Can Sunlight Affect Your Garage Door Sensor?

Many systems must work together harmoniously for your garage door to function correctly. Each has a unique job, and we can easily say that garage door sensors are the central system that ensures our safety. Mandated by federal law, garage door sensors prevent the closing of the garage door if there's anything or any person under the door during the closing motion.

Working Principle of Garage Door Sensors

Every garage door must include sensors, which function similarly to our five senses. They essentially permit the door to open and close properly, and if there is anything underneath the garage door when it closes, it must stop moving so that no one is hurt. This is a crucial safety rule since many homeowners have dogs or young children unaware of the dangers of closing garage doors. Infrared lights are used as the basis for garage door sensors. They direct the rays across the entry, and these rays detect anything that might prevent the garage door from shutting. If there is, they halt the movement and turn it around. Like many other sensors and systems, garage sensors may experience problems for a variety of reasons, and one of them can be sunlight exposure.

What About Sunlight?

As we said before, the sensors use infrared light technology, a component of the light spectrum. Guess what is also on the light spectrum and has even more energy than infrared light? Waves of sunlight. That's why it can interfere with the working mechanism of your sensors even when everything else is working perfectly. The good news is that this effect will most likely be there for a short time because the sensors' essential mechanism relies on the infrared lights between the lenses. So, it's not that big of a deal, and you shouldn't be concerned about it.

Be Cautious!

Although mandated, most garage door openers have a feature that allows the homeowner to override the sensors. If you have other additional problems with your sensors, you may be irritated, and your immediate reaction might be to override them. However, this is a bad idea since the whole purpose of your sensors is to prevent any damage that may happen to you or your family members. Overriding them is creating a health hazard. So, instead of shutting them down, call a professional to see what's wrong with your sensors and get them fixed.

Your Safety Comes First

Professionals of Bob's Advance Garage Doors know the importance of your garage doors and the significant role garage doors play in our lives by providing safety, efficiency, and convenience. But even when one of the elements of your garage door isn't functional, the rest of the components will be meaningless. Luckily, we have the necessary knowledge and experience to handle these problems. We are at your service if you need a professional to look at your sensors. Additionally, if you have been experiencing issues with the rest of your garage door components, we offer services like garage door repair and garage door installment. Contact us today to learn more!