Garage Door Remote Stopped Working?
You’re pressing the button, but nothing’s happening. If your garage door remote has stopped working then you’re losing out on the joys of automated garage doors. The whole point of an electric garage door is convenience, so you can drive straight in and out without having to get out of the car or do any straining to push or pull the door up.
It’s frustrating when this happens, but don’t lose hope, Doormatic are here to help. Here are our five tips for getting your garage door remote working again – see if any of the following work for you and your garage.
Six Checks for Garage Door Remotes
We recommend tackling these in order, helping with the most simple solutions first before taking more serious measures to regain control of your automated garage door.
The IR
The infrared eyes on both the remote and the receiver in the garage could simply need a quick dusting. If the signal is blocked by thick dirt or dust, this could be the cause of the problem. These look like tiny red dots, usually raised “eye”, and can simply be wiped to try and rule out this issue. Don’t forget to clean both, as it only takes one of them to be blocking the infrared signal.
Batteries
Sometimes the convenience of an electric garage door is lost on us, but it obviously requires power from somewhere to work. In the case of your garage door remote, it’s likely to be batteries. Try changing the batteries in your garage door remote – this might be as simple as popping off the back panel or unscrewing the panel if it’s locked in place. Fresh batteries might be all that is needed, but if you’ve put new ones in and the problem still persists, keep the back panel off the remote for the next step.
Connections
So you’ve put fresh batteries in, but it still won’t work. Have a look at the connectors where both ends of the batteries sit. Do they look wet, crusted or discoloured in any way? If so, be sure to remove the batteries and dry it out. To remove any crusted corrosion which might be affecting the remote, get a small cotton bud and use a small amount of either lemon juice or vinegar to then rub the corrosion away. Be careful not to soak the remote in the juice or vinegar, you only need a very small amount on the cotton bud. Wipe away any mess or moisture and replace the batteries to see if the remote works again.
Resetting
A hard reset might help to restore working order to your garage door if the above steps haven’t worked. This means taking the batteries out of the remote and putting them back in again while unplugging the receiver in the garage at the source. Once you reconnect the power to the motor in the garage, you may have given the system a reset. Try using the remote from a safe distance again, before moving on to the next step.
Reprogramming
Reprogramming your garage door remote may require you to consult the manufacturer’s instruction manual. Usually, the process involves holding a button on the remote and a button on the motor unit at the same time to pair the two, but this can vary by make and model so if you’re not sure – and you can’t find any guidance in the manual – you will be better off seeking assistance from professionals like our garage door engineers here at Doormatic.
Replacement
If none of the above steps has worked, it might be time to replace your garage door remote. If your garage door motor is a very old model, it might also be time to consider upgrading to a newer, modern system. Whatever you need to get your garage door remote working again, speak to the experts at Doormatic. We’ll be able to advise you on a suitable replacement – whether that’s for parts or full systems.
With over 20 years of experience serving customers throughout Surrey, Kent, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and the surrounding region, at Doormatic we have the expertise and knowledge to help solve any issue with automated garage doors. Let us help you today, get in touch with our team and we’ll make sure you get back the convenience of your electric garage door.
