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Over time, technology has continued to progress and the same can be true for the garage door industry as well.
Overhead garage doors used to be opened manually before garage door openers came.
And it only kept improving and improving to the point that we are now able to automate them and even use sensors to detect presence.
It is undeniable that from being simple doors that are opened manually and through hinges, they have now become much more.
However, the bad thing about technology is it is not self-maintaining.
This means if one of its components goes awry, it cannot fix the problem by itself.
And what more, it can even result in a lot of inconvenience for the involved party.
In this article we will be covering everything there is to know about garage door sensors, their purpose, and how to fix a broken garage door sensor if ever the need arises.
Garage Door Sensor
To start things up, let us begin by answering the question ‘what exactly are garage door sensors?’.
Well, for those that do not know, garage door sensors are a type of technology that gives your garage doors the ability to see and act depending on the information it receives from the sensors.
Basically, if something is obstructing the path of your sensors, your garage door will get the message that it shouldn’t close the doors are there is something on the path.
Garage doors use what we call optical sensors. Basically, these sensors function by emitting a beam of infrared light towards the receiver located at the opposite side of your garage door.
If your receiver cannot receive the transmitted signal, then your garage doors won’t close.
Sensors open up a lot of possibilities for the feature of garage door technology.
It may even get to the point where your garage door is able to tell when it needs to open up for you just by applying this technology.
Garage door sensors are indeed very useful not only in keeping your homes safe but as well as in improving your safety and the safety of the people around you.
Common reasons for your faulty garage door sensors
When your sensors are acting faulty or not functioning as it should, there are a lot of possible reasons for it.
Some of them are easy to remedy while clothes may take more time to fix.
If your sensors are not the problem per se, then your garage door sensors may be fixed by doing simple countermeasures depending on the problem.
So, what exactly is causing your sensors to act differently and what are the different things you can do to fix them? Well, let’s find out.
Obstruction on your sensor’s path
One of the possible reasons why your sensors seem to be not working is this — there may be an obstruction on your garage door sensor’s pathway.
When there is something on the way of your sensor’s pathway, the sensor that functions as a receiver will not be able to get the transmitted light resulting in some consequences.
If you use your sensors for safety precautions such as making sure that you close your garage closes without anything being trapped underneath it which can cause potential damage to your garage door or even injury to you and the people around you.
When this happens to you, all you need to do is remove whatever it is on the way of your sensor’s beam.
Once you do this, your sensor should be back to functioning as it should be.
No power supply
Another possibility as to why your sensor is not functioning could be due to the fact that it is not connected to a power supply.
Your sensors need electricity so that it can function and when there is no power source available, then, of course, your garage door sensors will not be working as well.
If you find yourself in a situation like this, you may start with checking if there is power in your area and if there is, make sure that your sensors are plugged and you should be good to go.
Misaligned sensors
The concept behind this problem is somewhat the same as the obstruction issue.
Basically, your receiver is not getting any of the infrared light being transmitted by your sensor.
As such, of course, it will be as if your sensors are not functioning.
All you need to do to remedy this situation is realign your garage door sensors.
Once realigned, your sensors should go back to working as usual.
Broken Garage Door Sensors
Last but not least, your garage door sensors could be broken.
There really isn’t much to tell about this.
If your sensors seem to be broken, the only thing you can do to have your garage doors functioning again is to have them replaced with new ones.
To replace your garage door sensors, you may follow the procedures below:
- Unplug the broken sensors from the power source.
- Detach your broken garage door sensors from their holder.
- Assemble the wires of the newly installed garage door sensors.
- Install the just assembled garage door sensor and make sure to fix them tightly on to their respective holders.
- Align the sensors and connect them to the power source.
Five easy steps on how to fix a broken garage door sensor.
As long as you follow this, you should have your sensors replaced in no time.
You may refer to the video below for visual reference on how to replace your broken garage door sensors.
Conclusion
When your broken garage door sensors seem to be broken or malfunctioning, it can cause a lot of problems for the involved party.
So in order to countermeasure these, it is always best to know how to deal with them accordingly.
If for some reason you are unable to fix your broken garage door sensors, then it is best to consult with the local garage door repair company near you.
For emergency garage door services in Ottawa, you can always count on Garage Door Repair Pros.
They offer great services at an affordable and reasonable price.
What more are you waiting for? Contact us now!
