A Cut Wire Or Faulty Garage Door Sensor
When neither of the above sensor problems is the genesis of the garage door problems you are encountering, a faulty door sensor or cut wire could be suspected. This is quite a unique problem since fixing it will require professional services.
The issue can be traced back to the wiring emerging from the sensor, whereby it might be frayed or cut. The sensor itself could also be broken and therefore is in a malfunctioning state. When this is the case, you might be forced never to shut your garage door until you get it fixed.
Why Garage Door Keeps Going Up And Down: Possible Reasons
An automatic garage door may open and close randomly if an overlapping signal or radiofrequency is interfering with it. The problem could also result from circuit board issues or stuck control buttons.
While some of these causes are easy to fix with routine maintenance and troubleshooting, others require the help of a trained professional. For instance, a short in the garage door motors logic board would need an expert to diagnose and fix.
In any case, knowing the possible culprits and potential solutions can help you save money by diagnosing and solving some of the problems on your own.
Read along to learn the possible reasons why your garage door keeps going up and down on its own.
You May Have A Damaged Safety Sensor Or Cut Wire
If nothing is blocking your sensor and it is lined up correctly, you may have a defective sensor or a cut wire.
If you have a broken sensor or the wire from the sensor is cut or frayed you will need to get it repaired by a professional.
You may have to leave your garage door open until you can get it repaired.
I do NOT recommend using the manual release cord to lower your garage door. Your garage door is extremely heavy and can hurt or kill you if you try to lower it by yourself.
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Use The Best Garage Door Material In Michigan
We strive to do the best work for our customers. Part of that philosophy involves working with the best suppliers of garage door products. Our garage door service and repairs can truly only are as good as the products that we use. Some of the best-in-class product suppliers weve aligned ourselves with are: Amarr, Liftmaster, Safeway, Clopay, Wayne Dalton, Chamberlain, Sears, Craftsman, Genie, Service Spring Industries, CHI, Ideal Doors, and many more.
If you are looking for a particular product or manufacturer, dont hesitate to call! We have numerous local distributors that we use that can find exactly what it is that you are looking for. You can also send us questions by email. We ask that you send us photos if possible, and also give us the most details that you can find on your existing material or new product search.
Your Neighbors Remote Programmed To Your Garage Door
If your garage door opener was made before 1993 and you recently reprogrammed it, a nearby neighbors remote may be operating it.
While modern garage door openers have rotating codes, those manufactured before 1993 do not have such advancements.
The chances are that a neighbor was operating their garage door while you were reprogramming yours. And with that, their garage door opener programmed to yours, ending up with the same wireless code as your opener.
Now your garage door keeps responding to their remote each time they use it to operate their garage door.
Alternatively, your opener might be responding to a wireless radio signal. Such older garage door openers manufactured before 1993 are programmed to respond to wireless signals traveling on specific frequencies.
So a nearby radio station, a local radio tower, a police radio, or a CB radio can affect your door if they transmit signals on the same frequency as your garage door opener. While this issue is rare, you cannot rule it out due to its likelihood.
Thankfully, it is relatively easy to fix. Start by having your neighbor open their garage door while you keep an eye on yours. If your door begins to move simultaneously, you will have solved the problem halfway.
Next, reset your garage opener to a new code to complete solving the problem.
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A Blocked Garage Door Sensor
The sensor comprises two photo-sensitive appliances on each side of the garage door. These appliances are positioned about 4 inches above the floor and operate by flashing an infrared light beam to the appliance on the other side of the garage door. This operating mechanism allows for the detection of objects to prevent crushing them.
Interruption of this beam of infrared light by blocking means an abnormal operation of the garage door. For instance, if the bumper of your car is blocking the sensors, they will not detect each other, meaning the garage door will open back up. Misalignment of either of the sensors due to vibration will also sometimes deter the sensors from effectively communicating.
Is Your Garage Door Safety Sensor Off
Sometimes while moving stuff around in the garage, like the trash can, you may bump the sensor. The bump wont be enough to knock it completely off the track but just enough to be out of kilter.
When you look at your sensor, it appears to be in the right spot. Try to gently push the sensor with your hand to see if it moves. If so, try to see if you can snap it back into place on its track.
Having an off-track sensor can cause your garage door not to shut at all, or it can cause it to close intermittently.
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Why Does My Garage Door Keeps Going Up And Down
It can be creepy to see your garage door going up and down by itself like it just developed a mind of its own.
Many people use their garage door as the main entrance to their house. Unfortunately, when the garage door opens on its own, you no longer have control over its behavior. This can be a huge lapse in your homes security since it could open for intruders and pests when no one is home.
You could also have difficulty controlling your energy costs if the garage door keeps going up and down randomly.
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We will always have the understanding of customers individual situation in their time of need. We are here to help you! Whether you need emergency garage door repair, a new garage door installation, or just a tune-up, we can help. You can be confident your garage door is working the best with Up And Down Doors help. Dont Forget our Michigan Garage Door Repair Coupons!
An Extremely Shortly Set Close
Apart from the two sensors installed 4 inches above the ground on either side of the garage door, another third sensor may be positioned close to the motor. The role of this third sensor is to dictate the extent to which the garage door should move down.
The problem arises when this third sensor is set too short, whereby it manifests as either moving back up of the garage door after hitting the ground hard or failure to completely move down.
This issue stands out as the most common of the featured problems. However, this does not mean that it is beyond saving. In fact, it can be easily repaired. Start by identifying the two screws located on the motor base. You can then fine-tune the setting, keeping in mind that a single turn is equivalent to two inches of door movement in either direction.
