4 Likely Causes of Inexplicably Opening Garage Doors

Find Out Why Your Garage Door Opens by Itself

You expect to hit the button on your garage door opener and see your garage door open up. You don’t expect to see your garage door opening up all by itself. If you see this happen once, it may just seem like a funny quirk. But if it keeps happening, you may be wondering what is going on – and be a little worried about what it means for your home’s security. 

There are several reasons why your garage door may be opening by itself, and you’ll need to call a garage door repair service in Chandler to inspect the door and opener to figure out what’s going on. Here are four reasons you might be experiencing that problem: 

Overhead Garage Door Remote Radio Wave Interference

Your garage door remote uses radio waves to communicate with the garage door opener. The exterior keypad unit that’s on the garage wall does as well. These devices send messages back and forth to each other to control your garage door opener. If there are other items around that also use radio waves, these could interfere with the signals that your garage door opener is getting.

You’ll need to talk with a Gilbert garage door repair service to investigate the problem. The issue may be discovered through the process of elimination, or you may need to experiment with different devices near your garage to see if they are causing the interference.

A personal experience in the field: I had a customer that was very frustrated that her door kept randomly opening. I had just installed her new opener a week prior. I also connected her car's built-in garage door remote so she didn't need to use the branded LiftMaster remote. I asked her where her physical remote was and she said it was in their junk drawer in their kitchen. We discovered that every time someone would open or close the junk drawer, something in there would push the remote's button! She moved the button and hasn't had an issue since.

Sometimes it is a simple fix that we never really think about!

Other Garage Door Openers

Your neighbor’s garage door could also be interfering with the radio waves that your garage door is using. Your openers could actually be programmed on the same channel. What that means is that every time your neighbor tries to open their garage door, they could also be opening yours.

This is a relatively simple problem that can be easily remedied by calling a same day garage door service to reprogram your opener.

Garage Door Sensor Malfunction

Per law, all garage doors now have a safety feature that prevents them from closing on items that may be in the path of the door, such as your automobile, a pet, or even a child. There are sensors on the sides of the door meant to detect anything that may be in the path of the door. If the sensors are malfunctioning, it might continually be causing the garage door to open. Basically, your garage door is being told that there is something in its way and not to close.

Your sensors could also be malfunctioning because they are just dirty or could be misaligned. The only way to know for sure is to hire a garage door repair service to inspect it and make whatever adjustments are necessary.

Garage Opener Malfunction

Your garage door may be opening by itself because there is a problem with your opener. There might be a programming glitch in the opener, or there might be a bad wire. A piece inside the opener may have become worn. The opener can even malfunction if it gets dirty causing shorts or overheating.

Some of these aren’t issues that you can diagnose yourself. You’ll have to call in a garage repair professional in Gilbert to inspect the opener and find out what’s wrong with it. You might be able to have the opener repaired, or you might have to replace it.

Your garage door should always open and close predictably, without any erratic movements and without any strange noises. If your door is opening on its own, there’s a problem. It may be a simple problem, like a dirty sensor, or it may be a bigger problem that requires garage door repair. You need to consult with a repair service as soon as you can to make timely repairs. Failing to do so could leave your home and your family in jeopardy.

Garage Door Repair in Gilbert

Call Same Day Garage Door Services in Gilbert if your garage door has been opening on its own or if you are experiencing other issues with your garage door. An experienced technician from our team will inspect your garage door and make the needed repair or adjustment. In most cases, repairs can be made the same day. We are a licensed, bonded, and insured garage repair company, and we offer a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee. Call us in Gilbert today for a free, no-obligation estimate.