Garage door sensors play a very important role in ensuring the safe and proper functioning of a garage door. They protect your family, pets, and possessions by not allowing the heavy garage door to close if there’s anything in the glide path. If your garage door sensors are misaligned, the door will not function properly, posing a safety risk.
Is your garage door not functioning as it’s supposed to? If you always have to alight from your car to manually open the door when you’re back home, then it’s time for you to call professional technicians or roll up your sleeves and align the garage door sensors.
How Exactly Do the Garage Door Sensors Work?
The garage doors have sensors equipped with infrared light. One of them functions as a signal emitter and the other as a receiver. Ideally, if one sensor doesn’t receive the beam emitted by the opposite sensor, the door won’t close. The garage door’s light bulbs flash intermittently if one of the sensors is misaligned or knocked out of place, acting as a warning sign of the problem. This seems like a clever operating mechanism until the components come out of alignment. It’s crucial to correct misaligned garage door sensors to enable the mechanism to accurately analyze the space under the door and determine when to close it safely. Fortunately, it’s not hard to realign the sensors and put things back in order.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll take you through the process of aligning garage door sensors to ensure their smooth and safe operation.
The Tools You Need
If you decide to take this up as a DIY project, below is a list of the tools and equipment you would need when aligning garage door sensors:
- Screwdriver
- Tape measure
- A laser-level or string
- Electricity-resistant gloves
Ensure that you have someone on standby to assist you if need be or in case of an emergency.
A Comprehensive Guide For Aligning Your Garage Door Sensors
Safety tip: Safety should be a top priority factor when working on the garage door sensors. Always double-check the garage door to make sure that it’s closed and disconnect it from the power supply to prevent it from moving as you work on it, putting you in danger. Doing this minimizes the risk of accidents and guarantees a secure environment for sensor positioning.
Here are the steps to follow when aligning your garage door sensors:
- Understand the Sensor Functionality
Before you begin, check the sensors to see if there are any alignment problems. It’s important to understand the two types of sensors involved in most garage door systems: the sending sensor and the receiving sensor.
- Check for Alignment Problems
Start by inspecting the sensors. Observe whether the indicator lights on each sensor are lit and steady. When the sensors are properly positioned, there won’t be any flickering and the lights will stay constant. However, if one or both lights begin to flicker, there is a misalignment.
- Clean or change the Sensors
The sensors’ infrared beam can become obstructed by dust, dirt, or debris, which can obstruct the sensors’ ability to detect the infrared beam. Clean the lenses with a clean, dry, and soft cloth. Make sure the lenses are clean and clear of any impurities.
Also remember to look for and remove any physical impediments you may find like leaves, spider webs, or items positioned in front of the sensors.
- Measure and correct the Sensor Alignment
Horizontal Alignment: Using a tape measure, check the distance from the ground to the center of each sensor. Make sure the measurements are the same for both sensors. This ensures that they are at the same height, which is essential for proper alignment.
Vertical Alignment: Place a level vertically against the sensor’s edge to precisely align the sensors. The sensor should be adjusted until it is vertically level.
If the measurements are not similar, it’s time to realign the sensors. To begin, remove the screws holding the sensors to their mounting brackets. Just enough to enable movement, loosen the screws without removing them completely, and make the required adjustments.
- Analyze the alignment
It’s crucial to evaluate the sensors’ performance after positioning and aligning them.
- Reconnect the garage door opener’s electricity.
- Close the door after. While the door is closing, wave your hand or place a non-human item like cardboard between the sensors to break the infrared beam.
- The door should come to a complete halt and reverse its direction immediately. If it does, kudos to you! The sensors are properly aligned.
- Fine-tune if necessary.
- Last Check
To make sure everything is in working condition, run one last visual inspection of the sensors. On each sensor, look for steady lights to indicate appropriate alignment.
Once you’re confident that the sensors are properly aligned, tighten the mounting brackets securely.
Seeking Professional Help
If the above guide is hard to follow through or if you have trouble understanding what we’re talking about, you can always seek expert assistance. Additionally, if you experience recurring issues or poor overall garage door performance, consider seeking assistance from a skilled professional. Luckily for you, well-known and dependable garage door businesses aren’t hard to find, and working with them will give you the results you desire.
Getting expert assistance from a garage door repair company like a-plus-garagedoors.ca provides various advantages if you struggle to align your garage door sensors or experience problems that don’t go away despite your best efforts.
Conclusion
Aligning garage door sensors is an important maintenance task that ensures the safe and efficient operation of your garage door. By following this guide, you can easily align the sensors and prevent potential accidents. Take time to examine and clean the sensors regularly to avoid problems related to sensor misalignment.
Always remember that correctly positioned garage door sensors give you peace of mind and shield your loved ones and valuables from any harm.
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