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.
Pulse Width Modulation (PWM)
Pulse 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 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.
