How to Line Up Garage Door Sensors

Garage doors equipped with mechanical openers are required to have infrared safety sensors to automatically halt the closing of the garage door if anything is obstructing the door opening. When the beam of light between the sensors located at either side of the door is blocked by an obstruction, the sensors switch off the door closer to prevent the door from hitting the object or person that’s broken the beam. Correct alignment insures the proper functioning of this safety device.

Things You'll Need

• Clean rag
• Torpedo level
• Tape measure
• Adjustable pliers

Instructions

1. Use a clean rag to clean the glass lenses on both sensors to remove any dirt or grime that might be affecting the sensor signal. Often, the sensor’s light beam is only blocked by a dirty lens.

2. Check that the electrical wire leads to the sensor housing is secure and the wires show no signs of cracking. The sensors cannot be properly aligned unless they are fully functional and there is no electrical failure to either sensor.

3. Use a torpedo level to verify that both sensor housings are mounted level. If a housing is out of level, use a pair of pliers to gently twist the sensor mounting bracket to bring the housing to level.

4. Measure the vertical distance between the garage floor surface and the center of the sensor lenses. Both sensors should be an equal distance from the floor.

5. Measure the horizontal distance between the inside surface of the garage door and the sensor lenses on both sides of the garage door. This measurement should be equal at both sensors. Use a pair of adjustable pliers to gently bend the sensor mounting bracket to align the sensor lights to the same measurement. The sensor lights are now aligned.

6. Activate the door opener control switch to close the door and pass your open hand in front of the sensors. The door movement will stop or reverse direction when the sensor beam is blocked with your hand.