Is your garage door sensor malfunctioning? A garage door sensor is one of the most important parts of a garage door. If your garage door sensor is malfunctioning, it will not be able to detect motion and may cause damage to your vehicle, property or people while closing. In this blog post, we are going to explore what you can do if the garage door sensor is broken.
We are also going to highlight some possible reasons why sensors might stop working properly. For instance, an animal could have chewed through wires causing a short circuit, resulting in the sensors no longer working correctly.
What Should You Do if Your Garage Door is Malfunctioning?
So, what should you do first if the sensor is broken? First and foremost, you will need to identify the type of malfunctioning sensor. You’ll want to check your owner’s manual for a diagnostic chart that explains this in more detail.
The chart will provide you with the type of malfunction that your sensor is experiencing. Based on this information, you could call a technician to come and give you an estimate for the repair work or even do the repair yourself if it’s something simple. If it seems like more than just a broken garage door sensor, then you may want to contact a repair person so that they can come out and inspect the entire unit.
How Do I Fix My Garage Door Sensor?
If you feel confident in your ability to repair a broken garage door sensor, there are a few things that you can try. One thing that may be helpful is to clean the sensors by wiping them down with an alcohol wipe. If the issue persists, you may have to replace the sensor entirely and possibly the wiring the connects it to your garage door opener.
The most common problems when you are trying to replace your garage door sensors include:
- Unable to properly align your safety eyes
- You may have the wrong garage door opener safety eyes for your particular system. If you have an older system, you will need to match your existing pair or obtain the proper updated version.
- And most importantly: Making sure your photo eye wire is correctly installed in your garage door opener board and if there is corrosion in your existing wire that it is replaced.
How Do I Know When My Garage Door Sensor is Working?
After you have installed your new garage door opener sensors, you should be able to use the remote to open and close your garage door. Before you try to close your garage door, you will want to make sure that:
- There are not any objects, vehicles or people directly under your garage door. It is also important to be close enough your garage system for it to be able to receive a strong your remote during testing.
- The sensor is properly aligned and direct sunlight is not entering the clear film of the eyes.
- Test that the garage door reverses once the space between the photo eyes is obstructed. (This can be done by waving a object, hand or foot in front of the sensor/s while the door is closing).
If you are still experiencing problems, try repositioning or re-orienting the sensor to see if that makes a difference. If all else fails, contact your local garage door repair company!
Call the Experts If Your Garage Door is Malfunctioning
Garage door sensors are a critical component of your garage door opening system. When they don’t work, it can be dangerous and frustrating for you and your family if you are having to continuously go through the house to properly shut the garage door.
If this sounds familiar to you, contact Team Taylor Doors today! We have experts ready 24 hours a day to help with all sorts of issues including faulty garage door sensors.
