When you push your remote to close the door, does the door not go down? Does the light blink, or does the door reverse back open after only going down a few inches? This could be a very common problem and typically easy to fix!
Your Garage Door Problem May Be Due To Your Photo Eyes
Photo eyes are the little black boxes that are mounted about 6” off the floor on either side of the tracks. They line up and create a beam to detect if anything is blocking the path of the garage door and prevent it from closing if something is in the way. When they are blocked the remotes will not work to close it, but you will be able to override them by holding down the wall button the entire time the door is traveling down. The up travel will not have any trouble.
Each box should have small light on it to indicate it is on and the beam is not blocked. If one eye is out or flickering this could indicate that the photo eye has been bumped, is dirty, or is blocked by something.
Follow these steps to align the eyes yourself! (You may need a paper towel or cloth for cleaning the eyes off)
- Look around each of the eyes to make sure nothing is hanging in front of them or blocking the beam.
- Wipe lenses clean with cloth or paper towel to clear any cobwebs, dirt, snow, ice, etc.
- Adjust the photo eye itself if it has gotten bumped. Some styles will have a little wing nut to loosen and move the eye around. *If the eyes are not mounted 6” from the floor give us a call to make sure that they are installed properly so they will operate the door safely.
- Once you have performed one or more of these steps and the light is on and burning steady your door should be working properly.
Hint: Does it happen only certain times of day? This could be because the sun is shining in the eyes. This can be helped by using a cardboard tube such as a toilet paper roll around the outside of the eye so the sun does not get into the lens.
Still not working?
- The problem could be with the wiring to the opener. If you see any breaks in the wire that could be the problem.
- If the problem is not with the photo eye give us a call and we would be happy to come out and service your garage door opener and get you running!
What if my garage door opener does not have photo eyes?
As of 1993 all garage door openers are required to have photo eye sensors. Most garage door openers older than this date do not meet code and no longer have parts available.
Garage Door Opener Installation Services
If you would like a quote on having a new garage door opener installed, give us a call and we can do all the work! The trusted professionals at All Seasons Garage Door Company is happy to help.