Neighborhood Garage Door Service

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Garage Door Interference from LED Lights

If you are experiencing problems with your garage door not working properly, Neighborhood Garage Door Repair of Stamford, CT knows what might be the culprit. Taking a look at the type of lighting you use near your garage door could be causing problems with your garage door opener. If any LED lighting is nearby, you may have found the cause of the problem.

LED lights may interfere with your garage doorPulse Width Modulation (PWM)

Why would LED (light emitting diode) lights be the problem? The answer to that question lies within the LED light’s control panel, which is how these lights get their long, energy-saving lifespan.

A feature called pulse width modulation, or PWM, gives the lights their efficiency by turning the lights on and off more than 15 times per second. This means the light is actually on for only half of the amount of time, which is how it saves energy. You do not realize that they are not on the entire time due to the persistence of vision phenomenon.

The government has guidelines for the manufacturers of LED lights which requires the control circuits to run on frequencies between 30 and 300 MHZ. Most garage door opener remotes coincidently have been assigned to operate on frequencies between 288 and 360 MHZ.

When Fluorescent Lights Interfere

Once, around Christmas time, a large apartment complex began receiving complaints of overhead door openers not working properly. They finally traced the problem to a Christmas light display that used a large amount of LED lights. Whenever the Christmas lights were turned on, it interfered with the garage door openers, causing them to go haywire.

Homeowners have also experienced problems when they switched from incandescent light bulbs to fluorescent lights, which are also known as CFLs (compact fluorescent lights) in their garage. Because of this, some garage door dealers have been advising their customers to avoid using LED or CELs versus traditional fluorescent lighting, despite the savings in cost.

Loosely Regulated FCC Standards

Products such as radio-controlled toy cars, overhead door openers, and other low powered devices with a limited range are causing the problem. That is becomes items like these that are classified by the Federal Communications Commission as “license free spectrum or bands” have been very loosely regulated. When the manufacturers of these products control the frequency emissions, they are basically on the honor system.

signal leak can interfere with your garage doorSignal Leaks

Even the best-designed products can sometimes cause problems unintentionally from signal leaking outside of their intended use. Because of these, airlines have a very strict policy, which explains why all cellular phones must be turned off prior to takeoff. This is also why gas stations request that you do not use your cell phone while pumping your gas.

Recently at a large shopping mall customers reported problems while trying to unlock their cars by using their remote key units. The problem was eventually traced with the help of a hand-held receiver to a nearby restaurant that used a wireless order placing system.

Solving the Problem

The solution to this problem is to either change the type of lighting, or the brand of bulbs you are currently using. By starting with a different brand of bulbs, you will probably spend the least amount of money. Some foreign-made bulbs that are cheaper in cost seem to be the worst culprits, therefor using a name brand bulb may solve the problem. If that doesn’t work, switching to a less efficient incandescent lighting setup may be what is needed.

If you are experiencing problems with your garage door opener and would like help from a professional, Neighborhood Garage Door Service of Stamford, CT is who you should call. We can help you find the problem, and make the necessary changes so you will not have to experience the problem again in the future.

You Can Trust Us for the Job

positive reviews

They sent Doug Fussell out to my house on the day after Christmas! I had only called them three days before! Doug was a premier technician, very thorough and very efficient. I expected him to take two days, since he was replacing two doors and adding openers on each door. He only took the daylight hours of one day! I could not believe how fast he was! In addition, he thoroughly taught me how to use the remote openers. I highly recommend them to anyone!
~Donald B.

positive reviews

We just bought a home and this company was so understanding as I had to change the appointment time a few times. Then the tech came out and was so kind and helpful. I could not have asked for a better experience and will suggest them to anyone who needs work done on their garage door!
~Tammy K.

positive reviews

My garage door broke on a Saturday night as I was getting ready to leave for a holiday party. Kelvin was here within 30 minutes. He reviewed everything with me that was happening with my door. He gave me the estimates of what was immediately needed to be done in order for my door to raise and then what I will need to have done very soon. I could see all the problems he pointed out to me and I decided to have everything done. He completed everything that night. I was very satisfied with Kelvin’s professionalism and the work he did. Thank you again.
~Joyce N

We Service All Makes and Models of Garage Doors and Openers