It’s pouring down rain, the SUV’s full of groceries, you press the garage door opener, and wait, and wait. Your remote door opener stopped working and the garage door won’t open. The first thing that comes to mind is the batteries are dead. But dead batteries are not the only issue that could leave you locked out of your garage. In fact, there are several common issues that cause your garage door remote to malfunction suddenly. Below, we’ll look at those possibilities to help you figure out the problem with your garage door opener or remote.
Four Common Reasons Why Your Remote Door Opener Doesn’t Work
1. You Need to Replace Old Batteries
Yes, weak or dead batteries are the primary problem when you can’t operate your remote door opener. Keep in mind that batteries generally last about 3-5 years, and it’s best to use name-brand quality batteries versus discounted brands. To prevent the inconvenience of getting locked out of your garage, you should change your batteries every three years at least. However, if you’ve replaced the batteries and still no luck, read on to learn some other potential issues.
2. The Circuit Board Is Bad
After a while, your garage door opener’s circuit board can go bad. The garage door opener might be old and worn out. But it’s more likely your circuit board failed after a lightning storm. The circuit board is very sensitive to power surges, so it’s important to verify your opener is surge-protected. If you’ve recently experienced a storm, this is most likely the culprit. A sign that the circuit board is going bad is when your garage door tries to open and shut but doesn’t know when to stop. Be sure to watch for this sign when operating your door because this can become dangerous if not fixed.
3. There’s Interference Somewhere
Radio frequencies are everywhere and they can interfere with your garage door opener. Airports, television, radio transmission towers, power lines, cell phone towers, appliances within 10-15 feet of the receiver, wireless doorbells, and computers are just a few things that can cause interference. Sometimes, the radio-frequency interference (RFI) comes into the garage through the house wiring because circuit breaker boxes are near garage door openers. If you figure out what’s causing it, you can take measures to either unplug it or remove it. But, if you can’t figure out the cause, you’ll need to do some investigating to figure out what’s causing interference, then go from there.
4. The Codes Changed so the Remote Can’t Communicate with the Opener
The code may have gotten “lost” or scrambled, and the remote door opener isn’t communicating with the opener anymore. In this case, you’ll need to reprogram your remote. It might be a good idea to reference your garage door opener’s manual so you can ensure to do it correctly. Also, you can usually find helpful videos online for how to reprogram remotes and even research common issues with your remote brand.
Contact Us
If none of these ideas work, it may be time to replace the remote. For more troubleshooting, see our blog Common Reasons Your Garage Door Isn’t Opening. Also, if you need help reprogramming your remote or are interested in a new remote or garage door opener, contact Aaron Overhead Doors. We are experts on garage door repair and installation as well as keypads and remotes. We also stay stocked with multiple options for remotes so we upgrade your system or replace your current remote at any time. For all your garage door system needs, we are your trusted, local company.
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