You arrive home after a long day at work, press the garage door remote button, and nothing happens. This can be frustrating, particularly if you’re unfamiliar with how your remote works or the common issues arising from regular use. Here are some common reasons why garage door remotes stop working and what you can do to resolve them:
Understanding How Garage Door Remotes Work
Before identifying and resolving issues with your garage door remote, knowing how the opener transmitters operate is essential. The remote uses a radio signal frequency that ranges from 350 to 390 megahertz (MHz). The button on your remote transmits this signal and is encoded with a unique number, allowing the door receiver to respond to your specific remote.
Problems and Solutions
- Drained Batteries: The most common cause of a non-functional remote is drained batteries. Check your garage’s wall-mounted control panel to diagnose this issue. If your garage door responds to the control panel, drained batteries often cause a non-functional remote. Solution: Replace the old batteries with new ones and test the remote to ensure it’s working again.
- Physical Damage: It might be damaged if you drop or step on your remote. Solution: If you find that your remote is physically damaged, then you should replace it.
- Disrupted Signal: If you replace the batteries and your garage door still won’t respond to the remote signal, the remote and door sensor signal might be interrupted by an obstruction. Other causes of a disrupted signal might be using the remote while out of range or having a broken antenna. Solution: To solve a disrupted signal, ensure you are 20 feet or less from the garage door before trying to open it with your remote. Remove any objects that might be blocking the signal. Check the antenna to ensure it’s pointing toward your door and that there’s no debris building on it.
- Engaged Lock Button: Ensure you haven’t accidentally pressed the lock button on your control panel. Solution: To disengage the lock on your opener, press the lock button on your control panel.
- Remote Needs Reset: With regular use, your remote can sometimes disengage from the opener machine signal. Solution: To reset your garage door remote, locate your door opener’s “Learn” button on the control panel and press it for 30 seconds. After releasing the button, find the same button on your remote and hold it for three seconds.
- Door Wiring Malfunction: If you’ve tried all the above solutions and your garage door is still not opening, the opener’s circuit board might malfunction. Solution: Contact a garage door repair professional to diagnose and solve the issue.
Understanding how your garage door remote works is essential to avoid potential issues. If you encounter a problem with your remote that you cannot fix on your own, contact Precision Overhead Garage Door Service for assistance restoring your remote’s functionality.