Garage door problem: Door opens and closes by itself

In some rare cases, a garage door will automatically open or close, regardless if the homeowner has instructed it to.

"This is actually a very rare problem of all the garage door installation problems you can have, but when it happens, it's usually a short in the circuit board," says Andrew Richards, owner of highly rated Atlanta garage door repair company, Legacy Garage Doors.

Besides the circuit board having a short, any number of mechanisms that are involved in making the door open and close could be the cause of the ghost door movement. These issues include shorts in the wall button, the wall button wiring, the wired keypad or other related electronic issues.

Additionally, there are some other interesting explanations as to why a garage door may open and close on its own. The remote could be sending out random signals; this is usually a sign that the remote is defective or that the batteries are wearing out.

CB radios, police radios, a nearby radio station or radio tower can also make a door open and close on its own.

Richards says it's rare, but in some instances, a door will open and close by itself because someone else has your code or frequency. If you suspect your neighbor has an identical garage door opener frequency, try changing your code or the frequency of your door opener. If the problem stops, you'll know the cause. If not, you may want to call a professional to help you troubleshoot the issue.