Diagnostics
Garage Door Sensor Not Working
If your door starts down then reverses, it is almost always the photo-eye sensors. Most of the time you can fix it yourself in five minutes.
The 30-second check
Look at the two small sensors near the floor, one each side of the opening. Both LEDs should be on and steady. One steady and one blinking or dark means they are out of alignment. Both dark means they have lost power.
In Lubbock the most common cause by far is a film of dust on the lenses. Wipe both with a dry cloth and try the door again. That alone fixes a large share of the calls we get.
Why are my garage door sensors not working?
| What you see | Most likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Both LEDs solid, door still reverses | Something in the beam path, or the door itself binding | Clear the path; if empty, see off-track |
| One LED blinking | Sensors out of alignment | Loosen the wing nut, aim it at the other side, retighten |
| One LED dark | Broken or pinched wire, or a failed sensor | Trace the wire; sensors are cheap to replace |
| Both LEDs dark | No power to the sensor circuit | Check the opener terminals and the wire staples |
| Works at night, fails in daytime | Direct sun hitting the receiver lens | Shade the sensor or swap the sender and receiver sides |
Why this happens so often in Lubbock
Lubbock averages roughly 19 mph of wind and only about 18 inches of rain a year. Fine dust settles on everything, and a photo-eye lens sits six inches off the garage floor where it collects the most.
A film thin enough that you would not notice it by eye is enough to break an infrared beam. After a dust storm it is worth wiping both lenses as routine maintenance, the same way you would clear the tracks.
The other local cause: low winter sun
From late autumn through winter the sun sits low enough in the afternoon to shine straight into a west-facing garage. If your door only misbehaves at certain times of day in certain months, that is why. Shading the receiver or swapping which side it sits on solves it.
How do I realign garage door sensors?
- Loosen the wing nut or bracket screw on the sensor with the blinking light. Do not remove it.
- Aim it directly at the opposite sensor. The LED goes solid when the beam lands.
- Hold it steady and retighten. Check the LED is still solid afterwards, because tightening often nudges it.
- Test the door twice. If it reverses again, look for a sagging wire pulling the bracket out of true.
If the bracket itself is bent or the wire is damaged inside the staple line, that is worth a call. Everything above is safe to do yourself.
Questions we get asked
Can I just disconnect the sensors?
No. They are a federally required safety device on every opener made since 1993, and bypassing them removes the only thing that stops the door closing on a child or a pet. If yours are faulty, replace them. They are inexpensive.
How much does a new sensor pair cost?
Parts are modest. Most of what you pay is the call-out. See our pricing for our current ranges.
The door closes if I hold the wall button. Is that normal?
Yes. Holding the wall button overrides the sensors deliberately, which is a hint the sensors are the problem rather than the opener.
Do all openers have these?
Every opener manufactured since 1993 in the US. If yours has no sensors near the floor, it predates the safety requirement and should be replaced regardless of whether it still runs. See opener repair.
Get it fixed today
Wiped the lenses and it still reverses? Call and we will talk it through before sending anyone out.