Garage Door Photo Eyes Troubleshooting Techniques

Garage door photo eyes issues are straightforward to notice, as you’ll see that your garage door won’t close even when there’s nothing in the way.

Also, the door auto reverses and opens every time you attempt to close it. Luckily, these issues aren’t troublesome to fix. It’s essential to have your photo eyes working correctly for many reasons including safety.

Here are the ways to fix garage door eye sensors in a few steps.

Check if the garage door photo eyes are the issue

First, ensure that the garage door photo eyes are experiencing the issues. Often, the door won’t shut because it’s stuck in the tracks. It happens when there’s a dent or bent in the track, preventing it from moving. Also, you may have a bent track if the door squeaks when you open and close it. This issue is easy to fix, so check for it first.

You’ll know the photo eyes aren’t operating correctly if the door won’t shut when you attempt to close it. You may likewise find that the door makes a clicking sound, or theirs a flashing light on the opener. Thus, it’s an ideal time to troubleshoot.

Check for obstructions

When garage door photo eyes work correctly, you’ll see that any obstructions in the door path will prevent it from shutting. You’ll probably think that an obstruction means a vehicle left halfway in the garage, or someone stands in the way. However, another thing could break the invisible beam and prevent the door from shutting.

The photo eye sensors are sensitive, so investigate and check whether anything is sitting close to the door. Boxes and other things stored close to the entryway could interfere with the beam. Keep them away from the door and attempt the door once more, to check whether that solves the problem.

Check for lights

Each garage door photo eye needs to have a little LED light on it. It means the sensor works as it should. So, check your sensors for a light that is on, off, or flickering. These signs mean that the sensor has been bumped out of place. It is straightforward to bump the sensors out of place, for example, walking into your garage, or bringing things inside.

Attempt to move the sensors a little on its mounting to make the light come back on once more. Often, you’ll see that this slight change makes the photo eye sensors work again.

Clean your garage door photo eyes

The simple explanation your photo eye sensors don’t work could be that they’re dirty. Since they’re positioned so close to the ground, it’s simple for them to get covered in dirt and dust. This is true if the climate is wet and you’re driving past them to park the vehicle in the carport.

Check the sensors, to check whether they need cleaning. If they do, all you need is a soft fabric to wipe away the accumulated dirt and dust on the lens. When you’ve done this, attempt at closing the door again to check if the issue got solved.

Move the bracket

Your garage door photo eyes connect to a pivot bracket, which may have been moved thus braking the invisible beam. It’s simple to fix this issue. You can free the bolts that secure the brackets to the door frame and try moving it around a bit.

Move it side to side or up and down and see if the LED light turns back on. When it does, secure it once again into the right spot and try the door again.

Realign your sensors

Your sensors must be perfectly in line with one another to work correctly. If they’re not exactly in the same place, then the light beam got interfere, simulating something in the entryway that needs protection. Check for misaligned sensors and readjust them.

To test the alignment, tie a long string between the two photo eye sensors. Use a spirit level to check whether the string is level. If the alignment is off, then you know that the sensors need adjustment. Free one sensor and move it until the string is level. Then, you can loosen the string and test the entryway.

Check the wires

Lastly, check the wires that lead to the sensors. Maybe some issues are preventing the sensors from working properly. If the wires have become tangled on something, free them carefully.

When you see issues, for example, fraying, don’t fix them yourself. Issues like this are best left to a garage door opener expert. Always call an expert to assist you with finding a solution to a significant garage door photo sensor issue.