Is it possible to only replace one of the safety sensors on my garage door opener and not both of them?

Is it possible to only replace one of the safety sensors on my

garage door opener and not both of them?

Safety eye sensors are mandatory on all garage door openers manufacture on or after January

1, 1993, and will not function with the sensors failing or disconnected. This is to protect

children from entrapment and even death from a garage door closing on them.

The safety eye  sensors function to create a beam with one sensor, amber colored light being the transmitter,

and the other sensor, green light being the receiver. If either sensor fails the garage door

opener will not allow the garage door to close.

Safety eye sensors can be knocked out of alignment fairly easily, causing the door not to close.

If the sensors are out of alignment, the lights on the sensors will not be illuminated or will

appear to be blinking or flashing. Realign to fix this issue.

Safety eyes sensors can also get dirty and need to be wiped clean periodically. Dirty safety eye

sensors can break the beam stopping the door from closing.

Safety eye sensors do fail from time to time. The failure can be caused from the sensor being

hit by some object, water from a water sprinkler or rain hitting them or from the sun baking the

sensor over time. (these are just examples)

While it is possible to replace only one of the safety eye sensors, it is recommended that both

be replaced. The Safety eye sensors are sold in pairs, so the cost is the same. When replacing

the safety eye sensors, be sure the new sensors you purchase will work with the manufacturer

and model number of your garage door opener. If you choose to only replace one of the

sensors, you will need to identify which sensor is failing. Is the failing sensor the transmitter,

with the amber light, or the receiver, with green light. You will need t replace the failing sensor

with the proper replacement sensor, transmitter or receiver. Since the sensors were installed at

the same time, if one has failed, the other is probably not far behind it in failing.

This is a fairly simple repair and can be done if you have minimal skills and follow the

manufacturer’s instructions carefully.

Safety eye sensors can be purchased at most home improvement stores like Home Depot or

Lowes, or from a local garage door repair company. Replacement safety eye sensors by a professional garage door company

should  cost between $149-$189.