Book soon Openers · London
Photo-Eye Sensor Alignment or Replacement
On bright mornings the door will not close, then by lunchtime it behaves itself. The garage faces the low sun, and the light reaches straight across the floor to one of the little black sensors.
Call now · open 24/7(226) 270-3930Right now
Before the door is looked at
Call (226) 270-3930, open 24/7.
Never bypass, tape over or relocate the sensors to make a door close; a door that reverses is reporting something worth fixing.
In plain words
By the end of the visit you have a door that closes from every control and reverses the instant the beam is broken, a sensor pair mounted level at the right height with steady indicator lights, wiring that is secured and out of harm's way, and a written note of what was found and what was changed. The technician walks you through the two tests you can repeat monthly, points out which light is which, and leaves the opener's diagnostic chart where you can find it. It is a small job that puts a large piece of your door's protection back in service.
How the visit goesOn bright mornings the door will not close, then by lunchtime it behaves itself. The garage faces the low sun, and the light reaches straight across the floor to one of the little black sensors.
Photo-Eye Sensor Alignment or Replacement · London
How the visit goes
- 1
Brackets and height on both sides
The two sensors have to sit at the same height, level, and facing each other squarely, no higher than about 15 cm (6 in) above the floor so the beam catches a small child or a pet. The technician measures both sides, because a bracket that has slipped a couple of centimetres down a track leg is enough to lose the beam. Each bracket is checked for bends from a bumper or a bin, for loose carriage bolts or wing nuts, and for rust where salt slush has sat against it for winters on end. A bracket screwed to a wall or the floor is checked for anchors that have worked loose.
- 2
Straightening or replacing the brackets
A bent bracket is straightened where the metal allows and replaced where it has cracked or rusted through. New brackets are chosen to suit the mounting: a track-mounted clip that rides the vertical rail, or a right-angle bracket anchored to the wall or the concrete where the track sits too far back. Fasteners that vibrated loose are replaced with the right carriage bolts and wing nuts rather than reused. Where a bracket has been sitting in salt slush every winter, it is set a touch higher within the permitted range and the mounting is sealed against the wall so water stops running behind it.
- 3
The monthly beam test
The habit worth keeping takes about a minute. Once a month, with the door open, press close on the wall control and, as it moves down, pass a broom handle through the beam near the floor. The door should stop and climb back to fully open. Then lay a 2x4 flat under the middle of the door and close onto it; the door should touch it and reverse. If either test fails, stop using the opener; close the door first if it is not already closed, then use the manual release, and get help moving it by hand if it feels heavy or will not hold. A door that passes both tests is doing its job.
In the van
- Matched photo-eye sensor pair
- Protective wire channel
- Wing nuts and carriage bolts
- Insulated wire staples
- Wall or floor angle brackets
What affects the quote
- 1
Opener make and generation
Sensor pairs are matched to the opener family, and some models take a kit with brackets and wire while others take sensors alone. The head unit label sets which pair is needed and how it is priced.
- 2
Type of kit
Some replacement kits contain only the two sensors with connectors, while others include brackets and a full length of wire. The kit that suits the opener and the state of the existing hardware is what is quoted.
- 3
An opener without a sensor circuit
Where the operator predates monitored sensors and cannot accept a pair, the quote changes shape into a modern operator with its own sensors, which is discussed as a separate decision rather than folded in.
Same fees day, night or weekend.
Photo-Eye Sensor Alignment or Replacement: questions
What can I check myself before calling?
Three things, all safe. Look along the floor between the sensors for anything in the path, including snow, leaves or a cobweb across a lens. Look at the two sensor lights and note whether one is dark or flickering, or both are dark. Press close and count the flashes of the opener light. If moving an object or wiping a lens brings the receiving light back on steadily, the door may close normally again; if not, those observations make the visit shorter.
My opener has no sensors at all. Can they be added?
If the opener predates the entrapment-protection standard, which operators have had to meet since the mid-1990s, its board has no sensor circuit and a pair cannot simply be wired in. The positive news is that a modern operator brings the whole package: matched sensors, force reversal and a monitored circuit. The technician confirms the model first, because some units do have the terminals and simply had their sensors removed.
What tests are done before the technician leaves?
Two, and you are invited to watch. With the door closing, an object is passed through the beam and the door has to halt and climb back to the top. A 2x4 laid flat beneath the door's centre comes next; closing onto it must make the door back off on contact. The door is also run from the wall control and a remote, the opener's warning flashes are confirmed gone, and both sensor lights are shown steady.
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Photo-Eye Sensor Alignment or Replacement near you
Middlesex, Ontario
London information
- Town
- London, Middlesex, Ontario
- In business
- 12 years
- Hours
- Open 24/7 · nights, weekends and holidays, same fees
- Phone
- (226) 270-3930
- Visits
- On-site assessment preferred. Request a visit or call.
What the census means at the door
52%
Older homes. About 52% of homes in London were built in 1980 or earlier, according to the 2021 Census.
Older houses frequently have a garage door that was replaced once already, sometimes with a door chosen for the opening rather than the building. When that door reaches its end, there is a chance to pick a style that suits the house properly, and we measure with that in mind.
49%
A mix of homes. Single-detached houses make up about 49% of homes in London (2021 Census).
In a neighbourhood with both detached and attached homes, some customers decide alone and others report to a board or property manager. We adapt the visit accordingly, giving a homeowner options at the door and a manager a written summary they can circulate.
Nearby
Open 24/7
Request a visit
On bright mornings the door will not close, then by lunchtime it behaves itself.
Call now · open 24/7(226) 270-3930- On-site assessment preferred
- Same fees day, night or weekend
- 12 years in business