Technical Explanation
Garage door sensors, also known as safety sensors or photo-eye sensors, work as a pair and communicate through an infrared beam to ensure there’s no obstruction in the path of a closing garage door. These sensors are a critical part of the safety mechanism of an automatic garage door system.
The light indicators are part of the system that show the sensors are functioning and aligned properly. Typically, one sensor is an emitter which sends out the infrared signal, while the other is a receiver, which receives the signal. The emitter usually has a green light, while the receiver will have a red light.
When the sensors are aligned correctly and there’s no obstruction, the green light indicates that the emitter is working correctly and the infrared beam is being sent. The red light on the receiver sensor indicates that it’s receiving the signal correctly. If the path between the sensors becomes blocked, the red light on the receiver sensor will start blinking or turn off, indicating that it’s not receiving the signal, thereby preventing the garage door from closing.
To function properly, these sensors must be accurately aligned. Misalignment could occur due to physical disruption, grime build-up on the lenses, loose wires, or other malfunctions. If the sensors are not aligned or there’s an issue, the garage door might not function properly.
When diagnosing issues, a solid green light and a solid red light on the corresponding sensors typically indicate that the system is functioning correctly. However, if the red light is blinking or off, there could be a problem such as an alignment issue, a blockage, or a wiring problem.
It’s important to conduct regular checks to make sure that the path between the sensors remains clear and the sensors themselves are clean and properly aligned. If the sensors appear to be misaligned or not functioning correctly, it may be necessary to call a professional to assess and fix the problem.
Easy to Understand Explanation
Imagine your garage door sensors like two buddies playing catch. One throws the ball (green light sensor), and the other catches it (red light sensor). They keep tossing the ball back and forth all the time when your garage door is trying to close.
If something, like a bike or a person, gets in the way, the buddy who’s catching (red light sensor) won’t be able to catch the ball because it’s blocked. He’ll let you know by either flashing his light or turning it off. This tells the garage door, “Hey, something’s in the way! Don’t close!” That’s how it helps keep everyone safe.
So, when one sensor is green and the other is red, it just means they are doing their job, playing catch, with nothing in the way.
So, if your garage door isn’t closing like it’s supposed to, check on your two buddies – the green light and red light sensors. They might be trying to tell you something.
If the red light is flashing or turned off, it could mean a few things. Maybe the path between them is still blocked, or they’ve been bumped and are not facing each other correctly. It could also mean there’s dirt or dust on their “gloves” (the sensor lens where the light comes from), so they can’t play catch properly.
If you’ve checked for all these things and they’re still not able to play catch (meaning, the red light is still not steady), it’s probably best to call a garage door repair expert. Just like you’d call a coach if you couldn’t figure out why you can’t throw or catch the ball right, these experts know all the tricks to get your garage door sensors back in the game.