Two Reasons Your Garage Door Is Operating By Itself

6 April 2018
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Sometimes it feels like technology has a mind of its own, and having a garage door suddenly start operating on its own can incite fears of Skynet becoming self-aware. Before you start stockpiling water and looking for the nearest bomb shelter, here are two things that may be causing the problem and how to resolve them.

Check the Wiring

One reason your garage door might be suddenly opening and closing on its own is because of a short in the wiring that connects the various electrical components together. If there are bare spots or the wiring is damaged in other ways, this could cause random electrical impulses that trigger the garage door to operate independent of any input from the transmitter.

Check the cables running from the motor to the control panel, and from the motor to the safety sensors, for damaged insulation or bare strands. This is particularly important to do if you have a problem with mice or other rodents getting into the garage, as these animals like to chew through insulation and wiring.

If you notice the wires are damaged, replace them as soon as possible. You can typically obtain replacement kits at home improvement stores; however, you can also have a garage repair technician complete the task for you, if you're not comfortable doing electrical work.

Observe the Neighbors

Although you may already be keeping tabs on your neighbors, you may want to keep a closer eye on their comings and goings, especially if your garage door only seems to operate on its own during certain times of the day, or when specific neighbors leave and return to their homes. This is because your and your neighbor's garage doors may have somehow gotten on the same wireless signal, so whenever your neighbor triggers their garage door to open, yours opens as well.

If you notice your garage opens and closes by itself each time your neighbor leaves for work in the morning and returns at night, then this is likely the problem. Thankfully, this is a pretty easy fix. All you need to do is reset your garage opener to a new code. There should be instructions in your owner's manual on how to do it; however, you can typically also find information online if you don't have the booklet that came with your garage door anymore.

There are several other reasons why your garage may be suddenly operating by itself. If you're having a hard time diagnosing the problem, contact a garage door repair tech for assistance. Companies like Guaranteed Door Service can offer more information.