There are few worse feelings than being in a rush to get out the door and your garage door won’t go down. Having a garage door that can’t properly close leaves your home or business at risk to a potentially dangerous situation.
To identify if there is a malfunction in your garage door sensor, check to see if the garage door is closing properly, if the door is able to close in the first place. If your door is unable to fully close or not close at all, follow this checklist of troubleshooting to see if your sensor might be malfunctioning and how to solve it.
Sensor Path is Obstructed
Ensure there is nothing in the way of the sensor’s path. If there is an object nearby its path or fully obstructing the path, the sensor won’t allow your door to fully close or open. A simple solution to this is to always make sure that nothing within your garage is close to, or potentially impeding, your sensor’s pathway.
Sweep your garage floor, and do a search around the sensor to ensure nothing is in the way frequently to avoid this in the future.
The Sensor Isn’t Connected
Your sensor might have low power or is not connected to power. To check to see if this is the case, look at the LED lights on your sensor. If both of the lights are on and emitting light, the sensor is connected to power. If one or both of the lights are not on, the power supply might be the problem.
If either sensor light is not illuminated, check the wiring around the sensor. Majority of the time, the malfunction is due to a loose or broken wire. If the rest of the garage is getting power, the problem is isolated to the sensor wiring box. Contact a professional if you are unsure how to check or fix the wiring connections.
The Sensor Lenses are Dirty
Over time, sensors can gather dust, dirt and grime on top of them. Take a microfiber cloth or rag to your sensor, and gently wipe it off and clean it to allow the sensor to “see” again. To avoid this problem from occurring in the future, give your sensor a wipe-down every six months to ensure it stays as clear as possible.
Sensor is Too Moist
If your sensor is close to your sprinkler system or there was a heavy rain recently, your sensor might be damp. To alleviate the dampness or wetness, allow the wet spot around the sensor to evaporate. If the sensor is still damp, take a microfiber cloth and gently pat the sensor to rid it of wetness.
The Sensor isn’t Aligned Properly
Sometimes the sensor gets jostled or bumped over the course of time. Although an innocuous mistake, misalignment can cause the sensor to stop working completely. Check the LED lights on your sensor to make sure both are on and not flashing.
Wear and Tear
Sensors get damaged and degrade over the course of the years, which is normal. Check for any damage on or around your sensor. If you’ve been using the same sensor for upwards of 10 years, you might want to get it replaced.
My Garage Door Still Won’t Close. What Do I Do Now?
If your garage door is still not working properly, read the sensor’s manual to see what the manufacturer recommends in regard to troubleshooting.
Lastly, if none of the above options worked – contact a professional. The sensor might be bad or going bad so any slight fixing you do won’t save it, or there might be a larger problem at hand. They will be able to replace your sensor and give advice on how to fix any future problems down the road.
If you have any questions regarding garage door sensors, or you need a replacement, contact one of our professionals at Hollywood-Crawford Door Co. to get your garage door back in working order. We also offer free estimates on garage door and opener repairs and replacements.
