The safety eye sensors became mandatory on all garage door openers manufactured on or after
January 1, 1993. The safety eyes sensors became mandatory to protect children from
entrapment and death from garage doors closing on them. The safety eye sensors are mounted
to or by the vertical track of the garage door about 6″-8″inches above the floor. One of the
safety eye sensors is a transmitter, that transmits a beam, and the other is a receiver, that
receives the beam. If the beam is broken by any object, while the door is closing, the door will
stop and reverse to its fully open position. The amber colored light is the transmitter and the
green colored light is the receiver. The lights should be a solid illumination for the garage door
opener to function properly when closing.
If your safety eye lights are not a solid illumination, then it is likely that the safety eyes are out
of line. This is an easy fix. You simply need to adjust the safety eyes so that the beam becomes
solid. Safety eye sensors can be knocked out of alignment fairly easily, so this is a common
occurrence.
It could also be dirt, cob webs, or even water from a sprinkler gets on the lens causing the
sensors not to work. If your safety eyes are aligned properly, but are still not a solid
illumination, try cleaning the lenses with a damp cloth.
Sometimes the safety eye sensors simply fail, and need to be replaced. Failure can be caused in
many ways. They could get hit by something that damages the sensors, the sun light could bake
the sensor over time causing them to fail just to give a couple of examples. If the safety eyes
have failed, you will have to replace them. Garage door openers will not function with the
safety eyes disconnected.
Replacing the safety eyes is a simple procedure. To get started you will need to purchase new
safety eye sensors, making sure you get new sensors that will work with your manufacturer and
model number garage door opener. You can purchase new sensors at a home improvement
store like Home Depot or Lowes, or from a garage door service company. You will need to
unplug your garage door opener from the power source to prevent accidental electrocution.
Remove the old safety eyes noting how they connect to the back of the operator, mounted on
the ceiling of the garage door. Replace the opener sensors following the manufacturer
recommendations. Once the new safety eye sensors have been installed and connected to the
opener, plug the opener back in to the electrical supply and check the sensors for proper
alignment. Test the garage door by opening and closing the door a couple of times. There
should be no need to reprogram anything on your garage door opener after replacing the
safety eyes.
New safety eye sensors should cost between $39-$69 per pair. If one safety eye sensor is
failing, it is recommended that you replace both sensors, they are sold in pairs, so the cost is
the same.
