Have you ever been running late with a car full of groceries trying to get home to prepare for a get together at your home and the garage door will not open? It can be really frustrating and it happens a lot. There could be several reasons why the door is opening with your remote.
Your remote could have finally died. All electronic devices have an end life cycle and they just won’t work anymore. Think about how many times a day you use your remote. Garage door remotes like doorbells get pushed a lot. You can go for years without an issue until that one day when you need to get into the house as soon as possible.
A battery issue?
You text or call your child and they open the door from inside. So your door is operating but not with your remote. Something is probably wrong with your remote. Check your remote battery. This is usually the quickest fix and the first thing to eliminate. When you open the remote and see the battery look to see if there is any sign of corrosion from the battery.
Most remotes use coin-sized batteries. Some use a single battery and other models use two. Clean the inside and wipe it out. You can use a small amount of WD-40 which won’t hurt electronics, but you want to make sure you wipe it dry once you’ve sprayed it. You can also use a can of air to blow out any debris or corrosion. Replace the batteries with the positive (+) side facing up. Make sure you replace the batteries with the same rated and type of battery.
Since most homes have multiple vehicle garage door remotes it would be a good idea to change the batteries in all of them at the same time, but check to make sure the other remotes aren’t having the same problem. If they are it’s probably not a remote issue, but with the receiver on your opener. Still, it’s a good idea to change all of the batteries like homeowners change all their smoke detector batteries on the same date. You don’t have to, but it’s a pretty good plan to prevent being locked out.
If your battery isn’t the issue and the door is still closed someone may have disconnected the opener from the door by pulling the red override cable that hangs down from the track. This is great when the power is out because you are able to operate your door manually. If this is the all you have to do is reset it. With the garage door shut pull the cable toward the front of the door and reconnect the trolley to the opener carriage. You should hear a click, or notice the emergency cord is back in its normal position. Once you’ve reconnected open your door from your remote to make sure it is working properly.
Check for a power outage. Many people fail to check for a power outage in their area. Before replacing a battery make sure that the power is on. Often the power company has to cut service due to an accident in the area, or from storms. This is one of the easiest things to check and it happens more than homeowners realize.
Is the Door Locked? If you’ve just returned from a trip or vacation you may have forgotten that someone in the family physically locked the door from the inside. Some models have wall switches that have a “locked” feature. A family member could have intentionally or accidentally set it in the locked position.
If both remotes are not working it’s time to contact a professional garage door service company and have a trained technician take a look. Most techs can pinpoint garage door opener, remote, keypad, or door operation issues within minutes. It could be something as simple as needing to reprogram the remote.
The technician will identify and fix the problem if possible. If the door opener is old they will provide options for you to consider such as a new motor, vehicle remotes, wireless exterior keypad remotes, and wall switches that contain better receivers/transmitters with up to date electronics. Smart door technology allows you to control your garage door with a smartphone. While there the technician will inspect the entire door operation, moving and non-moving parts.
At Access Garage Door we’ve been repairing and installing residential garage doors for homeowners since 1998. We are a family-owned and operated business serving the Upstate of South Carolina with a proud history and proven track record. If you need a garage door repair, or installation of a new door contact us today! You may not even need a new door and we will tell you if you don’t! But if you need, or want a new door we can do that too.
Tim & Jennifer Kay, Owners
864.479.8714
