Imagine you are sitting on your couch at night, watching television, and suddenly your garage door opens by itself. Spooky? Yes. Ghosts? Definitely not.

In fact, while it is quite rare, there are several reasons that your electric garage door could open on its own:

1. If your garage door was manufactured after 1993, it is equipped with several safety mechanisms. One of the safety mechanisms is a photoelectric sensor that is designed to prevent the garage door from closing on someone or something. At the bottom of your garage door, on either side of the frame, are little black boxes that shoot a laser beam across the door path to one another. If either of those sensors is dirty, or if they have become misaligned the beam will be blocked and the garage door will register this as an object and open. Wipe your sensors off now and then, especially during the fall and winter seasons.
2. During the fall and winter seasons, high winds and heavy rains can cause debris and dust to blow around and accumulate at the threshold of your garage door. If your garage door is not able to make a good seal and close all the way, it could be prompted to spontaneously open, as part of the safety mechanisms built in.
3. If there was recently a thunderstorm, lightning, or power outage that has been restored, a power surge could cause the electrical circuits in your garage door opener to go haywire, leading to your garage door to be opened inadvertently.
4. One final scenario would be if your garage door opener was manufactured before 1993, it could have the same code as a neighbor’s – meaning that when they open their garage door yours could also open.

During this time of year when the debris and dust can be much thicker due to storms and winds, make sure to wipe off the sensors on either side of your garage door often. This can be done with a simple damp cloth or baby wipe, and will ensure that the sensors are getting a good line of laser beam so that the garage door stays closed tight and secure.