What You Can Do to Fix the Sensors in Your Garage Doors in Beaverton
Garage Doors Beaverton
Nothing makes your commute back home from work more convenient a powered garage door. All you have to do is press a button on the remote and drive forward. Sometimes, though, this convenience feature can start to malfunction. There are many reasons for this. Keep reading to find out some tips from All About Doors. We’ve compiled a list of common fixes that we’ve learned in our time as the premier installers of garage doors in Beaverton.
What does a garage door safety sensor do?
Powered garage doors use motors and chains to run your garage door along a track. Without a sensor, this would simply be a “dumb” system, unable to detect if anything is standing or lying underneath the path of the door. A safety sensor catches anyone who’s in the way of closing. If it detects someone, it sends a signal to the motor to reverse, rather than continuing down. This prevents tragic accidents where people can get injured or even killed.
How do safety sensors malfunction?
Garage door safety sensors have a reputation for consistent performance. If they ever do happen to go out, the most notable problem is that the door won’t close at all. Sometimes the door starts to close, and then it stops midway and reverses back up. If you’re not a handy person, don’t fret. There are a few solutions to your problems that you might be able to implement on your own.
Cleaning- the fastest fix
A sensor won’t work correctly if its eye gets covered. As a homeowner, you know how easy it is for the garage to get dirty. When this happens, dust particles and grime can build up on the sensor. If your garage door is malfunctioning, save yourself some time and effort and try the simplest solution first. Locate the sensor eye, and with a dry cloth, wipe it clean. Then try to use the door again. If it works, congratulations! If not, it’s time to move on to more involved steps.
Test the alignment
The way that a sensor works, is that it projects a laser from a transmitter on one side of the garage to a receiver. If anything steps between the transmitter and the receiver, the beam gets interrupted. When the receiver does not detect a laser beam, it automatically stops the door. If the door is already open, it won’t close at all.
The sensor needs to detect when small children or pets are standing beneath the door. Because of this, they sit near the bottom, about at floor level. This placement makes it very easy for kids to accidentally kick the sensors as they run by. Or you might walk past, not realizing that you’ve bent them out of shape. The mounting for these sensors is made from aluminum for weather resistance. If that’s the case, it’s easy to fix the misalignment. Just bend them back until the housing is straight. Now try closing the door again, once you’re out of the way of the laser.
Garage door sensor wiring
Sometimes the wiring is faulty. The next step, if the laser is aligned and the eye is clean, is to check the wiring. What you need to do is open up the sensor casing, and check the wire leads. Make sure that the wires are connected to the proper terminals. You’ll know because the wires are the same color as the appropriate terminal. In the case of a black and white wire, connect that to a gray terminal. Remember that after you check and reconnect the wires, you have to check the alignment again to ensure that everything is set up properly.
If, after you fix wiring and the door is still not working, the problem might be a software issue. In this case, it’s prudent to replace the circuit boards. You could try that on your own, but it’s probably best to get the help of a qualified technician at this point.
What else could be wrong with a garage door?
Garage Door Safety Beaverton
If you’ve done all three of the steps above and the garage door still isn’t working, what else could be the problem? Check for these non-sensor issues:
- Bent Tracks: If there’s a bend or obstruction in the garage door tracks, it can prevent the door from closing all the way.
- Chain Breakage: If the chain breaks, you’ll almost certainly already know. There could be something cumming up one of the links, though. Inspect the links closest to the sprockets for blockage.
- Motor Burnout: Don’t discount the possibility that the motor is dead. You could have to replace the entire unit if it breaks down.
Calling in the pros
Sometimes a project just stumps you. If this happens to you, don’t go it alone. Get All About Doors on the case. As our name states, fixing and installing garage doors in Beaverton and the surrounding area is all that we do. And we’re very, very good at it.
We’ve been in business in the region for over 30 years. In that time we’ve earned a solid reputation for competence and integrity. Our technicians have years of training and work experience, and they can diagnose virtually any problem. Once we know what’s wrong, we get to work fixing it right away.
All you need to do is give us a call or fill out the handy contact form on this site. We come to your home at a time that’s convenient for you. Our rates are competitive and fair, and we explain everything clearly so there are no surprises at the end of the job. We work with all major makes and models of garage doors. As a family-owned company, we understand the need for you to provide a safe and secure sanctuary for your household. That’s why we make sure to take care of any issues as soon as possible. Don’t leave your home in the hands of just anyone. Call on All About Doors any time that you need to get a repair for your garage door in Beaverton.