When you live in Idaho, you quickly get used to the various challenges that our cold, snowy winter weather brings. One thing that you may not be aware of is the various ways that cold weather, snow and ice can impact the sensors on a garage door and cause difficulty closing.
How Garage Door Sensors Work
Modern garage door systems have a photo sensor on each side of the door near the floor. These sensors are a crucial safety mechanism that ensures the opener won’t close the door if a person or object is underneath it. Without the sensors, the door could crush and seriously injure or kill a person standing under it.
The way the sensors work is that one of them sends a beam of light to the other. If the beam is obstructed by anything or the sensors are not properly aligned, the door won’t close when you press the button on the remote or use the keypad. You’ll still be able to disconnect the door from the trolley and close it by hand, but the sensors will prevent the opener from running. If someone walks under the door while it’s closing and blocks the beam of light, the door will immediately reverse and open all the way.
Common Garage Door Sensor Issues in Winter
Cold temperatures, snow, ice and slush can all create issues that either knock the sensors out of alignment or block the light from shining between them. All sensors have status lights that tell you whether or not the beam is shining adequately. Depending on the model, the lights will usually go out, start flashing or turn red to let you know the sensors aren’t connecting. By knowing what things to check for if your garage door won’t close because of an issue with the sensors, you can quickly determine if the problem is something you can take care of yourself or if it requires the help of a professional.
Misalignment
Plastic and metal always contract in colder temperatures. If the plastic body of either sensor contracts too much, it can cause the sensor to move just enough that it knocks it out of alignment with the other. Some sensors are connected to the metal tracks instead of the wall. This can cause more frequent alignment issues during the winter due to how much the metal can contract. Luckily, it’s fairly easy to readjust the sensors so that they’re properly aligned and the door will close.
Dirty Sensors
There are numerous times throughout the winter when you drive into your garage with wet, slushy or muddy tires. Even though you’re driving slowly, your tires can still splash water or mud onto the sensors and coat their lenses. Dirty lenses will often prevent the beam of light from shining or block it from hitting the lens on the receiving sensor. If you see that the sensors are dirty, you can fix the problem by spraying them with a small amount of window cleaner.
Reflection From Snow and Ice
Sunlight reflecting off snow and ice in the yard or on the driveway can sometimes hit the beam of light shining between the sensors and cause them to think the door is obstructed. What happens is that the sunlight refracts the beam back off the lens in the sensor, causing it to bend so that it doesn’t hit the other sensor. This issue is common enough that many companies produce sun shields that go on the outside of each sensor and block sunlight from hitting it. Although sun shields are relatively inexpensive, it can be a bit difficult to install them and may be something you want to hire a professional to handle.
Condensation
Whenever your garage is quite a bit warmer than it is outside, condensation can cause the sensors to fog up when you open the door. Anyone who wears glasses is definitely familiar with this problem and experiences it frequently during the winter. Even a small amount of condensation on the sensors can prevent them from working and make it so that you can’t close your garage door with the opener. If you see that the sensors are fogged up, you can get them working again by just gently wiping off the condensation with a tissue or a soft cloth. Just be careful that you don’t move the sensors and knock them out of alignment.
Call Legacy Garage Doors Today
If you’re experiencing any problems with your garage door sensors or any other part of this system, Legacy Garage Doors can help. We offer expert residential and commercial garage door repair services in Boise, Emmett and all of the surrounding areas, and our team is available 24/7 for any emergencies. To schedule an inspection and service call, contact us today.
