Are your garage door sensors not working? Contact a garage door service in Louisville, KY, like Action Overhead Door Inc., immediately.
Garage door sensor issues aren’t just inconvenient. They could also compromise the safety of you and your family.
To fix garage safety sensors, start by learning what could cause them to malfunction to begin with. Below, we explain the seven reasons why these sensors may not be doing their jobs effectively.
1. Physical Obstructions
Sensors play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of your garage door. They prevent a door from closing when a person or object steps in the sensors’ way.
While these sensors must detect physical obstructions and prevent a garage door from closing, their design can sometimes make it appear like they are not working. All it takes is for a box, a broom, or another object to fall in front of one of the sensors for them to stop you from closing your door.
With this in mind, the first thing you should do when you’re wondering, “Why are my garage door eyes not working?” is to check if something has fallen and blocked one of your sensors. Moving it out of the way can get your garage door and its sensors working normally again.
2. Dirt and Grime Buildup
According to a Craftsman survey, about three-fourths of Americans use their garages to store their vehicles. Nearly half utilize them to work on home improvement projects. Approximately 47% use them for gardening projects and other outdoor tasks.
As a result, it should not come as a surprise to hear that the average garage contains its fair share of dirt, dust, and other debris. There are also usually plenty of cobwebs within it.
Each of these factors can contribute to garage door sensors not working. Like the physical obstructions we just alluded to, they can subtly block sensors, preventing a door from closing completely and causing confusion in the process.
Get into the habit of cleaning your sensors periodically to prevent this complication. Cotton swabs and a small amount of rubbing alcohol will suffice.
3. Improper Alignment
When sensors are first installed, a garage door company will work to ensure they align correctly. However, if someone bumps into them, they might become dislodged, impacting their sensor alignment. Garage doors will not function properly when this happens.
Thankfully, a quick garage door sensor adjustment should remedy the situation and have your sensors working like usual in no time. Still, you should keep a close eye on your sensors to stop them from shifting without you noticing. You should also stay as far away from your sensors as possible while in your garage to minimize the chances of accidentally bumping and moving them.
4. Power Supply Problems
Some garage door sensors use battery power. Once the batteries die, they will stop working until you replace them. Monitor these sensors for low battery levels and replace them with fresh batteries as soon as possible.
Other sensors hook up to your home’s electrical system. If this system ever goes down or a fuse blows in your electrical panel, it could cause sensor issues, rendering your door inoperable until power is restored or the fuse is replaced.
5. Damaged Wiring
A 2017 Harris Poll revealed that roughly 37% of Americans see at least one rodent in their houses each year. It also found that almost 40% of these people witnessed rodents running around in their garages.
Hopefully, you will never have mice, rats, or other rodents scurrying around and turning your garage into their home. However, if you do, they could be responsible for garage door opener problems, including those related to malfunctioning sensors.
Rodents are known to nibble on the wiring for these sensors since they are situated just steps inside garages. The weather and regular wear and tear may also damage this wiring, resulting in garage door sensors not working.
6. Sunlight interference
As you troubleshoot garage sensor problems, the sunlight that shines into your garage might not occur to you as a potential cause. It may not seem as though the sun would affect sensors, but believe it or not, sunlight can significantly impair their ability to detect physical obstructions.
Sunlight can interfere with the signals that sensors transmit, causing them to detect objects in their path that are not actually there. This could lead to your garage door refusing to move up and down as it should, even though nothing appears to obstruct its operation.
This is one of the most challenging garage door sensor issues to resolve. It’s best to leave it to a garage door company with extensive experience in choosing the ideal locations for the sensors.
7. Age-Related Failure
Under normal circumstances, a garage door typically lasts between 15 and 30 years. However, its sensors might only last five to 10 years, even if you actively maintain and repair them. You will likely need to replace sensors at least two or three times throughout a door’s lifespan.
If your sensors have been used for over a decade, they may have stopped working simply due to age. In this case, consider replacing them with brand-new sensors to prevent age-related issues from affecting them. Search for high-quality sensors equipped with the latest technology.
Garage Door Sensors Not Working? Contact Us To Schedule Repair Services
If your garage door sensors stop functioning, putting off repairs or replacements should be out of the question. You risk accidents occurring in your garage if you operate the door without fully functioning sensors.
Instead of continuing to use faulty sensors, let Action Overhead Door Inc. help you answer the question, “Why are my garage door sensors not working?” We can inspect your door and its various components to recommend the right repairs for you.
We can also assist you with other issues, such as resetting a garage door opener if you ever need to do so. Call us at 502-955-7725 to take advantage of our superior services.
