Having trouble getting your garage door to close? There could be a number of causes including dead batteries in your opener or a broken garage door spring. More often than not, however, there’s something wrong with your photo eye sensors.

What are photo eye sensors?

Photo eye sensors (also called photoelectric sensors or photo eyes) are those small objects that are mounted on both sides of your garage door. Typically, they’re mounted a few inches from your garage floor. Photo eye sensors serve a very important role in garage door safety.

They work by sending an invisible light from one side of the door to the other, ensuring that nothing is blocking the door. If this connection is interrupted, your garage door won’t close. You have likely tested this on accident, trying to walk through a closing garage door, only to trip the sensor and send the garage door in the opposite direction.

If your garage door isn’t closing, you should start by checking your photo eyes for these issues…

Something is Blocking Them

Like we said before, if something breaks the line of sight between the sensors, your door won’t close. Look around the opening of your garage to see if anything is in the way. If there’s something there, move it and try your door again.

They’re Dirty

Garages aren’t always the cleanest of places. If enough dirt and debris builds up on the sensor’s lens, it could prevent the signal from being sent or received. Try wiping off the lenses with a clean rag and see if that fixes the issues.

They’re Misaligned

In order for photo eye sensors to work, they need to be pointed directly at each other. Typically, they’re attached to your garage door railing via clips or brackets. If one of the sensors is hit, it may bend the bracket or clip, causing the light to point in the wrong direction. Sometimes, the shaking from the garage door opening and closing is enough to misalign them.

Ensure that each sensor is pointing directly at the other.

There’s No Light

While the beam between the photo sensors is invisible, each sensor should have a small LED light on the side that you can see. This lets you know that each sensor is on and working. If the light of either sensor is off, then that sensor has either become disconnected, or it’s broken.

Getting Your Garage Door Working

If your photo eyes seem to be in working order, but your garage door still refuses to open, there could be something else wrong with your garage door. You should always be careful when you’re around a malfunctioning garage door. Garage doors weigh a lot, and if they’re not working correctly, they can cause serious injury.

Often, it’s best to just call a professional.

If you’re in need of new parts or supplies for your garage, Springfield Overhead Door can help. We provide a wide range of overhead doors, entry doors, garage door openers, and garage door springs in Ohio. We also provide professional installation. Contact us today to get started!