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A garage door that seems to have a life of its own is likely to catch people off-guard. You don’t expect it to open and close out of its own volition, with no prompt or reasoning, right? But it can happen on a few rare occasions.
Whether you’ve heard the door running while you’re inside the house, or you were horrified to see it open after returning from vacation, we’re here to bring you full peace of mind over your garage door issues.
On that note, let’s go into more detail about what to expect, and do, in this unfortunate situation.
Known in the garage door repairs industry as a “phantom operation”, this can happen because of electrical faults, or due to a problem in your door’s opening mechanisms. Properties with doors installed prior to 1993 will likely have an opener with a code that matches another nearby – so, if someone presses their remote control opener as they’re driving by, they might be able to open your door as well.
Of course, interference problems can go further than that. For your benefit, here are some of the most common issues you need to keep an eye out for:
1) Radio interference
Not just with matching remote control codes, but also police radios, radio towers, or even military equipment (something to take into account if you live near an army base). Then again, your issues could be as trivial as a remote control in your house getting activated by accident – you’re probably better off checking this first before jumping into any other conclusions.
When radio interference is the culprit, the best solution is to reprogram your opener’s code or frequency. We would also recommend replacing those older openers (from before 1993) with a rolling code mechanism – it will actually make your garage door much safer, as it decreases the chance of someone having a code that matches yours.
2) Blockage caused by snow, dirt, and debris
If your door is quite sensitive, physical interference of any kind will trigger its reversing functions. In the winter months, you need to keep a garage door’s threshold clear or snow and grime in order for it to work. All year round, dirt and debris can cause interference with your door’s reversing mechanisms – especially if there’s any build-up around the photo eye sensors. Also make sure that there aren’t any objects lying around, like boxes or gardening tools, as that could affect your door’s opening ability.
3) Electric circuit damage
This is quite often the aftermath of a severe lighting storm. In fact, a damaged electrical circuit will be the most probable cause of your phantom opening/closing issues. You could be dealing with a short fuse in the opener remote, wall opener button, or even within the garage door’s wiring system. Obviously, it will be far too dangerous to take care of things yourself – if you suspect that your door is having electrical issues, you should contact a locally-based technician so that they can investigate things further.
When facing a sporadically opening and closing door, you’re likely to feel compelled to call a technician right away. This is a perfectly reasonable reaction – but if you’ve never had to hire a garage door repairs business before, we would recommend that you take some time to do some research.
A credible professional in your area should be able to give you good value for money (they will seldom set you back several thousands of dollars), and a reliable warranty for all repairs. They will be certified and insured, and will often have the recognition of the manufacturers that they work with. That being said, with all industries there are scammers around – so we want to dedicate this final section to helping you weed out the bad apples from the bunch.
First and foremost, get recommendations from family, friends, and anyone else you know and trust. Write down a few company names you’d like to know more about, and make sure to call each of them to inquire about their services. If you can’t get recommendations, Google a few businesses, verify that their address actually exists (scammers will list dud addresses to fool you into buying their services), read up on online reviews and check if any complaints have been laid against them through the Better Business Bureau.
Most repairs businesses won’t charge you for consultations or price quotes – we recommend visiting the company in person, but talking on the phone is perfectly fine too. Ask the person on the line to provide you with license and insurance details, a list of client references in the area, minimum callout charges (after-hours services might cost extra), and a full cost breakdown of the services you’re seeking. It might also be useful to ask them about how their business has been going and how long they’ve been around – it will give you a good understanding of their experience, reputation, and whether they’ll be able to uphold their warranties if needed.
Partial deposits are legitimate, but never pay full price upfront for repairs. Also be on guard if a business asks for cash payments. If possible, try to be present on the day your chosen technician is coming into your property – some dishonest operators might try to cause more damage to get more money out of you. In short, being careful before and during the hiring process will save you from hassles in the long run.
Smyrna Garage Door Repair is always available to help local customers. Homeowners in Smyrna, GA, can call us about any garage door phantom operation, electrical fault, opener trouble or anything that is causing some concern. All of our operators have the right certifications, and we’re more than happy to provide you with a free consultation to discuss your issues.
No matter where you’re based, we hope this blog post has shed some light unto a problem that could easily baffle all homeowners. If your garage door starts opening and closing on its own, you should be ready to handle it.
