It can be annoying to hear your garage door open or close when no one’s arriving or to find the garage door unexpectedly open when you return home. When an automatic garage door opener opens and closes the door on its own, it’s called “phantom operation.” The most common reason garage doors open on their own is an electrical short somewhere in the system. If you’re experiencing this, try some of the possible solutions below.
- Try changing your garage code. To do this, just remove the remote’s cover and use the code wheel to select a new code. Then, change the code on the opener in the garage to match the one you just chose for the remote.
- Check for a stuck button on your remote or wall-mounted opener. Look on the opener itself for a flashing light next to the “Learn” button. This is an indication that a button is stuck. Test each remote and replace the faulty one.
- Turn off the breaker or fuse on your electrical panel that’s connected to the garage door opener. Check the wall-mounted control and the opener wiring for damage. If you can’t find any, the opener itself may need to be repaired or replaced.
If you’ve tried the options above and are unable to find the cause of your phantom garage door operation, have an experienced garage door technician look into the problem.