Garage door opener interference can prevent you from opening and closing your garage door effectively.
You’ve been using your garage door opener normally with no problems at all when suddenly it just stops working. It’s a frustrating issue, especially when you just want to get into your garage at the end of the door. There are several things that could be causing the problem, but luckily it’s very easy to narrow it down. Here’s your full troubleshooting guide, so you can get your garage door opener working again.
How Your Garage Door Opener Works
Before troubleshooting, it’s a good idea to understand how your garage door opener works. Your opener will contain a radio transmitter, which emits a radio signal across a specific frequency. If you start experiencing interference, then there is most likely something in your garage that’s emitting signals at the same frequency.
It is most likely something in the garage that’s causing the interference, but it could be something in your home, or even in another property nearby, that could be doing it. To find out where the issue is coming from, you’ll need to do some troubleshooting to narrow it down.
Rule Out The Simple Issues First
There’s a range of simple issues that could be causing the problem with your garage door opener. Before you do anything else, rule these out.
Dead batteries: Take the batteries out of your remote and replace them with fresh ones, to see if this fixes the problem. It’s also a good idea to polish the contacts too if they’re looking rusty.
Unlock the door: Your garage door opener can open the door without you touching it, but if the door is locked manually there’s nothing it can do. Check to see if the door has been locked, and unlock it if so.
Get closer: The issue could be as simple as you being too far away from the garage door opener receiver. Get closer, and see if that will help you get it open.
Get the remote out of the visor: Do you tend to keep your remote in your visor? If so, then this actually may be causing the problem. Something in the visor or the metal of the car roof may be causing interference. Take the remote out, and try it again.
Move the antenna: The antenna on your garage door opener needs to be in the right position, to be able to receive the signal. It should be pointing straight down. If it isn’t, adjust it and try it again.
Check Your LED Bulbs
Have you tried all these simple fixes and found that the garage door still won’t open? The next step is to check the LED bulbs you’re using in the garage. Many homeowners are using LED bulbs, as they’re more environmentally friendly and cheaper to run than traditional light bulbs. However, they’re actually interfering with garage door openers.
The problem is that that emits a strong electromagnetic signal, one that’s strong enough to interfere with the signal from your remote. This is such a new problem that it’s only just coming to the attention of garage door specialists.
You can try switching out your bulbs, to see if this helps. Brands such as Genie have actually come out with their very own bulb, one that’s shatter and vibration-proof. It also doesn’t cause radio interference, so it’s worth a try.
Troubleshooting Garage Door Opener Interference
If you’re still not finding the issue, then it’s time to start testing for interference. There’s very likely something in your garage that’s causing the problem, so you should narrow down the culprits.
The first thing to do is use an extension cord to plug your garage door opener into an outlet inside your home and then shut down power to the garage via the circuit breakers. Once you’ve done that, you can test the remote at various distances, and see if that opens the door.
If you see the range improves when you do this, there’s something in your garage that’s causing this to happen. Turn the breaker back on, and start plugging things in one at a time. If you find the item that’s causing issues, you can then remove it from the garage.
Didn’t find it? Then you have the option of doing a similar power down test, but with your entire home rather than just the garage. This can sometimes work, but many find it to be a long and tedious process. If you’re at this point, it’s a good idea to call in an electrician to see what they can do.
Replacing Your Garage Door Opener
If you’re still not seeing any success with your tests, then it may be you need to change out your garage door opener. Swapping it out for one that works on a different frequency will most likely solve the issue for you. It’s best not to do this though unless you’ve done all the other tests in this guide first.
There are some benefits to changing out your opener, though. There are lots of newer models that are smart garage door openers, so they can be connected to your internet. That allows you to open and close the garage door no matter where you are, through your phone. They’re also great for opening up the door for deliveries, even when you’re not home.
If you are going for a new garage door opener, pick one that’s a dual-frequency model. This allows you to choose between the two, so there’s less chance of interference.
Call The Experts
Still can’t get the garage door opener working? If you’re still having problems, it’ll be time to call in the experts. They’ll be able to help you get to the bottom of it.
If you are having problems with your garage door opener, it may well be a radio frequency that’s interfering with it. Use this guide to work out where the problem is coming from, and deal with it quickly. That way you won’t have to deal with a non-functional garage door opener for long.