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Get Your Garage Door Springs Replaced Serviced Or A New Garage Door Replaced By A Local Company
Up and Down Door is a small Local Family owned Garage door Repair and Service Company. We focus our Services on Door Repair, Broken Garage Door Spring Replacement, and New Garage Door Installations. Searching for a Garage Door Repair Company Near You? We Service all Over Southeast Michigan like “Canton, Livonia, Novi, Northville, Ann Arbor, Brighton, Northville, Saline, Novi, Ypsilanti, Southgate, Walled Lake, Ypsilanti, Pittsfield Township, Dexter, Commerce and more, including Grosse Ille”.
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We service garage doors, repair broken torsion springs, offer new garage door installations, and any other garage door repair needs that you may have here in Michigan. Our commitment to service, track record of customer satisfaction, and attention to detail is what separates us from other companies in the Metro Detroit Area. We continually strive to outperform other companies, and shock customers with our fast and professional customer service and repairs. Call around and see that we offer the best prices on garage door repair services, garage door spring repairs / replacements, and also new garage doors installations. We will continuously strive to hold our level of integrity high, and keep our prices low. We hope to provide quality garage door service, repair, and installations at your home that you can be proud of.
General Garage Door Maintenance Tips
Some easy maintenance todos will keep your garage door operating for many years.
Keep the chains and tracks lubricated.Use a specialty spray lubrication on your garage door tracks and chains so the motor will have an easier time pulling the door up.
Ideally, you should not hear any loud noise from the friction of the rollers moving along the track. If you hear squealing, it is time to lubricate.
Check and tighten up the hardwareYour garage door will open and close hundreds of times every year. All those ups and downs will vibrate and loosen some parts. Check all your bolts and brackets and tighten where needed.
Does the weatherstripping need to be replaced?There is a rubber seal along the bottom of your garage door. This seal helps keep water out of your garage. Moisture is a common draw for pests to your garage.
Replace the weatherstripping if it is broken or chipped. This should be checked regularly.
If you have the good part of a Saturday morning to devote to replacing it, Home Depot or Lowes sells universal garage door strips.
Garage door problems like these are fairly common, and thankfully sometimes easy to fix. Just last year my wife called and told me the garage door keeps going up and down.
I was able to walk her through the step of straightening a sensor. Seems the kids got a little too rowdy with the soccer ball!
I hope this article was able to help you get your garage door back on track.
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Is Your Garage Door Safety Sensor Blocked
There is a law requiring garage door installations to include a sensor. This sensor will protect you by not allowing the door to shut close if something is in the way.
Your garage door sensor works by having two photo-sensitive devices on either side of the garage door. If these cant see each other when the door is almost shut, it will send a signal to the garage door motor to open back up.
A careless or rushed parking job can cause the cars bumper to block the sensor. Sometimes the sensors will be in alignment and just as the door gets close to being shut it will vibrate enough to push one sensor off.
A Dirty Garage Door Sensor
The two infrared sensors on either side of the garage door can also fail to function properly if dirt obstructs the eye of the sensors. This is because the accumulation of dirt on the sensor deters it from shooting the beam of infrared light, affecting your garage doors shutting.
How to fix the dirty garage door sensor problem
Start by identifying the lens on the sensor on each side of the garage door. It is likely that you will find the lens joined to a metal bracket that is fastened to the frame of the garage door.
Proceed to look for the small projection on the outer edge of the lens because it mostly harbors bugs like spiders which may have even weaved a nest in this section. Now, with a soft fabric folded around your finger, clean the lens, ensuring that you get rid of any bug or nest if present. This step should get your garage door back in action.
Is neither of the above-featured problems the source of your garage door problem? Is your door still reversing even after cleaning the lens? There are more marginal problems that are probably affecting the proper movement of your garage door. These include
- Objects adhered to the bottom of the door
Debris, leaves, papers, or spiderwebs tend to adhere to the bottom of the garage door. To check if there is an object stuck on the bottom of the door, open it halfway and examine. If there is an object adhered to the bottom of the door, you should get rid of it because it interrupts the infrared beam when the door goes down.
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Malfunctions In The Circuit Board Or Logic Board
Problems with the safety sensors on both sides of your garage door typically cause the door to reverse after you attempt to close it immediately. However, problems with the openers logic board or motor unit circuitry can involuntarily trigger the door to close.
These circuit boards act like small computers or brains of the opener, and a malfunction can cause it to trigger the wrong signals, including the involuntary opening and closing of the garage door.
When this kind of malfunction occurs, flashing opener lights can sometimes accompany it.
Such logic board or circuitry issues are rare with new openers. If you detect them on a new opener, the manufacturer will likely replace it at no extra charges.
However, older openers can experience such an issue more commonly. Just like a brain can wear out over time, so can the logic board in your opener unit.
When you experience this problem, replacing the garage door opener may be cheaper than hiring a technician to repair the malfunctioning one
An Exposed Spot On The Control Wiring
Sometimes the small-gauge cable connecting the control button on the wall to your openers motor unit can be damaged, leading to short-circuiting.
Rodents and other mechanical issues can nibble the cable, exposing the wires. The exposed spot could easily activate the motor unit each time it brushes against a metallic part such as the door track, causing a short.
An electrical pulse is needed to activate the motor unit, and a bare wire could easily do that, causing the garage door to move involuntarily.
The problem could also originate from damaged sensor cables. Usually, repeated tagging and grabbing on the cables with a broom while cleaning or rodents chewing on them can damage the insulation, resulting in bare parts.
These wires connect the sensors to the motor unit. So, any naked wires can cause a short triggering the door to move.
So, inspect the wires near the sensors on both sides of the garage door tracks. Look for any loose connections, nails piercing the insulation or any parts that have been nicked.
When you find any of these, replace the damaged wires and reattach any loose connection to resolve the problem.
You should be able to find a replacement for these low-voltage wires easily in any hardware or home improvement store near you.
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