Garage Door Safety Sensors Troubleshooting - Complete 3 Step Guide
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- Опубліковано 29 сер 2024
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A very common issue with a garage door that won't close is a problem with the garage door safety sensors. This is indicated by the garage door not going down when the remote or wall controller is pressed and the garage door opener light flashing 10 times. Don't worry this is not a huge deal and following the below 3 steps I am confident we can find your issue and get it fixed.
Troubleshooting Steps
Step 1) Adjustment, Cleaning, and Checking for Signal
Step 2) Checking the Wiring
Step 3) Checking if the Sensors are Bad
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DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission.
I just wanted to THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO!! I am 64 and live in an apartment complex and the unattached garage I rent stopped working one way (down). Its way after hours and I called maintenance twice to no avail. So I Googled and found your video and FIXED IT !! I just had to thank you!!!!!!!
As a first time and new home owner, the first step actually saved me a ton of headache. My wife accidentally bumped the sensor when moving stuff in the garage. Thanks for this!
Thank you! It was step #2 for me. My husband was ready to call a garage door person because he doesn’t have time to do it himself. I’m so happy that I could save us some money and him the stress.
Lenny - As a first time owner of a garage, I panicked when the door would not close using the key pad. I found your video which described the issue perfectly. Added bonus the easy fix worked! Thank you very much for saving me a lot of grief.
3 minutes into your video and I knew the problem - now my garage door sensor is back in alignment and works perfectly! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Hi. Phenomenal videos. All of them! I’ve Been watching for a few days now. I’m going to tackle this tomorrow. For the first time I understand what I’ll be doing. Seems so simple, even the wiring. My husband (fixed anything) passed and I’m having all sorts of breakdowns in the house. So far I have been able to use your videos and not call in the big $$ guys. Thank you. I appreciate all this.
Hi Denise, I am sorry to hear of your husband's passing and happy to help in any way I can. I wish you all the best and hope the breakdowns start to slow down. If you live in a region where you experience the 4 seasons I would test out your furnace soon to ensure you don't have any issues when the cold weather moves in and the HVAC companies are super busy. Just simply turning your thermostat to heat, increasing the desired temperature higher than the room temperature will "exercise" your system and you can see if the furnace burners light, blower fan turns on , and warm air is moved through your vents.
@@EverydayHomeRepairs It's so thoughtful of you to share that info. I'm in a similar spot as Denise and appreciate your kindness.
Long time viewer, finally followed you. Just fixed mine thanks to your video. Mine was a bit different as it would sometimes flash right away, but many other time, it will lower part way then go up and flash to times. Other times, it will close fine. Turns out, it was sorta step 2. For me, one of the pairs of wires twisted together was not pushed into the opener correctly. So, it was temperamental. If it shook/torqued just right, it would lose connection for a brief second, garage door will go up. That is why my LEDs would stay lit, and maybe you will see it flicker while it was lowering and it would go up and flash 10 times.
Funny story. My garage door has been doing this light blinking thing most of the time for more than a year. Closing seemed to work on high humidity days - which added to confusion of the issue. I watched a few videos and tried a few things. All failed to resolve the issue. The videos and other Internet sources stated the issue was most likely that rodents had chewed the wires. I watched this video and decided to give the sensors a good cleaning since you said that was most likely the issue. Taa daaa!! I had cleaned the sensors before but this time I used soap and water. I suspect that oil/gas had dripped on the sending sensor so the soap was needed to return it to full functionality. THANKS!!
Thank You. I didn’t know what to clean the sensors with.
Excellent, clear video! I especially liked step #3 - testing the sensors by connecting them directly to the unit. When I did this, I saw -- for the first time -- that the receiving sensor was functional. After watching your video, I was finally able to troubleshoot and get my garage door working like it's supposed to, for the first time in years. Thank you!
Had the same experience, though it was the sending sensor that had faulty wiring...
Omg. I just wowed my husband magically fixing our garage door. Thank you! You are a life saver
You kept it beautifully simple and we (me and my garage) are back in business. Thank you!! 😊
This was excellently produced -- clear, steady, detailed presentation; clear audio and video, with a good view of the essential parts; no extra fluff in the narrative.
Thanks. Mine was a 20 year old twisted wire connection at the sensor with no wire nut and only electrical tape. Got lucky. Found your easy to follow video first.
I agree! I went thru so many videos trying to figure out what was wrong! I was thinking it was a sensor positioning issue or base settings. It turned out that my sensor lights were on but i had a bad wiring connection. I jiggled the wires wires and one connection came apart (two wires). Thank you so much for this video!! Great job!!
Bad wire connection. Direct hookup to test the sensor definitely save me some headache. Thank you!
Great video - methodical and clear. You saved me the money and embarrassment of calling a garage door company for a one minute fix.
