How To Ensure Your Garage Door Sensors Are Keeping You Safe

The overhead garage door is one of the largest and heaviest home equipment you regularly use. Therefore, it is critical to ensure that all the components in your garage door system are in good working condition to ensure garage door safety. The safety sensors on your garage door are one of those small but crucial components to inspect regularly. Although these sensors help prevent accidents, homeowners tend to forget about them or choose to neglect them.

Signs of malfunctioning safety sensors

The garage door refuses to close

A malfunction with the garage door sensor is a very common cause of a garage door that will not close after pressing the remote or wall switch. 

The garage door opener light flashes ten times

Another indicator of faulty sensors is when the garage door opener light flashes ten times when the remote or wall controller is pressed. 

The light indicators in the sensors blink

Green indicator lights mean the sensors are working, while red and blinking lights indicate the sensors are not aligned properly.

The garage door reverses before fully closing

If the door begins to close but then pauses and reverses even though there are no obstacles in its way, the chances are that the safety sensors are malfunctioning.

The garage door closes despite obstruction

The safety sensors are clearly not doing their job if the door closes all way, even if there is an obstruction in its path.

Reasons why garage door safety sensors malfunction

Dirty lenses

The sensors on a garage door are typically mounted six inches above the ground. Unfortunately, such a location leaves an opening for dust and dirt to collect on the sensors’ lens, reducing the sensor’s capacity to deliver correct signals to your opener.

Misalignment

Because garage door sensors are installed at a low height, they can become misaligned if strong gusts or vehicles collide with them. Sensors can also be misaligned when they are not properly fitted.

Pinched wires

Your sensors may occasionally have a faulty connection with the electrical circuitry. The wires may get pinched in the assembly and drop their voltage in some cases. The sensor may fail if the signal becomes weak.

What to do to keep sensors in good working condition

Adjust, clean, and check for signal

Wipe down the sensor lens with a soft cloth and a light cleaner that will not leave streaks. Cleaning dirt and residue from the sensors’ surface might be a quick cure for sensor issues. To align the sensors, simply tighten the screws on the bracket with a screwdriver or bend the bracket back into place. The blinking will stop after the sensors are adjusted.

Check the wiring

Inspect the wires for damage such as dampness or animal bite marks. If the sensors do not work, try changing the wires with new ones from Home Depot. If that fails to work as well, you may need to replace the sensors themselves.

Test if the sensors are bad

Close the garage door and then place a box in the opening directly between the sensors. The door should immediately retract upon disruption in the sensors’ beam. Next, place the box in the opening directly between the sensors again, then close the door. If the sensors do not detect the obstacle and the door crushes the box, you have faulty sensors that need replacement. 

Garage door services from Titan Garage Doors Lincoln NE

When you need garage door repair, count on the experts at Titan Garage Doors Lincoln NE. We serve the greater Omaha area and surrounding locations, including Lincoln, Papillion, and Bellevue, NE, and Council Bluffs, Iowa. We provide comprehensive services, from garage door sensor installation to garage door maintenance and repair. Our garage doors Omaha products are durable and reliable, and we offer free estimates to our customers. Schedule an appointment with us by calling (402) 576-5771!