I installed a Craftsman garage door opener recently. The door will occasionally open/close on its own. Do you have a remedy?

Jimmy K EXPERT March 23, 2009

Intermittent opening and closing is usually caused by radio frequency (rf) signal in the area. Many things around the house can cause rf frequency to leak out. This strong signal will confuse the logic board on the garage door opener and cause it to open or close sometimes. Look at the led on the motor unit of the garage door opener, if it is blinking you have some rf signal in the area. If you have old remotes left over from a previous opener, remove the battery from them.

To search for something in your home that might be causing rf, begin by removing the battery from 1 remote. If there is no change put that battery back and remove the other one. Unplug one garage door opener, if there is no change plug that opener in and unplug the other one.

If you have lost or replaced a remote in the past, search through drawer and couch and chair cushions for the missing remote and remove the battery. These are the most common reasons for short range.

To determine if the rf is coming from something in the garage or house, turn the house circuit breakers off one at a time. Try a remote after each breaker is turned off. If the range improves, the rf is coming from something on that circuit.

If you don't find anything causing the short range, you can schedule service and get a Sears technician to check the openers. Sears technicians carry a meter that will find the source of the rf signal.