This was such a great and helpful video. Thanks for explaining things clearly and respectfully for your audience. Step two did the trick for me!
2:58 “You can easily hit this with a garbage can” - that’s exactly what I did and I found your video and just adjusted the wing nut like you said, and voila!! Fixed! Thanks so much!!
Thank you for this video. Got to Step 2 & found the problem. Amber light on, green light off and amber sensor pointed in downward position. Readjusted and cleaned sensors. We are back in business!
Excellent video. I wiggled the wire and the light blinked so I knew a had a wire problem, just like you said. Took the wire nut off, twisted, put it back on, and it works! Amazing!
I'm heading out to garage as soon as I complete my comment. This is great. My opener works sometimes, and other times it doesn't. The error light on the opener tells me there is an issue with the safety sensors. Now I know how to troubleshoot before I run and buy new sensors. Thank-you so much.
Before I leave, I'm hitting the "like" and "subscribe" buttons.
What do ya know? It appears the wires at the opener, although in the right place, were making a poor, inconsistent connection. I came to that conclusion because, when I wiggled the wires, the error light started flashing indicating sensor issues. I pulled the wires, trimmed the length of the pigtail and re-twisted, and re-inserted the pigtails. The door seems to be working just fine now. Time will tell.
🤞 glad you got it fixed!
Thank you! You helped me fix my garage door opener that's been giving me trouble for years! Actually, everything appeared to be lined up correctly, sending & receiving correctly, the wiring was good. My problem was that although the receiver was receiving and the light was on, it wasn't quite as strong as it could have been. So, I just had to finagle the alignment a little more to get a stronger signal. But, your videos were very succinct and straightforward, filled with practical and easy to follow steps. I very much appreciated it!
Thank you for the video @everydayhomerepair.. @LulaMiller. Thank you for this comment. Everything was fine with mine as well. I also tried adjusting my sensors. Still, nothing. But I was sure you were on to something with adjusting the sensors. And then... 💡. I decided to measure my sensors to see if they were equal height. Sure enough, they were off by a few inches. Once I got them to measure equal distance from the ground up, my issue was solved. 🙂
Thanks for helping me. As a single woman I hate to call someone because it's expensive. After watching this followed your directions and it started working. Just had to align the sensors don't know why because the power had gone off and didn't work when it came back on but you where a big help.
This was a great video! I literally fixed my garage door in two minutes as it was the sensor just like he said. Thanks saved me a lot of money!!
I looked at it and it was helpful. I live alone and didn't know about the sensors . Thank you
Just had one of my garage doors stop working (again). I had already replace the sensors once, and was about to head to the big box store for another set of sensors when I happened upon your video. Sure enough, this time it was a poor connection to the motor itself. As I had just had to replace the travel module board, I must have jostled the wires when replacing the board. Thanks for the concise video - you saved me a trip to you know where, and much time and frustration!
Thanks for this video demonstration. My garage door would do the 10 flashes when I was leaving and wouldn't go down. So, I'd have to get out the car and let it down with the keypad on the garage. I just checked and one of my sensors was knocked off alignment. I guess when my son put the pail down the contains the salt for winter, he hit the sensor. So now it's fixed! 😊
Fantastic. Your channel just saved me another $200 charge when all we needed was to do a 5 minute rewire job. Perfect!
Mine was actually the connection of the wires down at the sensors. I had to unscrew the wire connection caps, clean the wires, then reconnect. This video did help a lot by giving information on how the safety sensors work when the leds should be on or off.
Thank you so very much friend for this nice troubleshooting walk-though. I have been living with this issue for few months now until this past weekend when your video helped me troubleshoot and finally got it working again .
After the initial steps of checking out the sensors and connecting wires behind them , I didn't go as far to take off the sensors but it turned out that I had some wire nuts up above the opener that had wires connecting the opened to the sensors. And just wiggling them a bit did the trick. Apparently one of them got loose and wires were not making proper contact but just re-tightened them and voila the opener is back in action now. So please make sure to check those out as well.
I literally have a un-opened Genie box sitting at home which I was going to install but now will be returning instead :) So THANK YOU once again.
Thanks! Your video actually answered questions that somehow all of the installation videos I watched did not. A big help.
Step 1 solved my problem. This video was very well done, very straight forward, thorough and easy to follow. Thank you.
Excellent suggestions of step 1-2-3. Your comment on wiping the sensor lens and wiggling the wires at both ends fixed the issue for me! As well as your other video on updating the code. Thanks for saving me some $$.
Thanks so much for this! I knocked off the sensors and wiring when cleaning and was able to fix this myself! 😊
Awesome!!! I had a wire problem right behind one of the sensors. And I almost called a technician to come fix it. Thanx to you.
