Have you ever had your garage door open by itself? During spooky season, that might cause you to think your house is haunted by a ghost, ghoul, spirit, or whatever else was in your most recent horror movie selection. In reality, there’s nothing quite that sinister going on. Having your garage door open by itself is a common occurrence that can normally be fixed without a pricey repair. Below, the Overhead Door Company of Macon has put together a quick list of non-supernatural things you can check out to prevent further scares in the future.
Radio-Free Opener
Ever wonder how you are able to get your door to open and close with the click of a button? Probably not, but we’ll give you the answer anyway. It’s radio frequencies! In order for everything to work properly — i.e. the door rises and falls when you tell it to — your opener, remote, and keypad all need to be on the same frequency.
In some cases, other devices in your area — CB (call back) radios, police scanners, even your neighbor’s garage door devices — could be on the same frequency and causing interference with yours.
This can be easily fixed by reprogramming the components. The national Overhead Door Company website includes a list of digital owners manuals to help you get the job done quickly and correctly.
Left in the Debris
Left dirt, gunk, and debris buildup can really come back to haunt you. The most common problem is a dirty sensor. Sensors aren’t able to differentiate between a spec of dust and the back bumper or your vehicle — regardless of which one it sees, it’s going to cause your door to open independently. A quick wipedown and alignment is all you need to do to set things straight.
Elsewhere, the buildup of grime on your tracks can cause your opener to work especially hard when trying to drive down your door. In some cases, this causes your door to rise back up when you’re asking it to do the opposite.
Finally, if there’s anything blocking your door’s path — like say an errant rake, ball, or trash can lid — your garage door could open by itself.
It’s Electric
Batteries are another common cause when your door opens out of turn. Like plenty of other household electronic devices, when your keypad or remote are running low on juice, they start acting a bit finicky. A quick swap should be all you need to rectify the problem.
Does your garage door open by itself even after you’ve tried everything above? If so, call the Overhead Door Company of Macon. We will send over one of our trained technicians to perform a 14-point inspection and ensure that the problem is not supernatural and gets fixed quickly and affordably.