GARAGE DOORS EXPERT

Sensory perceptions

Garage doors are built to withstand a lot of punishment while still expected to perform their basic duty of providing an access point to your home and protecting your valuable assets. Over time, the barrage of dings, dents, basketball and bicycle hits, storms, and general age begin to take their toll. In addition, your garage door relies on many interconnected components to maintain integrity, warranty status, and overall operational compatibility. Therefore, you should rely on us to ensure the sensors are kept up to snuff. 

The garage door sensors are the eyes of the system and serve as a safety override precaution in the event of a component failure. Working in pairs, both connect via an infrared signal so closely and precisely aligned that if one is meddled with or broken, the other will cease operating. This is how closely reliant they are on each other. If the beam is interrupted, the garage door stops or, even worse, can fall in the middle of a cycle, leading to serious auto or personal damage. 

The big easy

Due to the wear and tear, construction material, and initial placement being so low to the ground, these little devices withstand a lot for their size. However, usually just hard molded plastic covered, a couple of hard kicks, bumps, heat or cold, other dirt and debris, and overall inner core alignment is easily damaged if exposed. While DIY enthusiasts can quickly resort to a readjustment of the sensors, some other alternates you may want to look out for in the case of a sensor stoppage are:

● Removal of any visible debris. Even small twigs or leaves can interrupt the connectivity.

● Wipe the lenses with a soft cloth to remove any dust, dirt, or spiderwebs. Salt or grit from seasonal snowfalls can also dull and coat the lens.

● Toys, pebbles, and overgrown grass.

● Ice and snow build-up.

To avoid a fix or to stop the misalignment from occurring in the first place, take the simple precaution of covering the sensors safely making sure your garage door is locked upright while cleaning out the garage, driveway, or access during a broomed sweep out or using a leaf blower, and once complete, always double-check your sensor alignment, covers, and lenses before reengaging them. 

If, after an attempt to fix a misalignment, you discover that the sensors aren’t working, the issue could be extended to an electrical fault somewhere. So the question here is how simple is an electrical fix and should you proceed on your own?

Generally, we at Mass Garage Doors Export don’t usually recommend it due to the stability and fragile nature of the inner electric wires involved. Knowing your electrical panel would also need to come in handy and require shutting off the mains in some cases. Besides, a pro install takes less than an hour, while a DIY can stretch out into 6 or 8 if you run into problems.

Dollars and sensors

The cost of sensors repair runs around $75.00 to $100.00, and the installation cost of an average of $100.00 could easily be applied.

The average life cycle of a pair of sensors can extend to ten to twelve years if diligently maintained, cleaned, and serviced, along with all the parts associated with your garage door opener system. 

In retrospect, that’s a far cry from what could be a risky, time-consuming, non-warrantied gamble…don’t you think? Call your pros from Mass Garage Doors Expert. You’ll be better off ahead when you trust Ronen to turn your faulty garage door sensors into an open and shut case. 

Servicing the Greater Boston area, our service professionals are your number 1 choice for all of your garage door repairs, installations, sales, and services. We use the industry’s top-line products and never cut corners regarding value and safety. Click here to discover all we offer and read what others say about our residential and commercial projects.