Thank you very much. I was ready to completely rewire my entire garage until I cleaned off the sensors. You rock buddy
My home warranty want to charge me $100 just to come check it out but Everything you said was correct thank you so much my controller works with my car
Oh yes, the "warranty" which can sometimes be more painful and expensive than just doing the work yourself. Way to take the initiative 👍.
Way to go Rhonda!!! I had a failed capacitor for the motor. Got the info off of UA-cam and ordered the part, $7. Posted the info on NextDoor and people couldn’t understand why I just didn’t call the repair guy. $7 and a little time vs $150 service call and he would have probably replaced the motor for a few hundred more 🤔
You expect someone to come out for free? 👀
Excellent! Thank you very much - Step 1 was a revelation and that solved it 👍👍
A nice succinct comprehensive troubleshooting tutorial. Thanks. Nicely done.
Wires on my receiving end were sheered. Cut, stripped, and reconnected with a wire nut. Thanks for the info that helped me troubleshoot the cause
Thanks so much for this, tried the first solution and it worked. All I had to do was to clean and realign the sensors. I’m glad I watched your video.
The sensors!!! I have Been holding down the wall button then exiting through my front door for 6 months! I was like.. I can do this I can figure it out! Well I couldn’t have figured it out but found this video and my problem is solved! Thank you! I had to aligned the sensors.
You’re life saver! Thank you so much! I fixed my non closing garage door because I watched your video! 😊
After watching all 10 minutes of this and troubleshooting every single one I saw a yellow button next to a dim flashing up arrow above an unlit bottom arrow. I pressed the yellow button and it solved my problem. Must be reset. I literally didn’t even read what it said just thought I’ve tried everything else. Why not try this! 😂
I just want to say big thank you. I used your instructions to fix my garage door.
Happy to help 🙌
Great video. Enjoyed how you broke it down into smaller bite size sections for troubleshooting. Well done.
Thank You! My husband could figure it our, I watched your video and fixed it!
We've been messing with our door for over a month now. Maybe prayer first helped. It's working!! One sensor was yellow, the other 0 light. I wiped them both down and tada!! Thanks for the video!!
I looked at other DIY videos and could not fix my problem. I stumbled upon your video and repaired my door on the first try. I simply cleaned the lens.
Found a loose wire in the opener itself. Your video helped a lot. Thanks so much for the advice
Thanks this helped me narrow my problem down to the connection not the receiving sensor. Fixed!! Also saved me $300 minimum bc I didn’t have to call out the garage door company on weekend call out.
Thanks for this video. The best of what UA-cam is about. In my case the wiring was bad. Could not have fixed it myself without the help of this video. I bought sensors first thinking that was the problem. How often does wiring go bad...
Thanks, this helped me remember what to do with misalignment. And great organized video.
I definitely like your video/instructions/illustrations because I was able to insert my sensor wiring correctly and replaced my battery on the keypad & programmed successfully! My only issue is when I did the Reverse test with the 2x4, it stayed on top of the board. But when I put my foot in the sensor cross path, it did reverse.
Thank you so much, I had spent hours trying to figure why my remote wouldn't close the door, even ordered a replacement that wouldn't work either. I checked the wiring and sure enough one had come away and I reattached it and gave a yell as it worked.
Thanks, great video. Saved me $30 as I thought the sensors were shot but it was just some bad wiring.
Thank you for your straightforward video. I was able to get my door working properly at step 1. 😅
I fallowed your instructions step by step and I fixed my problem. Thank you!
So, after watching some of your tips. I had a green light on one side & a red light on the other Legacy Garage door. It wanted to act as if, something was there. But, yet clear path. So, after moving them some & cleaning the lens they are working again. Sometimes taking the easy steps first work. Thanks for sharing your advice to!
Thank you. My sensors had to be cleaned and re aligned. It worked.
Nice 🙌
Thank you! This saved me a service call. Problem fixed in 30 seconds.
Mine was a loose wire at the garage door opener. That was maddening!!! Thanks man.
Appreciate the feedback!
It was some combo of cleaning the lens and wiggling the cable. Thanks for an easy to follow video / solution
Just found your site & subscribed... looks interesting!
Just a minor thought on wire nuts... if you always leave them pointing 'up' (with the wiring entering from below), they'll act 'umbrella' like and keep them from collecting debris, water etc..
You just scored me some brownie points with the wifey. Thanks for the clear and concise troubleshooting.
Thank you thank you for showing that unscrew method to proper align. After one hour and other videos watched, this solved my issue! 🎉
Awesome video! Adjusted the sensor and the light came back on and I am one happy guy!
Successfully fixed - it was just the sensor that got knocked. Thank you! Great video
Garmin Watch! That's how you know you can trust this guy. :D
Most helpful video I found! I fixed the garage door!
My garage door would not close. Your video helped me figure out the problem. Thank you very much!!
