When it comes to garage door maintenance, the sensors are one of the most crucial components to check. They’re also one of the easiest to forget since they are small, don’t make any noise, and are unobtrusively placed.
The experts at Action Overhead Door use several tools and procedures to ensure your garage door opener’s safety sensors are working properly. Learn more about the steps required to test sensor alignment and for troubleshooting any issues that may arise as a result of a malfunction.
The Purpose of Garage Door Sensors
Sensors are integral to your garage door opening system. If you’ve never taken the time to look, you’ll find them nestled in brackets along either side of the door.
The sensors aim an infrared beam at each other near the area where the garage door touches the ground when it closes. If the connection between them is broken, the system treats it as an obstruction, preventing the door from closing.
This garage door safety mechanism ensures that no small children or pets can get caught in the closing door. It also prevents bicycles and vehicles from getting damaged.
What You Can Do When the Sensors Don’t Work Correctly
A few different situations can lead to an interruption in the infrared beam or the function of the sensors. While running your tests of the sensor, focus on the most common reasons they stop working, as this will give you a better chance of figuring out what’s happening. Some people then prefer to call a professional for help to repair the actual problem.
Look for an Obstruction
If an object, such as a box or the back end of the car, is positioned between the sensors, the door may not operate properly. Move any items that could be blocking the infrared beam and try pressing the opener button to see whether it starts working again.
Inspect the area of the sensor that creates the beam. If it has spider webs, a splash of mud, or another obstruction, carefully clean it off, being extra careful not to push the sensors out of alignment. Removing a tiny obstruction might allow the beam to reach both sensors, fixing the problem.
The Sensors Must Be in Alignment
For the infrared beam to reach both sensors, it needs a direct line of sight between them. If the sensors are even slightly askew, the mechanism might fail to operate.
To get to the bottom of the problem, inspect the brackets that are holding the sensors in place. If you have children in the house, it’s quite possible that one of them kicked or hit a bracket with a basketball, loosening the sensor in the process. You yourself might also have inadvertently bumped it while moving a box or taking out the recycling.
Most sensors have a small colored light on the back that indicates alignment. If the light is off or blinking red, try making manual adjustments or tightening any loose screws or wing nuts on the brackets to see whether it fixes the issue.
Keep in mind, however, that it can be difficult to align the sensors because the infrared beam is invisible. Use the indicator light as a clue to help you achieve the proper alignment. With enough trial and error, you might just get it to where it needs to be.
Test Whether You Have Power
How do you test the garage door sensors’ power supply? The garage door opener will usually plug into an outlet on the ceiling of the garage. The wires from the sensors then connect to the automatic opener hardware.
Make sure the outlet is receiving power by plugging another device into it. If it isn’t working, check your circuit breaker box for any tripped breakers. If resetting the breaker doesn’t restore operation to the automatic opener, you might need to call a repair technician.
Look for Physical Damage
Look closely at the sensors. If any of them have loose or frayed wires, it could explain the sensor problem. The sensors may have sustained physical damage, too, such as a cracked casing.
Never try to repair any exposed wiring or damage to the sensors yourself. Call a professional for repair or replacement.
Keep the Sensors Out of Direct Sunlight
If your garage door sensors are exposed to direct sunlight for a couple of hours a day, it can interfere with the infrared beam. Stand outside the door and use your body to create a shadow over the sensor. Then, try pressing the opener button and see whether the door closes.
To fix this problem, you can create a makeshift shield around the sensor using a toilet paper roll or buy an inexpensive model made of plastic from your local hardware store. Either should do the trick as long as exposure to sunlight is the only issue.
Garage Door Sensor Testing From Professionals
How do you test garage door sensors, or should you just call a repair technician? If you believe your sensors are not working properly and you can’t figure out the problem yourself, you can call in the professionals for help.
A technician will inspect your system and determine the source of the problem. They can adjust the position of the sensors to ensure the infrared beam is in proper alignment. If you have a wiring problem, trust them to repair it safely.
Testing from professionals might determine that the sensors themselves are broken and need replacement.
To Keep Your Garage Doors in Top Working Condition, Call Action
Overhead Door Today
How do you test garage door sensors, and should you hire a professional to do the work? At Action Overhead Door, our technicians can visit your home once a year to inspect the safety features of the door. If we find problems that could cause the opener to malfunction, we can immediately repair them and return the system to normal functionality.
If the sensor suddenly stops working, you can call us for emergency inspection and repair. To schedule an appointment, contact us today at (502) 955-7725.
