Same-day service in Austin
Garage Door Sensor Repair in Austin
The door goes up fine, but when you try to close it, it reverses and the opener light flashes. Or it only closes if you hold the wall button down the whole way. That’s the safety sensor system at the bottom of the door, and it’s doing its job even when it’s wrong. Sensors get knocked out of alignment, wires get pinched, and lenses get dirty. We fix or replace them and get the door closing from the remote again.
Upfront quote before we start. $79 service call, waived with repair.
What we do
- Test the sensors and read the indicator lights on both sides of the door
- Realign the sensors so the beam connects cleanly across the opening
- Repair or replace pinched, chewed, or corroded sensor wiring
- Replace failed sensors with the correct pair for your opener brand
- Test the safety reverse so the door stops when something is in the way
Why it happened
Safety sensors sit about six inches off the floor, where they get bumped by trash cans, bikes, and brooms. Low sun hitting the receiver lens can wash out the beam, which is why some doors only act up at certain times of day. The wiring runs along the wall, where it gets stapled, pinched, or chewed. Sensors have been required on new openers since 1993, so nearly every door in Austin has a pair.
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Questions about sensor repair
Why does my door reverse when I try to close it?
The two sensors at the bottom of the tracks send an infrared beam across the opening. If the beam is broken or the sensors can’t see each other, the opener refuses to close and flashes its light. Usually one sensor has been bumped out of alignment, a lens is dirty, or direct sun is washing out the receiver.
Can I bypass the sensors?
Holding the wall button down will close the door once, which is the built-in override for an emergency. Permanently bypassing them is dangerous and we won’t do it. Sensors exist so the door stops when a child, a pet, or a car is in the opening. A proper fix is quick, and it’s a small job compared with what a closing door can do.
Do I need new sensors or just an adjustment?
Most calls are an alignment or a wiring repair, and we’ll tell you which after a two-minute test of the indicator lights. Sensors do fail, especially older ones that have spent years baking in a west-facing garage, and when they do we replace the pair with the right model for your opener brand.
Book online
Book sensor repair today
Tell us what the door is doing and we’ll call you within 10 minutes during business hours with a time window and an upfront quote.
- We call back within 10 minutes during business hours
- Upfront quote before any work starts
- $79 service call, waived with repair
- 1-year labor warranty on every repair