5 Reasons Why Your Garage Door Is Opening by Itself—And What to Do About It

So, you returned home from work and found your garage door open. You are certain you locked the doors before leaving. Now what? In addition to giving you anxiety, a malfunctioning garage door that opens on its own welcomes intruders. Anyone can access your door and get inside your property.

Your garage door could malfunction due to a problem with the remote, door opener, or circuit board. Whatever the issue is, a technician can help resolve it. However, not every minor problem with your garage door requires a technician. Some issues can be fixed with simple solutions, such as changing the frequency of the opener or replacing the remote battery. The question is, how do you know the issue?

Below are the 5 common reasons your garage door is opening by itself and the ways to fix it.

Faulty Remote Control

The remote used for opening the garage door is called a transmitter. The transmitter sends signals to your garage doors to open and close. Your garage door opens automatically due to a faulty remote. For example, pressing the buttons accidentally or the faulty buttons that are pressed down and stuck can open the garage doors. These remotes could send false signals to your garage door openers to open and close. The remote may also send false signals due to worn-out batteries.

How to Fix:

Take some time to check the remote buttons. See if any button is pushed down. Don’t place your remote with other items that might press the buttons. If you are placing your remote in a drawer, car console, or bag, make sure you put the remote in a box first and then place it with other items. Check if your remote batteries are worn and need replacement.

Check Frequencies

The transmitter sending signals to your garage doors to function works on a specific frequency and is programmed to operate specific garage doors only. Although each garage door or electronic product uses different frequencies, it’s possible that two garage doors might operate on the same frequency or have the same code. Older garage doors, specifically, can encounter this problem. You can test it easily. Ask your neighbor to open their garage doors using the remote and stand in front of your garage to see if it responds to the neighbor’s remote.

How to fix:

If your neighbor’s and your garage doors open to the same frequency and codes, you need to either change the transmitter program or set a different frequency. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to re-program your garage door transmitter or change the frequency. If there’s no easy way to do that, contact a technician for professional assistance.

Sensor Malfunction

Your garage door has a reverse mechanism designed for safety purposes. Have you ever tried to close a garage door, but it keeps opening? That happens when the sensors detect an object in the way of closing. These sensors are installed on the floor and are used to reverse the door closing when there’s something on the floor. It can be a pet, a person, or an object. That’s why people are supposed to clear everything from the way before closing the garage door.

As safe as this feature is, it can be problematic. If the sensors detect dirt, debris, or any random object that’s hardly visible, it will activate the reverse mechanism, opening your garage doors again. Look for debris, a stick, or any small item placed too close to the sensor or near the closing. Snow buildup can cause garage doors to malfunction when you open and close them. A faulty sensor can also open the garage doors automatically.

How to Fix:

If your garage door malfunctions after you have removed the dirt and debris buildup, call a professional to look into the problem. They will check the sensors and inspect the area for weather-related damages. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do about a faulty sensor. You are going to need to work with a technician for assistance.

Damaged Electrical Circuits or Wiring

Weather doesn’t only affect the sensors, but a thunderstorm or a heavy snowfall can cause a power outage, which might damage the electrical circuit of your garage door. Your garage door might mysteriously open or close if there’s a defect in your electrical outlet. Or, the problem must be with the wiring.

The misaligned or damaged wire that runs from the motor to the garage door opener installed on the wall can cause the automatic opening and closing of the garage door. The wire could get damaged for several reasons. A hungry mouse could have chewed it, or a shovel must have broken the wire. Or, you might have hit a sharp object against the wiring, causing piercing.

How to Fix:

Whether there’s electrical damage or misaligned wiring, you need a professional’s help to fix it. Letting a technician handle the wiring or the electrical system would be a good call. Never attempt a DIY fix on wiring unless you know how the electrical units operate. This can be dangerous.

Limit Settings

Garage doors have limits that tell them how far they should go to be fully open and closed. The technician sets these limits. Once the door has reached this limit, it will stop automatically. If your door has been opening again automatically after you have closed it, there must be a problem with the limit settings. Chances are you have set the wrong limits, which is why your door doesn’t close fully. As a result, you will have a partially closed garage door.

How to Fix:

If you know how to fix the limit settings, do it. If not, your best bet is to call a professional for assistance.

Bottom Line

These were the common reasons why your garage door is malfunctioning. Call a technician to diagnose the problem and have it fixed quickly. Do not attempt DIY garage door repairs, especially if you don’t know how it works.