Garage Door Sensors – Top Safety Tips

Few homeowners consider the advantages of adding garage door sensors. But they should. In this article we highlight why the simple addition of sensors on your garage door can improve safety on your property. Read on to learn more.

Garage Door Sensors 101: Why They Matter for Safety

Considering Garage Door Sensors? Here are our top tips

Garage door sensors are two small parts at the bottom of the door tracks. They each use an invisible beam that goes across the floor of the garage opening. When the door is closing, if anything breaks the beam, the door will stop and go back up. The reason this system is important is because the door is very heavy. A garage door can hurt people or pets fast if the sensors are not working.

If the door sensors are not good anymore, you will need to get new ones. The cost for a professional service to replace both sensors is about $150.

If you travel and use house sitters, working sensors are a must. A sitter may not know how your door works. Pets at home can go in and out of the garage. This guide shows how sensors work. It covers the issues that stop them from working. It also tells you what to check before you leave your home.

How Garage Door Sensors Work

Garage door safety sensors use a simple idea. One device sends a small beam of light. The other sensor watches for this beam. If the beam stays on, the garage door opener knows the way is clear. This keeps your garage door safe to use.

The Sending and Receiving Sensors

• One sensor is called the sending eye. It shoots an infrared beam across the garage opening. The other sensor, called the receiving eye, sits on the other side and catches the beam.
• Both sensors are set low on the door tracks. Most of the time, they are no more than about 6 inches above the floor. This spot lets the beam spot small children and pets.
• The sensors attach to the opener with thin low-voltage wires. The wires run by the wall or along the tracks.

What the Sensor Indicator Lights Mean

• Most sensors have a small LED light on each eye. A steady light means that the sensor is powered and lines up the right way.
• A blinking light or a light that is off often shows the beam is blocked, the sensors do not line up, or there is a wiring problem.
• Light colors and patterns from sensors are not the same in each brand, so the opener’s manual is the best place to look for what they mean.

Photo-Eye Sensors vs. Auto-Reverse Force Settings

• Photo-eye sensors stop the door from touching anything in the opening.
• The auto-reverse force setting adds another safety step. It makes the door go back if it pushes against something that the sensor did not “see.”
• Both systems need to work at the same time. You should never depend on just one to handle the job for the other.

Why Garage Door Sensors Matter for Safety

The garage door is the biggest thing that moves in most homes. Sensors are what keep you safe from the heavy door and anything under it.

Protecting Children and Pets

• Young kids and pets move fast. They do not see the risk when the door closes. A working sensor acts quicker than any grownup can.
• Dogs and cats often run into the garage right at the end. They do this when they hear a car or someone they know.
• If you have house sitters looking after your pets, working sensors keep them safe. The sitters may not even notice that safety is there.

Preventing Damage to Cars and Belongings

• A door that closes on a car bumper, bike, or storage bin can dent the panels, bend the tracks, and hurt what is under it.
• This kind of hit can make the door lose balance. That often leads to more costly fixes in the future.
• Sensors also help keep the bottom seal and the lowest panel safe, since they get the most damage when a door closes on something it should not.

Federal Safety Requirements for Garage Door Openers

• Since 1993, federal law in the U.S. requires all automatic garage door openers to have a safety feature like photo-eye sensors.
• If you have a garage door opener made before this time, it might not have sensors. That is a good reason to look into getting a new one.
• If you disconnect or try to bypass the sensors because the garage door acts up, you take away this safety feature. This puts people at risk.

Common Garage Door Sensor Problems

When sensors stop working, the door often will not close. Sometimes it reverses, and you do not know why. Many problems come from a few main things. Some issues get worse because of the weather in your area.

Misaligned Garage Door Sensors

• A hit from a trash can, bike, or car tire can move the sensor a bit. A small change can make the beam stop working.
• If mounting brackets are loose, the sensors can move slowly over time. This happens more if the door shakes while it goes up or down.
• A sensor that is not lined up like it should be often shows a blinking or weak light on one side. If you see this after something hit the track, the problem is likely with alignment.

