Openers diagnosed properly: boards, gears, travel limits, sensors, remotes and keypads · (863) 342-6545

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Reversing sensors

Garage Door Sensor Repair in Arcadia

Reversing sensors are cleaned, realigned, rewired or replaced and then proven with an obstruction test, so the door turns back reliably and closes when you ask it to.

Ask about your sensors — (863) 342-6545

The Beam That Protects the Doorway

The two small sensors low on either side of the doorway project an unseen beam across the opening. When something interrupts it during closing, the opener stops and backs off. The beam is the opener's main protection, so a faulty pair should be repaired rather than bypassed.

Faults come from knocked brackets, dirty or sun-washed lenses, a pinched or corroded wire, a loose terminal at the motor head or a failed sensor. Each is checked in turn, using the indicator lights on the sensors, and the pair is aligned, rewired or replaced as the test requires.

How Sensor Trouble Appears

  1. 01

    The door will not close from the remote

    Many openers monitor the sensor circuit. A flashing head light and a door that refuses to close often mean the beam is blocked, misaligned or poorly wired.

  2. 02

    An indicator light dark or flickering

    A sensor with no glow, or a light that flickers as the door moves, hints at a loose wire, a damaged cable or a failing unit.

  3. 03

    Reversal with nothing in the way

    Closing then backing up for no reason can come from sun on a lens, webs, condensation or a bracket that has twisted slightly.

How Sensors Are Sorted Out

  1. 1

    Read the indicator lights

    Each sensor's light shows whether it is powered and aligned, which splits wiring faults from alignment faults straight away.

  2. 2

    Wipe, tighten and aim

    Lenses are cleaned, brackets firmed up and the pair pointed squarely at one another at matching height, a few inches above the floor.

  3. 3

    Test the wiring

    The wire is followed from each sensor to the motor head, with attention to staples, pinches, corrosion and loose terminals.

  4. 4

    Prove the reversal

    A length of lumber is laid flat in the door's path and the beam is interrupted during closing, to confirm the door turns back both times.

Questions We Hear

Can I bypass the sensors to get the door closed?
Holding the wall button down will usually close the door without the beam, but that removes the protection and is only a stopgap. The fault should be corrected soon, and we do not wire sensors out of the circuit.
Do sensors wear out?
Slowly. Sun, moisture and bumps from bikes or lawn gear take a toll, and wire insulation can crack. A pair more than a decade old that keeps misbehaving is often better replaced as a set than patched again.
Why do mine work in the morning but not the afternoon?
Direct sun striking the receiving lens can swamp the beam. Shading the lens with a short tube, or swapping which side faces the light, often cures it. If not, a failing sensor or marginal wire is the next suspect.

Sensors Misbehaving?

Tell us what the indicator lights do and when the door reverses. Patterns such as time of day or weather often point straight to the fault.

Describe the sensor trouble at (863) 342-6545