Thanks! Very helpful. It's pretty much what I thought it was, but you made it easier to debug. I was originally thinking I'd have to trip a breaker to check my connections, but gees, just unplug the damn thing! Duh! I had a bad censor, but fortunately I had another set of censors from a previous garage door replacement several years ago. Swapped em out, installed some new brackets for the new censors and I'm back in business. Thanks again for the clear troubleshooting guide.
was having rough day and garage decided to do this, easy fix thank you
My problem was a wiring issue…….. neither the transmitter nor the receiver lights on the safety sensors were illuminated. After checking the connections on both of them I found a wire nut missing on the receiver side. There is evidence of corrosion on the bare connections so I cleaned the wires and then connected them with a Butt connector…..
my problem was solved, door operates normally again. Thank you!
Thank you so much for this video. Thumps up. I noticed one of my sensors was not aligned. It really worked! Problem fixed. Money saved!
thanks. not going to get in to why but this video helped my door is working now.
Thank You solved the issue, glad you explained about one sensor sending and another receiving ... important detail... Have a Merry Christmas ... Arthur
Very nice step to step explanation of the problem. Thanks a lot . It made my job much easier.
This is GREAT video.... Well done. We all appreciate you
my sensors were misaligned so that first step fixed mine. Thanks!
My problem is that direct sunlight shining into the garage overwhelms the sensor keeping the door from closing. I can close it by holding the button in the garage down, but haven’t been able to find solution for this particular problem. The owners guide mentions this as a potential problem, but provides no solution.
Build a small cover over the lens to block the sun. Akin to a lens hood on a camera lens.
Direct sunlight in the garage usually means it’s coming from a window , no? I have a window in my garage. I tinted the window myself for a few bucks.
Steve Litchfield: Thank you! That fixed my problem. Glad I saw your comment because I would have been messing with this until the sun set and likely never would have found the cause. Around 4pm in the early Fall the sun is angled just right and shines right into the lens of the sensor.
My sensor on the right is orange and the light where the ceiling is stayed on
thanks for your help the viedo will help thousand of people who have problem with there garage door
Thank you soo much as I cleaned the sensors and readjusted 1 of them since it wasn't getting any signal. I thought it was going bad but either my mom or dog knocked it out of place. 😂😂😂
Thanks bro. I unplugged and then shook the wires. Great video. Thank you sincerely!
Cheers
Thank you! I just fixed mine watching your video because my daughter hit the sensor with her bike.
Very helpful video, miswiring of the sensors (white with white/black)
My issue (that took me forever to figure out) was that I was getting the green signal light however it was flickering. You need a constant green light that does not even flicker which just took a slight bending of the bracket for alignment. Thanks!
Indeed. Misalignment has *always* been a flickering LED for us (although it's only happened to us twice), not a completely dark one. Additionally, spider webs have blocked the sensors.
Aligning the sensors fixed it! Thank you.
Thank you very much fixed my door in 2 minutes after watching your video the technician asking for a lot of money
Thank you. Very easy fix as you described. Saved me a service call.
The garage door works perfectly all year until the temperature drops below freezing. It will go up but the lights will flash when trying to lower it and the door never goes down. We have tried everything.
What if I have a solid green and solid orange and it's throwing the error 'Sensor obstructed or misaligned' code (up 4 arrows down 6 on unit).
Thank you for this very helpful video, straightforward solid solution
Hi, thank you for providing this video. I’ve had issues with my sensors not allowing my door to close when the sun is out. The sun beams on that side of the house and is so frustrating to be able to open the door from the wall control but once I’m out I can’t get the door to close. The lights on the garage door opener just blinks several times telling me there is something in the way when there isn’t. Any recommendations on how I can address blocking the sun from the sensors?
Best video on the topic. My sensors are driving me nuts haha
Yeah, the sensors can be a pain but usually once you get them set and in good condition they behave.
@@EverydayHomeRepairs And brush the cobbie webbies off regularly !
I live in the middle of the Canadian Prairies. During the month of January on bright sunny days the sunlight shines on my south facing sensor and door will not close. Moved sensor as far back as I could but was still being affected. If I stand in the right position to block sunlight the door closes just fine.
Hmmm, wonder if you could mock up a sun shade that would extend enough past the black housing to shade the sensor even in direct sunlight. A few others have mentioned a similar issue with no great solution.
Try swapping sides.
Add toilet paper tubes to sensors, works great as shading devices
I went through steps 1-3
Door doesn’t close fully, only to reverse about 1-foot short of fully closing. And the lights are flashing! Any thoughts?
If I hold controller button down it will close fully without the lights flashing…
Excellent tutorial, easy to follow with confidence.
Thanks so much. I never noticed the green LEDs that pointed to alignment.
You wear right. I just had to clean the lens and wiggle the wires a bit. Thanks!