How to Handle a Balky Garage Door Remote

It’s always a chore when you’re late for work and your garage door stops working.  You need to go, and you can’t get the car out of the house.  Nine times out of 10, it’s not a complicated problem: there’s something wrong with the remote.  Here are some simple things to do that should always be your first move for a residential system.

Make the obvious move your first move

It sounds silly, but checking the battery is the first thing you should do.  It’s a simple fix, but it’s often the problem. Test this by pushing the manual open button on your wall switch.  If that opens the garage, your battery almost definitely needs to be changed.

You should also make sure that the antenna on the main unit (usually hanging below the opener itself) is properly aligned and pointed down.  The signal will fail if the remote isn’t aligned.

Your second moves are still easy

The next step is to consider buying a universal garage door opener.  These are less prone to failure in the first place – they have more range and are more reliable than regular remote controls.

You should also give the sensors a look.  In your standard system, these sensors sit near the door and use a low-intensity LED to ‘talk’ to each other, and if they can’t detect each other, it usually means there’s an obstruction and the door won’t open.  Sometimes, these can fail because of dirt or other debris.  Try cleaning them.  If that doesn’t work, it’s time for garage door sensors replacement. 

You might also want to try replacing the receiver in the remote itself.  This is the unit that detects the radio frequency and transmits between the remote and the opener.  It’s an easy replacement.