We rely on our garage doors to function properly at all times, including when we are in our cars and we press a button on our remote. While this is a seemingly simple process, a lot more goes into it than you might think. There are four different sensors that each serve their own purpose in making sure your garage door is functioning smoothly. If you notice that your garage isn’t working correctly, call us for a proper garage door installation in Evanston.
Safety Sensors
Thanks to pressure sensors in your garage, when the garage door is closing, and it senses that something has gotten in the way of the door, it will stop and automatically roll itself back up. These safety sensors are important in making sure that an object or a person does not get crushed while the door is automatically closing.
Pressure Sensors
When the bottom of your garage door comes into contact with something, it will automatically go back up. Even small amounts of pressure are noticed, ensuring it cannot cause any damage.
Carbon Dioxide Sensors
If too much carbon dioxide builds up inside your garage, it can be deadly to anyone who inhales it. During our garage door installation in Evanston, we make sure that carbon dioxide sensors are installed so that they can open the garage door whenever necessary.
Monitoring Sensors
If you have multiple garage doors, monitoring sensors may be necessary to remotely close a door. You may also be able to schedule them to automatically close if your garage door is open for a long period of time. This is great for keeping out unwanted guests.
How Do Garage Door Sensors Work?
Although you might not think of your automatic garage door as a piece of heavy machinery, that’s exactly what it is. Most weigh at least a hundred pounds, and many weigh several times more than that. If you think about the amount of force it takes to move such heavy objects, it’s easy to understand why garage door safety sensors are required by law.
Garage door safety sensors fall into two main categories, photoelectric and mechanical. Each of these safety sensors works to prevent the door from closing on a person or object. Let’s take a look at how they work.
Photoelectric garage door sensors
Over the years, these eye-beam sensors have become the most common safety feature for garage doors. These devices create an invisible trip-wire that signals the motor to stop closing the door when activated. When a technician installs your garage door, they fasten sensors to both sides the vertical track a few inches off the ground.
These sensors work by sending a beam of infrared from one side of the garage to the other. When the receiving sensor loses sight of this beam while the garage door is closing, the door will retreat back up the tracks. If you’ve ever tried walking under your garage door while it’s closing, you’ve probably noticed these sensors in action. They might have even saved your life.
If your garage door has a photoelectric sensor and won’t close, try tightening the screws that hold them in place. The sensors must stay perfectly aligned for the infrared beam to travel between them. When one of them shifts even an inch or two, the beam won’t connect and your garage door won’t close.
It’s also possible for dust or debris to interrupt the beam of infrared light, preventing the door from closing. Simply wiping the sensors with a soft cloth should remedy the problem.
Mechanical garage door sensors
Before photoelectric garage door sensors became popular, mechanical garage door sensors were far more common. These devices would sense any resistance as the door closed and send the garage door back up when they did. Although the sensors helped prevent countless accidents, photoelectric sensors provide a much wider margin for error. Waiting for the garage door to make contact with an obstruction before acting seems like a recipe for disaster in retrospect.
Make Sure Your Sensors Are Working Properly
Safety sensors prevent the door from closing on an object, person, or car in the door’s path. These features have saved countless lives and prevented damage from an untold number of vehicles. If you notice that your sensors are not working correctly, you should act immediately.
First, check to make sure the batteries are not dead. Next, check to make sure that the garage door itself is not locked. Lastly, check to see if the garage door opener receiving antenna needs to be adjusted.
Contact Robert’s Garage Doors for Sensor Assistance
If none of these do the trick, it’s time to contact your friendly garage door repair company. Contact us if your garage sensors are giving you issues. We’ll be out to your home or place of work before you know it to solve the problem.