Most Common Garage Door Safety Sensor Issues
The garage door safety sensor is one of the most undervalued components of a garage door. Safety sensors are put in place to monitor the position of the door at all times, and they can save you money on repairs and injuries. On the other hand, they can cause a slew of issues if they are not maintained regularly. In this post, learn more about typical garage door safety sensor issues and how to easily fix them.
The garage door refuses to close
A malfunctioning garage door is the first clue that anything is amiss with your garage sensor. One symptom of a faulty sensor is when your door opens without a glitch but has difficulties closing. Other times, the door will close only to reverse upon closing fully. Something disrupts the sensors in both circumstances, causing them to react as though there was a barrier between them. The door automatically reopens to avoid an accident that could harm an object or injure the person beneath it.
To test if the sensors are at fault, place a few cardboard boxes about 6 inches (15 cm) in height on the path of your open garage door. If your sensors are working properly, the door will remain open when you push the close button on the remote. Or your door may start descending, but it will reverse its direction before it touches the boxes. If the door fully closes as if there are no boxes in its path, or it reopens after hitting the boxes, it means the sensor has failed.
The sensor light is out or blinking
Your garage door sensor has a green LED light illuminating the sensor that sends the light beam, and a red LED light illuminating the other that receives it. Any of these two lights will go out or blink if there is a problem with the sensors. That typically implies the beam between them has been disrupted, or the sensors are not on the same level. If the red light is blinking but the green light is not, the sensors are out of alignment. Adjust them by moving them slightly until both lights are no longer blinking.
Obstructed sensor lenses
Dust and debris will gather on the sensor lenses regularly, especially if your garage is located on a busy street and your garage door is always open. The lenses are the size of a pea, so they get filthy quickly and stop transmitting the signal to close the door. This can easily be resolved by wiping and carefully cleaning the sensor lens. Scrape the cobweb from around the garage door using a brush, and then wipe away the dust with a soft cloth.
Too much humidity can also cause sensor malfunction. You should expect little drops of water to penetrate the sensor if you reside in a rainy region. Simply wipe the sensors on the outside with a dry towel. Then unscrew the metal holders, and do the same if the inside is damp. To see if you have successfully solved the problem, test it using the cardboard boxes. Check that the sensors are receiving an uninterrupted signal so that the door opens and closes normally.
The sensor has no power supply
If both lights on the sensors are off, the sensors are powerless and unable to respond. Check to see if the cable is unplugged, as this will prevent the garage door from closing. Due to a voltage decrease or a power outage, the fuse may blow. The sensors will be able to operate once the power supply has been restored.
Garage door safety sensor repair service from Palms Garage Doors
Do you need garage door safety sensor replacement in San Jose, California? Palms Garage Doors is a garage door repair service provider with years of experience in garage door installation and residential garage door repair. If you urgently need your safety sensors replaced, call us at (833) 833-3361 for same-day service.
