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Garage door remote — pull the battery from a stored spare

Garage remote

Storing a spare garage door remote in a drawer for months? Pull the battery first so a slow leak does not corrode the contacts while it sits.

handheld garage door opener remote
Photo: Winxpcn / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

A spare garage door remote that lives in a drawer for months can get corroded contacts from a slowly leaking battery. Pull the battery before it goes into storage.

Store a spare garage door remote without its battery

  1. Open the battery door and remove the cell.
  2. Tape the battery to the back of the remote or bag them together so they stay paired.
  3. Store both somewhere dry and room temperature.
  4. When you need it, insert the battery with the right polarity and test from the driveway.

Honest stop: if the contacts already show white or green crust, clean them first — a new battery alone may not fix it.

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