Garage Door Opening By Itself: Is Faulty Wiring To Blame?
Your garage door is your most important line of defense against car thieves and other intruders, so it goes without saying that a garage door that opens by itself is a huge security risk. Unfortunately, a malfunctioning automated garage door opener can cause this exact problem.
If your garage door randomly opens by itself, the problem may be caused by a fault in the opener's wiring. These wiring faults will need to be corrected by a professional garage door repair service.
How Can Faulty Wiring Cause Your Garage Door To Open Itself?
The control panel that operates your garage door is connected to the opener itself via signalling wires, which run through the garage's wall and along the ceiling. If any part of these wires becomes damaged or frayed, the resulting short-circuit can signal the door opener to open the garage door, without any human input.
This is most likely to occur if the damaged section of the wiring comes into contact with metal. If exposed wiring touches a metal wall stud or one of the metal tracks that guides your garage door while it opens and closes, the contact can create a static electrical charge. The opener may interpret this charge as an opening signal, causing it to activate.
If your garage door opener was installed a long time ago, wiring damage can be caused by simple wear and tear. However, the wires are more likely to be damaged accidentally during garage remodelling work, or by water damage caused by a leaking garage roof, flooding, or a burst pipe. In rare cases, animals may also chew on exposed sections of wiring.
Can Other Problems Cause Garage Doors To Open By Themselves?
While faulty wiring is the most common reason why a garage door opens by itself, it is not the only potential cause.
If your garage door opener can be activated by remote control, and a neighbour also uses a remote controlled opener, their remote control may be activating your opener. This is extremely rare, as modern garage door openers can only be activated by encrypted control signals, but it may be worth getting in touch with your neighbours if your garage door opener is quite old.
If the garage door opens itself, but only slightly, the problem may be caused by a fault with the door's safety sensors. These sensors are located at the edge of the door, close to ground level, and will open the door automatically if they detect an obstruction beneath the door. If one of these sensors malfunctions, it may signal the door to open when no obstruction exists.
In any case, repairing faulty wiring or safety sensors yourself can be very difficult without in-depth electrical know-how. It can also be dangerous if you don't disconnect the opener's power supply first. The safest course is to call in a professional garage door repair service, who will diagnose the cause of your door opening woes and conduct swift and effective repairs.
For more information on garage door repairs, contact a company near you.