Dirty or Blocked Sensor Lenses

• Dust, cobwebs, and pollen can get on the lens and make the beam weak. Then the eye may not pick up the signal.
• Things kept close to the tracks, such as brooms, boxes, or a pet bed, can block the beam. People might not see it happen.
• It is good to wipe the lenses with a soft, dry cloth. Never use strong cleaners, as these could scratch or make the lens cloudy.

Sun Glare, Humidity, and Florida Weather

• A strong sun in the morning or late afternoon can shine right into the sensor eye and make it not work right. This often happens for homes in Florida that have garages facing west or east.
• Jacksonville gets a lot of humidity and heavy storms in summer. These can cause water on the lens and rust on the wire connections.
• Bugs and small lizards can get around the sensor housing. They might block the beam.

Damaged Sensor Wiring

• The thin sensor wires can be chewed by pests. They can be pinched by shelves or come loose at the opener. Storms and power surges can hurt the opener’s circuit board.
• When the lights flicker, turn off, or the issue keeps coming back, it might be in the wiring. For those problems, booking Garage Door Repair in Jacksonville is a safer way than guessing. A technician can check the whole circuit.

How to Check Your Garage Door Sensors

A quick look can help you know if the sensors are working or if they need to be checked. These steps are to see, not fix, what is wrong. Most people can do this at home safely.

Simple Visual Checks

• Look at the indicator lights on both sensors. Try to match what you see with what your opener’s manual shows as a normal signal.
• Make sure both sensors face one another and sit at the same height. Also, check to see if anything is blocking the beam.
• Check if any of the lenses are cracked. See if the brackets look bent or if any wires hang loose along the wall.

Testing the Safety Reverse Feature

• Many makers say you should check the sensors about one time each month. A simple way to test this is to shut the door and move something, like a broom handle, across the beam. The door must stop and go back.
• Do not test the sensors using your own body, a kid, or any pet.
• If the door keeps going down after the beam is broken, do not use the automatic opener. Have it looked at first.

When to Call a Professional

• Call for help if the door still will not close after you clear the path and clean the lenses.
• Get it checked if the sensors work some days and not others, or if the lights change for no clear reason.
• Anything to do with the opener’s wiring, circuit board, or force settings should be handled by a trained technician.

Keeping Your Garage Door Sensors Reliable

Sensors are small and not expensive. They work best when used in a door system that is well taken care of. A bit of planning helps them stay reliable for a long time.

Routine Garage Door Maintenance

• Regular garage door maintenance means you need to check if the sensors line up right. You have to clean the lenses. You also want to test the safety reverse, plus check the other parts of the door.
• A yearly service visit is a good practice. If you live in a place that gets a lot of storms or is humid, doing this twice a year is better.
• You should keep the floor near the tracks clear. That way, stored items will not move into the beam.

Upgrading an Older Garage Door Opener

• If your garage door opener is over 15 years old, the sensors and safety parts might not work well or could be old.
• New garage door openers may have brighter indicator lights, battery backup, and alerts on your phone that show when the garage door is open.
• If the garage door is old too, getting a new garage door and opener put in by a pro means the sensors, springs, and settings will fit right together from the beginning.

Preparing Your Sensors Before You Travel

• Test the sensors one or two weeks before you go. This gives time for any fix if needed.
• Point out the sensors to your house sitter. Ask them to keep pet beds, bins, and bikes off the tracks.
• Put a quick note in your house guide. Tell them what to do if the door does not close and who to call.

Small Sensors, Big Protection for Your Home

Garage door sensors sit close to the ground, so it’s easy to not notice them. Still, they help keep people, pets, and things safe. They work every day, even when someone is watching your home for you.

If your sensors blink, your door goes back the other way, or you feel unsure about your opener’s safety features, Jacksonville Garage Door can look at the system. They will test it and see if all works like it should.

FURTHER READING

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