Here’s a guide on when to replace faulty garage door sensors, as prepared by the expert Charleston garage door repair team here at A1 Garage Door Charleston.
What exactly do garage door sensors do?
Garage door sensors help to detect whether something or someone is underneath the garage door. This helps reduce the risk of danger. There are a few kinds of garage door sensors available on the market today, with the most common type of garage door sensor being a photo eye sensor. Also known as a safety eye, photo I sensors have two components that look like tiny cameras. These cameras are placed on opposite sides of the frame of the garage door, around two and 6 inches off the floor.
When the garage door sensor is activated, the photo I cameras will send a photoelectric beam across the opening of the garage. If there’s anything in the garage door, opening, like an object, a child, or an animal, they will block the beam, and the garage door sensor will prevent the garage door from closing. If the garage door is in the process of closing, when the sensor finds an object, the door will reverse direction and open. When garage photo safety eyes get misaligned, they won’t work properly, and won’t be able to create a beam. This will cause the sensor to think that something is blocking the door.
How can I detect garage door sensor misalignment?
Misalignment is a common issue with garages since garage safety, Isaac, low to the ground, making it very easy for somebody to accidentally bump into them. Garage door vibrations can also knock photosensor eyes out of alignment.
Visually Inspection for Garage Photo Eye Sensor Misalignment
Close your garage door manually. Look at the light on one of your photo eyes. If the light has a solid, yellow or green light, it is aligned with an improper working order. I’ll check to see if the light is solid yellow or green. If any of the lights are flashing, they are misaligned.
Additional Tips for Malfunctioning Garage Door Photo Eyes
- Wipe dirty photo eyes off with a soft microfiber cloth
- If the sun is interfering with the photo eye, switch your sensor positions so that the transmitting sensor is on the side of the door that doesn’t experience direct sunlight. You can also install a sun shield in the front of the sensor to block out the sun but not the beam
- If there’s no light on either sensor, it might not be receiving power. Try unplugging it and plugging it in again, and inspect your circuit breaker to ensure that the circuit hasn’t tripped. Sometimes loose or frayed wires can disrupt power to sensors – if this is the case, we recommend fully replacing the sensor.
How can I fix garage door photo eye misalignment?
Adjust the sensors yourself. Measure the height of each sensor from the ground to ensure they are at the same height. If they are not, raise or lower them until they are at equal height – use a level to do so. Garage sensors can get misaligned from getting loose. If you can wiggle the garage sensor back and forth, you will need to tighten it. You might need to tighten a nut or a screw after realigning the photo eye. If the garage door then closes fully with the remote, you have fixed the issue.