Affiliate Disclosure: We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
The kind of amusement you express when a garage door keeps reversing by going up and down without being controlled is less compared to the danger attributed to it which is why you must be aware of the reasons behind it and the possible ways to get it solved.
The major reason why your garage door keeps going up and down is due to a fault with the photo eyes sensors that came with your opener. The sensors could either be broken, dirty, or obstructed by a few things.
Aside from that, there are some other reasons attributed to a reversing garage door when it is not being controlled. Keep reading to enlighten yourself on how to fix the issue.
Why Does My Garage Door Keep Going Up and Down?
Apart from the sensors, some underlying reasons could either be minor or major that cause a new or old garage to keep going up and down. Below are the reasons but before then let’s check the major reason.
1. Faulty Sensors
Faulty sensors are the major reason why your garage door will accept to perform a mini-drama by opening and closing against its will and your will. The sensors are the ones that transmit and receive the signal from the remote whenever you need the door to be opened and closed.
Therefore, when these sensors are broken, they start to malfunction and send signals to each other as they wish. A dirty sensor blocked with dust from the garage room will also receive a wrong signal from the other clean sensor and therefore will keep reversing until it gets a clear signal.
A sensor can locate things blocking the garage door and whenever it sees something like that, it either reverses and stays there or keeps reversing until the way is clear. The obstruction might be very little as a pin and this is made possible if the photo eye sensor is very sharp and clean.
2. Faulty Or Worn Out Logic Board
The opener which is responsible for the opening and closing of an electric garage door has a logic board, where the whole process of movement goes on.
Your garage door will operate against its will whenever the logic board is worn out or faulty due to frequent use the logic board wears out depending on how frequently you open your garage door.
3. Alteration In The Travel Limit Settings
The limit setting is done with the limit switch and this controls the distance of the garage door when it is being opened or closed.
Whenever the limit setting is being tampered with, the door will not get to the floor before stopping and whenever it realizes it’s not getting to the floor, it will reverse up, thinking there is an obstruction on the way.
4. Opener Code
The issue could be from the opener code. You might be having the same opener code as your neighbor which will also control your garage door when theirs is being opened and also control theirs when you open yours.
This is easily identified when your garage door suddenly opens and closes without you operating it for days, or you notice your garage door opens at the same time as that of your neighbor. The signal interference could also be from a radio station in the neighborhood or the police radio.
5. Damaged Sensor Control Wire
Whenever the sensor’s control wire is bitten by mice or damaged by any other thing, the sensor will either stop working or send a wrong signal to the other sensor, thereby making the door open and close either three times before stopping or reversing continually.
The problem could also be from the wall switch wiring leading to the motor unit. Whenever the wire accidentally brushes the metal part of the garage door, the wire will be left exposed or loose and cause the wall switch to start malfunctioning, thereby activating the door on its own.
The amazing thing about this issue is that the garage door will get to the floor before reversing again.
6. The Wall Switch
Apart from the garage door reversing due to loose or damaged wire connection for the wall switch, the wall switch control button is another important thing.
The control button might get stuck due to old age, dirt, or any damage which will thereby send a signal control to the opener which in most cases is wrong, and of such wrong cases is the opening and closing of the garage door.
If the down or up key on the remote control is stuck in the hole, dust in the remote control circuit board or the remote batteries are wrongly placed, the garage door might keep reversing.
7. Unexpected Power Surges
Power surges always bring about a damaged electrical circuit which might cause the garage door to keep opening and closing due to the sudden surge, especially when the door is in motion during the occurrence.
How To Fix A Garage Door That Keeps Going Up And Down?
A problem identified is easy to fix and applies to a garage door. Once you identify the reasons behind your garage door going up and down, then you will be able to either fix it on your own or call a specialist to help you with it.
However, there is a high tendency that you might not be able to solve the issues on your own if you do not have any DIY garage door tips.
Below are the mini ways to get your garage door stable, which includes fixing the major reason.
1. Clean or Replace The Sensors
Dirty/blocked sensors are one of the major reasons why your garage door keeps going up and down, and this can be cleaned systematically. Most causes of dirt on the lens of the photo eye sensor issues result from dust from the garage broom or spider web.
Below are the ways to fix your dirty or blocked sensors:
- Use a dry soft cloth and a short broom for cleaning.
- Locate the lens attached to metal brackets at each bottom of the garage door.
- Fold the soft cloth around your index finger and clean the lenses and the whole metal bracket with a dry soft cloth.
- Use your small broom to get rid of the spider web by killing it before wiping the dirt off the lenses and their surroundings.
- Try closing the garage door, if it closes and does not open again, the problem is from the dirty sensors.
- If it reverses, then try checking the door for anything serving as an obstruction. A pin, a leaf, or a piece of paper could be the obstruction, depending on how sensitive the lenses are.
- Using your broom, sweep the garage door floor, including the doorway, as this will help eliminate any obstruction on the way.
- Clean the lenses again and test the door; if the garage door stops reversing, then the issue is solved; if it does not, it is not from the sensors.
- Check out other causes, as the problem could be the sun rays blocking the signal. Try blocking the sun rays and test the garage door with a remote control.
- If the garage door stops reversing, then the problem is from the sun rays, which will require you to get a sun shield to prevent future occurrences.
- If it keeps going up and down, then check out other problems and get them fixed.
2. Replace Your Garage Door Logic Board
Whenever your door keeps going up and down in a slow manner, the problem is likely from the opener logic board as the slow movement is a result of a worn-out logic board. THE BEST WAY TO GET THIS SOLVED IS TO REPLACE THE LOGIC BOARD.
However, you need to be more careful and change it immediately when the garage door starts operating normally without any troubleshooting, as the logic board is on its way to stopping working completely, which is very risky, especially during winter.
3. Adjust Your Limit And Travel Settings
Use a flat screwdriver to adjust the limit switch and also adjust the limit switch settings. After doing this, your garage door will start functioning well.
4. The Control Wire
Change the whole control wire from the one directly attached to the sensor to the one between the wall switch and the opener if it is also damaged. Get a professional to help fix the control wire to prevent any malfunction in the future.
5. Replace The Wall Switch
If your wall switch is old or the button is stuck, replace it with a new one and ensure the wire is tightly fixed to the wall switch, with the red wire entering the red terminal and the white wire entering the white terminal.
Simply, go for the same model of the old wall switch to avoid any further complications and if your opener’s model is old, consider getting a new model of opener.
The remote control should also be attended to by opening it, blowing off the dust from the circuit board, and fixing the batteries aright. Remove the stuck button controls, or replace the remote control with a new one of the same model.
6. Reset Your Garage Door Opener
The issue could be from the opener itself, and this can be easily fixed by resetting it.
Before resetting it, switch off the opener from the circuit breaker and unplug it from the power outlet, allowing it to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
Then, plug your opener into the power outlet and put on the opener from the circuit breaker. Reset the opener from the remote control, setting the down arrow as the key used in closing the door and the up arrow as the key used in opening the door. Test the garage door by controlling it from the remote.
Conclusion
The going up and down of your garage door is one of the faults of the garage door that has to do with the sensors and the opener. To prevent this occurrence after fixing it, ensure your garage room and the lenses of the sensors are always free of dirt and obstruction.
Ensure you get a garage door specialist v to help fix the wiring connection and replacement of the logic board. Do not purchase a new sensor, logic board, and wall switch without your garage door specialist’s counsel, or give him the task of getting it for you.
Moreover, the fixing of the damaged electrical circuit should be done by a professional electrician or a garage door professional, and the opener code and frequency should be changed to a new one.
