Smyrna Garage Door Repair: Garage door opens and closes on its own

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.

Reasons why your garage door is opening/closing on its own 

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.      

Hiring the right repairs professional for the job 

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.

Garage Door Openers & Safety Precautions

It is safe to say that garage door openers can be deadly. This is where the motor to your garage door is housed. Since there are many moving parts to your garage door, it can become dangerous without notice. We hardly ever think about our garage door opener in these terms because of how convenient it is. With the hit of a button, the doors simply automatically open up the door. Having a garage door opener also allows you to get in and out quickly without ever coming into contact with bad weather; who doesn’t love this. There are numerous advantages to having an automatic garage door opener. If you are going to buy another opener, you can depend on the services that are offered by Smyrna Garage Door Repair in Smyrna, GA. We are here to help you make the best decision possible. It helps to know what you should look for when choosing an automatic garage door opener.

Consider the following:

The difference between the different types of garage door openers is the amount of noise they make whenever they are being used. You should always be mindful of which rooms will hear the noise from the opener the most. It is pretty safe to say that if it is your bedroom, you’ll need to select a garage door opener that doesn’t make much noise. If you have children, it is likely that you will want an opener that will minimize the potential to be harmed by your opener. This means you’ll have to make sure you know the exact type of safety features offered for the type of opener you’re most interested in.

Types of Garage Door Openers

Screw Drive Opener
This type of opener has less moving parts than other types of openers. This means that not as much maintenance is involved. The tracks are lined with plastic and this is what makes is less noisy. This fact may be more important to you if you have a problem sleeping at night or if you have small children.

Chain Drive Opener
This is the most common type of opener installed because of how economical it is. In addition to it being an economical choice, it is also very efficient. The only downside to the chain drive opener is that it is the loudest of all three types of openers.

Belt Drives Opener
The belt drive opener is the least noisy of all three types of openers. This is why it is likely the most expensive too. Rubber belts are used to lift the door rather than metal on metal. This opener also has fewer parts, making it safer to use.


Ways to Test Your Garage Door Opener
Most garage door openers have built in safety features, however, we advise you to test your features annually to make sure they are still working. Whenever you find that any of these features are no longer working, unplug the opener until a professional service technician has serviced it.
One of the first things you can check is the electronic eye feature, located just off the ground on both sides of the garage door. When the door is open, hit the close button and then place something over the sensor of the eye to break the beam. The door shouldn’t move. If the door should happen to work, even when there is something in front of the beam, unplug the opener. This means that the safety feature is no longer working properly. It should be serviced immediately.

Another safety feature that you should check is that the door is balanced. Your garage door should open even when it is disconnected from the drive system. You can try opening the door from different vantage points and letting go. The door should stay in position. If it doesn’t, this means the door needs is off balance and requires immediate servicing.

Your garage door opener has a reversal system that is activated whenever something is obstructing the door. This is important especially if you have children. If the child should happen to be in the path of the door, it will sense this and retract back up instead of continuing to come down. You should test this feature by putting something in front of the door to see how it responds. The object should immediately break the beam of the sensor causing the door to stop and go back up. If it continues to come down, you’ll need to contact a professional service technician to resolve the matter before anyone is harmed.

These safety features were put in place for a reason. It has been proven that they save lives. Like anything else, the features can stop working without notice. It is up to each individual to make sure that these features are working in order to prevent and incident from occurring. Without these safety features, some people have been reported to have lost their lives due to a faulty garage door. Manufacturers have addressed many of the problems by incorporating specific safety features. As a result, there have been fewer incidents, especially involving children. While Smyrna Garage Door Repair is always here for you when you need us, ultimately, the responsibility of keeping you and your loved ones safe falls on you. Make sure you take your time to understand how the automatic garage door opens and avoid doing anything that can jeopardize your safety. This would be something as simple as forgetting to have your door serviced when you come to the understanding that any of the safety features is no longer working. This is what we often find that occurs. The motorist will discover that there is a problem with a security feature and will simply ignore it until an incident has occurred. You don’t have to wait until an incident occurs if you remain vigilant in your attempts to keep your garage door as safe and secure as possible. Not doing so can cost you in the end.

These safety features save lives. Children and pets are particularly at risk because of their size. Keep your automatic garage door opener working safely to protect yourself and others.