in Alpharetta, GA: Garage Door Won’t Open or Close With Remote Control

Garage doors are designed to withstand large amounts of use. They are designed to open and close thousands of times without a hitch. However, they will eventually fail. One of their components will malfunction and that will make your garage door inoperable in most cases. Often, the torsion or extension springs snap. In other cases, the sensors malfunction and the door starts to function erratically. And of course, one of the motors may simply get burned and stop working entirely. However, there are times when the garage door appears to be in perfect shape, yet it does not open or close when you use the remote control. Not being able to close your garage door is dangerous, so let’s take a closer look at this problem and at how you can fix it.

The Dangers of a Garage Door That Does Not Open or Close
If the garage door fails to open when you use the remote control, you will not be able to get your vehicle out of the garage in most cases. This means you may be late for work or be late for an important meeting just because the garage door doesn’t want to open. This is not a very serious danger, so you can live with it for a couple days. Keep in mind that you can open the garage door manually using the emergency release cord; you can find a detailed walkthrough toward the end of this post.
The real danger appears when the garage door does not close, even though you tell it to using the remote control. The garage door is the largest entry point to your house. It is never a good idea to leave it open overnight. Anyone may enter your garage and steal items that can be quite expensive to replace. In addition, a burglar may attempt to enter your house through the garage. Most people don’t secure the door that leads from the garage into the house adequately. This means that an experienced thief or burglar may gain access to your home and put you and your family at risk. This is a very serious issue that you need to deal with immediately.

Why the Remote Control May Not Open or Close the Garage Door

In most cases, the problem comes from either the remote control or the garage door opener. One of the most common causes of a remote control problem is the lack of power. In many other cases, you are simply out of range and the opener doesn’t receive the command to open or close the garage door. Alternatively, the problem may come from the antenna on the garage door opener. If the antenna is damaged or blocked from receiving the signal from the remote, or if various wireless devices are interfering with it, the opener will not receive the command to open the door.

Simple Troubleshooting Steps You Can Take Immediately

To make sure the problem is coming from the remote and not the garage door itself, all you have to do is use the wall switch to open the door. If the door opens with the wall switch, then it is working as it should and the remote is having a problem.
The first thing you should do if the remote control has a problem is to change the batteries in the remote. If you suspect a problem with the antenna, make sure that it hangs down from the garage door opener and that it is not disconnected. If you are sure the antenna and the other parts of the door work as they should, you may need to reprogram the remote or have a new one made for you. A garage door repair technician can help you with any of these tasks in no time. In addition, a garage door repairman can quickly identify the problem and make the necessary repairs.
How to Open the Garage Door Manually
All garage doors were designed in such a way as to allow you to open the door from the inside in cases of emergency. It is only logical that you need to be able to open the door manually. The manufacturer knows that at one point in time, the garage door will malfunction, as nothing lasts forever. This is why they have included an emergency disconnect cord. It releases the door so that you can open it simply by applying force. Here is how you open a garage door manually:

1. Get a ladder or a stool and identify the emergency disconnect cord. It is usually a red cord that is connected to a lever. You can’t miss it.
2. Get on the ladder or stool and pull the cord. It will release the door, so that you can open it manually.
3. Carefully get down from the ladder or stool and lift the garage door with both hands. You can ask somebody for assistance, as metal doors can be quite heavy. The door should open without offering any resistance.
4. If the garage door does not move, pull the disconnect cord again and try to open the door again.
5. Remember to prop the door up with something, as it will tend to slide back down. This is very important, as it may close on your car as you reverse into the driveway.

If you are outside, you will not be able to open the door manually, except in case somebody from the inside pulls the emergency disconnect cord. So, if you are outside, you have no other option than to call a garage door repair expert or find another way to get into your garage. We recommend you give an expert from Alpharetta Garage Door Repair in Alpharetta, GA a call, as he or she will be able to open your door without damaging it. It is never a good idea to force the door to open from the outside when it is clearly experiencing a malfunction. After you get the door open, a garage door technician can troubleshoot the problem for you and repair the garage door opener, reprogram the remote, or replace the remote with a working one. Remember that if you’re in Alpharetta, Georgia, you can call our team!