Garage door sensor repair
Garage door starts to close, then goes right back up?
That's the safety system reversing the door. Usually the sensors can't see each other, or the opener thinks the door hit something. Often it's a quick fix.
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Is this what you're seeing?
The door closes partway or all the way, then reverses back up.
The opener light may blink several times when it happens.
The door closes fine if you hold the wall button down.
One of the small sensors near the floor has a blinking or dark light.
What's going on
Openers have two safety systems. The photo-eye sensors near the floor send a beam across the opening, and anything that breaks it sends the door back up. The opener also reverses if the door meets more resistance than its force setting allows.
Common causes are a bumped or misaligned sensor, a dirty lens, low sun shining straight into one sensor, a damaged sensor wire, or a close limit set too low so the door “hits” the floor and reverses.
What to do right now
Do
Check that nothing is in the door’s path, including leaves or a hose near the sensors.
Wipe both sensor lenses with a soft cloth and look for a steady light on each.
Hold the wall button down to close the door if you need to secure the garage tonight.
Don't
Don’t tape over, bypass or remove the sensors. They’re what stops the door from closing on someone.
Don’t turn up the force setting to make it close. That hides the problem and makes the door less safe.
How we fix it
We find which safety system is triggering, then fix that. Sensor work is covered under garage door sensor repair. This is what our records show on these jobs.
What the work involved
- Alignment and adjustment28 of 92 jobs
- New sensors19 of 92 jobs
- Open, close and force settings17 of 92 jobs
- Remotes and keypads13 of 92 jobs
- Wiring6 of 92 jobs
- New opener5 of 92 jobs
- Sensor and safety jobs since 2017
- 100
- Typical time on site
- 45 min
- Busiest season
- Summer
Recent jobs like this
Aug 2026
Denver metroFound
The door wouldn't close fully whenever the sun hit the garage.
Fixed
Replaced the opener's safety sensors.
Sep 2026
LittletonFound
The door misbehaved in less-than-perfect weather. The safety sensors were out of alignment.
Fixed
Adjusted and realigned the safety sensors.
May 2026
Denver metroFound
It looked like the opener needed replacing, but the problem was a damaged sensor wire.
Fixed
Spliced and sealed the sensor wiring, then lubricated and tuned the door.
Aug 2026
LakewoodFound
The safety sensors were mounted too high.
Fixed
Lowered the sensors to the correct height.
Apr 2025
LakewoodFound
A bag was blocking the sensors, and the emergency release was damaged.
Fixed
Cleared the sensors, repaired the emergency release and lubricated the door.
Feb 2025
Wheat RidgeFound
A short in the safety sensor wiring.
Fixed
Repaired the short and tuned up the door.
Repair or replace?
Sensors and settings are repairs. If the opener is old enough that parts aren’t available, we’ll talk through opener replacement.
Related questions
Why does my garage door reverse before reaching the floor?
The door reverses because the opener senses resistance before the door reaches the floor.
Read full answerWhy does my garage door reverse before closing?
Why your garage door reverses before closing: misaligned sensors, a dirty lens, a touchy close-force setting, or a blocked track, and how to fix it.
Read full answerHow do I fix garage door sensors that won't align?
Fix garage door sensor alignment yourself: read the LED colors, clean the lenses, level the brackets, and check the wiring so your door stops reversing.
Read full answerWhy is my garage door sensor's green light blinking?
A blinking green light on the receiving sensor means the beam is broken: the sensors are misaligned, blocked, dirty, or have a wiring fault on the sending side.
Read full answerCan sunlight interfere with garage door sensors?
Yes.
Read full answerRelated services
Parts mentioned
Get your door closing reliably
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