You rely on your garage door day in and day out. But if it starts to give you trouble, your garage door sensor may not be working. This article will talk about what garage door sensors are and how they work. Next, we’ll give you an overview of common problems with garage door sensors. Finally, we’ll let you know how to get the best quality repair services for your garage door.
What Is A Garage Door Sensor?
A garage door sensor is, at its core, a safety device, and its primary job is to stop the motion of the garage door and reverse its movement if it senses an obstruction. Since 1993, these sensors have been required by law to be part of an integrated automatic garage door system.
If the garage door is closing and senses an obstruction in its path, it will automatically stop and open the door back up.
How Does A Garage Door Sensor Work?
While older sensors used to be mechanical, newer garage door sensors are photoelectric. This involves projecting an infrared beam from one end of the garage door to the other. If anything interrupts the invisible beam, the garage door motion reverses automatically. Whether it’s a child on a bicycle, a pet, or anything else, the garage door sensor quickly detects them and stops the garage door from closing. This keeps your family safe and vehicles out of harm’s way.
Garage door sensors can have either a sender and receiver or a sender/receiver combo unit and a reflector, and both designs work similarly.
Why Is My Garage Door Sensor Not Working?
The most common sign of a malfunctioning garage door sensor is if your garage door can open just fine but won’t close. You might also see the door stopping for no apparent reason in the middle of its movement and go back up or down. This can be due to several common reasons:
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An obstructed sensor. If anything is blocking the path of the sensor, it won’t let the door function properly. Check carefully to see if anything is blocking the path of a sensor, including dry leaves, boxes, and pieces of paper. Sometimes, it may be as obvious as a children’s toy or bicycle near the sensor.
A dirty, dusty sensor. Check to see if the sensors mounted near the bottom of your garage door are covered with dust or debris. You can use some paper towels and a general-purpose home cleaning solution to wipe them clean.
A misaligned sensor. The sensors (or sensor and reflector) on either side of your garage door need to be in perfect alignment for the safety system to work. It’s easy to knock them out of alignment accidentally, so try aligning them using the mounting screws. Usually, a light on the sensor lights up or changes color when they’re in alignment.
Conclusion: Contact A Garage Door Specialist for Help
If you still can’t get your garage door to work correctly, call a qualified professional to help.
Garage Door Doctor is your local, family-owned-and-operated installation and repair provider for garage doors and garage door openers. We offer quality work for an honest, fair price. Also, we have over 75 years of combined experience in the business. On top of that, we’re fully insured for your protection. So, if your garage door is giving you trouble or you need help programming your garage door opener, give us a call at (281) 855-9300. We’ll be right on our way!
