- Learn what garage door sensors do
- Understand how they can become a problem
- Discover how to fix these sensors and keep your door working properly
Towards the bottom of your garage door tracks are two small sensors that are easy to forget about or never notice at all. Despite their unassuming look, these sensors provide an important safety feature required by law. When these photosensors detect an object or person in their path, they trigger the garage door opener's reverse feature.
When your garage door's photo sensors fail to function properly, they can prevent your door from opening or become a serious safety hazard. Understanding how these sensors work, what problems commonly plague them, and how to resolve issues can help ensure your garage door functions smoothly and safely.
What Are Garage Door Sensors?
Federal law requires automatic garage door openers to include photosensors that sit towards the bottom of the garage door's tracks. One sensor transmits an infrared beam and the other receives that infrared signal. When an object or person blocks that beam, the automatic opener reverses the door to avoid damaging the door and injuring the person.
How to Identify a Garage Sensor Issue
Garage door sensors play such an important safety role that it's hard not to notice when there's an issue with them. Here are a few issues their failure can cause:
- Door does not open: If the photosensors believe something is in the path of a closed garage door, the door will not open. This is intended to prevent the door becoming damaged and injuring the perceived item in the path.
- Door does not close: Sometimes, the door may open as usual but refuse to close. This may be because the sensors are preventing the door from closing on what they believe is an object in the door's path.
- Door closes when it shouldn't: On the other hand, a door may close despite an obstruction in its path. This indicates that the sensors are not aligned and therefore unable to perform their essential safety function.
How to Align Garage Door Sensors
If you notice any of the above problems, there's a good chance that your garage door sensors are misaligned. Besides being a bit of a disruption to your daily schedule, this is an imminent safety hazard. Before aligning the garage door sensors, ensure that everyone else in the house is aware of the issue and avoids using the garage door. Once the room is clear, you can proceed with aligning the sensors:
- Loosen hardware: The sensors should be attached to the tracks with some screws. Loosen these just enough so that you can move the sensors.
- Lower sensors: Move the sensors down as far as possible on the tracks. Setting them towards the bottom means they'll detect just about anything that moves through their path. Setting them too high could let children and pets go undetected in the door's path.
- Use string: You can tie a piece of string to each sensor to ensure they're level and aligned with each other. As an added measure you can use a level to guarantee a perfectly even alignment.
- Check LED Lights: Once the sensors are aligned, observe the LED lights on the sensors. If they're flashing, this indicates that they're still out of alignment. On many garage door sensors, yellow flashing lights indicate misalignment. If they're solid you can proceed.
- Tighten: Once you've ensured they're aligned, you can tighten them back up in place and remove the string between them.
- Test: Test the garage door sensors by opening the door all the way. Then, set the door to close. As the door starts to close, place an item in their path. If the door reverses, repeat the test with the item at different points along the beam's path.
Other Fixes For Garage Door Sensors
When you initially went to align your garage door sensors, you may not have seen the dreaded garage door sensor yellow flashing lights. But there are other potential fixes related to other problems.
- Clean sensors: The garage door sensors are prone to become dirty. If the dirt builds up, it can block the infrared signal and cause the sensors to stop working properly. Cleaning the sensors with a dry rag can help restore them to proper functioning.
- Blocked path: The garage door sensors might not be broken at all. There's always a chance they're detecting an item in the garage door's path. Conducting a thorough search near the sensors can help you eliminate an actual obstruction as a cause of the seeming malfunction.
- Garage door sensor replacement: If the LED lights are completely off or you notice the wiring seems faulty on the sensors, it could be time to replace the garage door sensors entirely. Consider scheduling service for this fix because the installation of new sensors can be complicated.
Don't Bypass the Sensors, We Can Fix Them
Your garage door sensors perform an essential safety function that shouldn't be overlooked. When they malfunction it can cause disruptions or become a nuisance. Some folks may want to know how to bypass garage door sensors as a result, but it's not worth it. The potential safety risks that could result far outweigh the inconvenience they cause.
Instead, remove the inconvenience without additional risk by calling for professional assistance. Our expert garage door maintenance team at Balanced Garage Doors can restore your garage door to working order fast to minimize disruptions to your daily routine. Contact us today to schedule service for your garage door sensors.
