Why Photo Eyes OR Safety Sensors Are the Most Important Part of Your Garage Door

If you have ever talked to a garage door expert about your garage door, you may have heard something about your garage door "photo eyes" or "Sensors". These photo eyes are an integral safety feature of your garage door opener. Here is what you should know about photo eyes or in their other name "safety sensors" and why they are so important.

How do photo eyes work?

The photo-eyes sensors are located at most six inches above the concrete slab, one on each side of the garage door mounted on the side tracks. These sensors transmit a laser beam that closes an electrical low voltage circuit.

The way they operate is pretty straightforward. If anything disrupts the beam resulting in no connection, the circuit opens, resulting in the door reversing in its track, resulting in an open garage door.

Are Saftey sensors mandatory? And why?

A garage door is constructed from at least 4 garage door section(panels) on average each section is 24 inches high making a 7-8 ft high garage door weighing in excess of 500 lb. With the invention of garage door openers that open and close the garage door with high power and force. That can result in crushing accidents resulting in injuries and even death.

As a result, the "consumer product safety improvement act." introduced a mandatory feature to all garage doors manufactured after 1982 to have a quick-release device and the auto reversal system that revers the closing of a garage door after it hits a hard object.

On an adding to ANSI\UL standard 325, every garage door opener must be equipped with an anti-entrapment device. This was the time when safety sensors were introduced.

How do you know if your photo eye sensors are not working?

How can you tell if your safety sensors are broken or simply not working?

There is an indicator LED on each sensor. They can be both green or one green one yellow, orange or red, one receiving and one transmitting.

If any of the following occurs, you should check your safety sensors

-The light flashes and you hear a clicking sound when trying to close the garage door

-Cant close the garage door with a remote

-The garage door comes back up at various points when closing the garage door

Are you having difficulties closing your garage door repair in Fort Saskatchewan? Are you in need of garage door maintenance?

Please contact the garage door and opener experts Thrifty garage door repair Edmonton for same-day service! 24/7 available at 587-200-9282.

What Could Be Wrong With Your Garage Door Parts?

Since there are a lot of parts involved in a garage door functionality, you can't rule out the problem they may cause it due to wear and tear. So, let's talk about different garage door parts and what could be go wrong with each of them.

Doors & Sections:

The sections of your garage door can develop a "sag" due to wear and tear get damaged or dented, especially if a car accidentally runs in a closed door.

Sensors:

Your garage door opener has safety sensors placed on either side of the garage door tracks 6 inches of the floor. They communicate with the opener. One safety sensor releases a laser whereas the other receives it. If anything obstructs that line resulting in no connection with the receiving sensor, the garage door will not go down. If your garage door only moves down a few inches before rising back up, then the safety sensors may be obstructed or misaligned.

Hinges:

The hinges connect the sections of the garage door & let the door to twist as it operates. These need proper lubrication & can prompt issues if cracked or broken.

Tracks:

there is a set of tracks both horizontal and vertical mounted to the wall and ceiling for a smooth operation they required to be cleaned from dirt and debris

Torsion Spring:

The spring above your garage door is under a significant amount of tension and provides the power needed to raise your heavy door. If torsion spring breaks down or starts making a strange noise, don't try to fix or tune it on your own. Call a professional who offers top-notch garage door repair in Edmonton. Keep in mind that trying to repair garage door springs on your own without any technical knowledge can be a high risk and can end with an injury or even death.

Garage Door Opener:

Garage door openers have come a long way since their introduction. Openers now come with added safety features and can be monitored and controlled from your computer or Smartphone.

The parts in an opener that can break are the main gear, sensors, and motherboard.

Bottom Seal:

The bottom seal caters many purposes: fortification from the harsh outside weather, perfect seal when the door is closed, and bumper for the door as it shuts down. If you find your seal starting to come loose or becomes crisp, feel free to contact a garage door professional for a quick replacement.

If you are facing issues with any of these garage malfuntions mentioned above and many more, don't hesitate to call Thrifty Garage Door Repair Edmonton at 587-200-9282 and make the most of our professional garage door repair in Edmonton. We will make sure your get your garage doors up & running again. We coverFort Saskatchewan, Leduc, Sherwood Park, Morinville, Devon, Beaumont, Spruce Groove, St Albert and Stony Plain.