Garage door opening spontaneously - only partially

[go4donuts]

Hello GarageJournalers,

I haven't been on the site much lately, but I have a new twist on an old problem.

A couple of years ago I told you about the problem I was having with my garage door opening by itself in the middle of the night, and about the solution I came up with to stop that. (remotely controlled switch to disable the power) For reference, here is a link to that thread.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=216820

That solution of turning off the power to the garage door opener has been working great - I've been able to sleep at night confidently knowing that my garage door can't open by itself.

But there is a weird new chapter to the problem. On several occasions in the last few months I have gone out to the garage in the morning and found the door open about four inches. The first time it happened I thought I must have done it, because I will sometimes crack the door open a bit to get some cross ventilation. But it has happened a couple times since then, and I'm sure I did not open it or prematurely stop the closure. I am baffled. As per the old thread linked above, the power to my garage door opener is turned off while I am not actually operating the door, and even if I forgot to turn off the power and it got activated somehow, the door should be open all the way - like before. The door is always mechanically connected to the door opener chain.

How could the door possibly move at all, and why would it just open about four inches?

The only idea I had was that maybe the spring tension was set too high and was popping the door open. But I've tried tugging the door to see if it would pop up - it didn't. I also, have disconnected the mechanical emergency disconnect and tried lifting the door manually - I can lift it, but it definitely has no tendency to pop up by itself.

Any ideas?

 

[REDONE]

My first thought is some radio signal (any HAMers nearby?) transmitting on a harmonic frequency to the garage doors reciever intermittently triggering the opener on and off real quick. My second thought is if your garage door opener has a pressure safety (if it feels pressure before the "down" signal reached it pops back up) it may be malfunctioning. I had one of the first belt-drive Craftsman openers and when I had a broom head in the doorway I didn't notice, the door would hit it then pop back up about 4-6" and stop. That measurement is the only thing that makes me think of that feature. Mine did it immediately, not some time later after I walked away.

BUT with the power completely shut off to the opener, it's probably a ghost. Did someone die in your house or was it possibly built on an ancient burial ground?

 

[go4donuts]

> Did someone die in your house or was it possibly built on an ancient burial ground?

Someone is GOING to die at my house, and my potato patch will become a burial ground if I catch someone in my garage in the middle of the night.

 

[rburke65]

Well......iyou haven't any power to the opener, then......how is this possible?

 

[bdbecker]

If the door doesn't open by itself with the opener arm disconnected, I would suspect foul play. Time to install a slide lock.

 

[gnpenning]

Do the activation lights still work? Is the power to your power cut off staying off? My guess that it has started to fail allowing power to the opener at random times. You mentioned in your original post you bought 2 for the remote. Try swapping them.

Frequencies for GDO has changed again due to the issue's you where having.


Please do not install a slide lock without disconnecting the opener arm. If the opener tries to open the door with the lock engaged, unless your opening force is set very low the weak link will give. Normally a bad thing.

 

[KRB52]

Local punk kid, looks like this:

 

[gregtwojeeps]

Time for a security camera and recorder maybe.

 

[krcoomer]

My father in law had one that would open from lightning striking nearby or other electrical interference. Resetting codes helped, but one day after we did that it went up while I was standing there with no reasonable explanation. All the remotes were in cars inside the garage with me and it was a little freaky. That one got replaced shortly thereafter. If you are not quite ready to replace you might try a putting a sensitive (spendy) surge protector on it.

 

[matt_i]

When I was a kid, I recall a small airplane flying nearby that caused our garage door to go crazy, up/down/up/down until it was out of sight. But with power disconnected and no actual tendency to lift, then someone else must be assisting.

 

[tallgrass1951]

I had the same problem a couple of years ago. We would find the door open in the mornings or when we came home from work. Drove me crazy for a few months. Then one day I was in the yard and the garage door started to close on it's own. I noticed a neighbor 3 houses down was using his keypad. I walked down and asked him if he would do it again....and my garage door opened. Evidently we were programing at the same time or randomly got the same code. I re-programed my garage door opener and have not had any issues since.

 

[OutLore]

Is the safety catch actually "catching"?

 

[go4donuts]

Is the safety catch actually "catching"?

I don't know what you mean. Where is this safety catch?

 

[go4donuts]

Several people have suggested that someONE must be responsible for this. This seems kinda paradoxical...because on one hand it is the only thing that makes any sense, and yet it makes absolutely no sense.

In terms of someone doing this by having access to and operating the controls, no one else but my wife and I have access to the garage and she doesn't go out there without me. Even if someone was doing this, what would be the motivation for opening it, AND leaving it open four inches each time?

If the theory is that someone is attempting to "break in", there are no signs of any break in attempt - no pry marks, scratch mark, scuff marks, foot prints, hand prints on either the walk-in door or big doors. If someone was trying to break in, why would the door be in the same condition all three times. Seems to me if they tried and failed once, I think they would up their game the next time and either get it open farther or try something different.

I have trouble imagining the phantom voltage spike, electronic anomaly, or radio interference scenario that would 1) cause the power switch to turn on, 2) activate the door opener 3) stop the door opener a moment later, and 3) turn the power off again.

I think the next step would be to set up some kind of recorder. Either a video camera or MacGyver something that would record or announce when it is happens.

And I think I should investigate the ancient burial ground angle - it makes as much sense as anything else.

 

[tallgrass1951]

Have you called the manufacturers customer service department?

 

[OutLore]

I don't know what you mean. Where is this safety catch?

The little handle on a rope that allows you to open the door manually - if it's not actually holding then the door could be opened by hand, and if it's not adjusted properly I guess it could creep open? Someone will probably say it's not possible, but just a thought...

 

[gregtwojeeps]

Let us review what is stated to be facts by the OP . Facts that would open a garage door 4 in. and leave it that way.

1. There was NO power to the opener motor for it to have raised the door with, either by accident or intentionally operating the manual stations or remote.

2. The torsion spring(s) are reported to be in adjustment where it (they) will NOT pull the door up, while the chain drive is disconnected.

3. The door was NOT left up 4 in. by the OP.

Conclusion: The door is being opened by someone or some thing. As I said above, camera and recorder. One camera outside the door , two in the garage. One taking a view of the motor/operator, one on the inside of the door. If the door is recorded moving and the opener is not running and no one is outside or inside tampering with the door, then the OP may want to
Google " demonic entities " .

 

[gungatim]

I would be looking at sources of RFI, especially if your neighbors have similar issues as your original post indicated.

what make/model of GDO do you have?

What remote power outlet do you have, is it the blue tooth one?

I would be looking at the frequencies of those.

or maybe time to just buy a new opener and be done with it?

 

[pmiranda]

Set up a game camera. Maybe you'll get a picture of a Yeti.

 

[mgilde13]

Are you sure that you don't have an emergency back up battery (looks like a motorcycle battery) in your opener? I have one in mine and I know that it doesn't have enough juice to lift the door all the way up when there's no power. Just a thought.