Garage Door Sensors
Garage Door Sensor Issues
Garage doors feature numerous moving parts and can be extremely heavy, with potential for causing significant damage or injury to pets, family members, and property. Due to this potential, all garage doors manufactured in the U.S. after 1993 are required to have garage door sensors and a safety reversing system, which will detect any obstacles between the door and the ground, and reverse or force the garage door to stay open.
What Are Garage Door Sensors?
Modern garage doors are always equipped with a safety reverse mechanism. The most common safety reverse mechanism consists of two safety sensors.
These are typically mounted 4-6 inches from the ground along the garage door track. The sensors are connected by an invisible infrared beam and are programmed to reverse the garage door if an object, person, or animal gets between the two sensors.
Malfunctioning sensors can cause the garage door to remain open or reopen immediately after closing. Most have a light that is programmed to blink to indicate a problem.
A typical safety sensor that you might find in your garage.
Common Problems With Sensors
Dirt or dust on the lenses
Misalignment due to jarring or movement during normal use
In rare cases, the lens can become damaged and need to be replaced
How to Fix Garage Door Sensors
Be sure to disconnect your garage door system from the power supply before attempting any repair or cleaning. To evaluate and repair broken sensors, Precision Garage Door recommends the following steps:
1
Check for any obstructions in the doorway that may be interrupting the connection between the sensors.
2
Thoroughly clean both lenses. We recommend using a cotton swab and rubbing alcohol clean the lenses.
3
Inspect the wires that lead to the sensors for any damage or fraying.
4
Check their alignment. Ensure that both amber and green lights are on, solid, and not flickering. If adjustment is needed, tighten the attached garage door brackets.
If they’re still malfunctioning or you think there’s a problem with your garage door opener, call Precision Garage Door of Providence for a diagnosis and same-day repairs.
Have Garage Door Problems?
Call Precision Door of
Providence 24/7
Call 24/7
