Why Your Having Issues With The Electronic Eye On Your Home's Garage Door

Posted on: 7 March 2017

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Every garage door made from as far back as 1993 is required to have safety mechanisms on them, such as the electronic eye. While they are designed to provide safety, they can also cause problems if they aren't working properly. If you are having issues with the operation of your home's garage door, it is worth it to start by looking at the electronic eye because it could be a potential problem.

It's Not Aligned Properly

The electronic eye works by having two sensors placed across from each other in perfect alignment. If an object crosses the path of the sensors while the door is closing, it will go into reverse to stop an injury or damage from happening. It's possible that this electronic eye has been shifted, and is no longer aligned properly to create an invisible beam that can be broken. This is why your garage door could be kicking into reverse as soon as you hit the close button.

It's Dirty

Even if the door is properly aligned, the dirt on the sensor could be causing a similar problem with the invisible beam being broken. Take a close look at the sensors and see if there is any dirt over them. If so, clean the dirt off while being careful not to move the sensor by accident. All you need to use to clean a dirty sensor is a damp rag that can wipe off the grime and dirt on it.

It's Blocked

Another problem could be that the sensor has something small obstructing the path, which may not be obvious at first, but is very easy to fix. It could be something as simple as a garden hose that is hanging over the sensor, and all you need to do is move it.

It's Broken

Of course, you must consider the possibility that the sensor of your garage door is broken. This could be a situation where the sensor itself needs replacement, or that the wiring has become damaged. For instance, you may have had a mouse chew through the wires, which would require that the wires be replaced.

In order to troubleshoot more difficult problems, you'll need to get in touch with a local garage door repair service like Mid-South Door Co. They can tell you if it is a problem that can be fixed by replacing a part, of it there is a bigger problem with the garage door that involves installing a whole new door.