How to Bypass Garage Door Sensors?
Do you notice your garage door is not working correctly even if there’s an obstruction in front of your garage door sensor? The most recommended action for this problem is to bypass the garage door sensors. This is the best option, so your garage door will finally close. Thus, we’ll teach you how to trick garage door sensors. Read to find out!
How do garage door
sensors work?
Garage door openers often come with a remote control to activate the motor. Some openers are wired, but often it comes with a remote. Thus, this will allow you to access the garage door with a remote control even if you’re in the car. The opener employs infrared sensors, which you can see at the bottom sides of the garage door.
These sensors detect if there are objects in the line of sight. Once they detect these objects, they signal the garage door to stay open. Otherwise, the sensors will prompt the garage door to close.
These garage door opener sensors allow you to use your door safely and securely. That’s why when it malfunctions, you’ll notice it right away. The garage door sensor yellow will begin to blink. Then, the door won’t respond to the sensors. Most often, simple cleaning and realigning will fix the sensors. However, when these tricks don’t work, you should know how to adjust garage door sensors.
Check the Alignment Before Bypassing Garage Door Sensors
When you’re thinking of bypassing your garage door sensor, you need to know why you should do it. If you believe that it needs bypassing just for convenience, you need to inspect more. Bypassing a garage door with no sufficient reason will make things worse.
It could danger you and your family, and you could be damaging your garage door. Hence, you should bypass a garage door if realigning or cleaning the sensor won’t work. In short, if the garage door sensors are malfunctioning, that’s the time you need to adjust them.
If your garage door won’t close even if there’s no obstruction in the way, it’s another reason to bypass the sensors. However, it’s only temporary until you’ve finally identified the underlying issue with your garage door sensors.
Steps on How to Bypass Garage Door Sensors
If you haven’t realigned or cleaned the sensors, we suggest you do it first before bypassing the garage door. If the sensors will finally work after doing them, there’s no need to adjust.
However, if this troubleshooting doesn’t work, you can follow these steps to bypass garage door sensors:
Hold the Button
In this step, go to the opener installed on the ceiling of your garage and hold the button down. Once you hold down the button, the garage door will keep moving up and down. Thus, it won’t stop until you release the button.
Moreover, the sensors will respond to the button prompting the garage door to close as long as you hold the button. However, this is just a temporary fix since it doesn’t solve the issue with your garage door sensor.
While you’re bypassing your garage door in this method, you also need to contact a reliable garage door expert to check the sensors.
Operate Your Garage Door Manually
This may be a hassle, but manually moving your garage door is recommended when bypassing the sensors. With the manual operation, you won’t use the opener button anymore.
This is a trick that you can do while you’re waiting for the garage door expert to arrive to check the sensors. To switch the garage door in manual mode, pull the cord that you see from the ceiling. Then, the chain releases the door, so it would finally close down. However, you need to open the garage door without extra tools manually.
On the other hand, you will need an extra hand to open the garage door manually. In this way, the door won’t fall on its own if it’s halfway open. Moreover, the sensors will respond to the button prompting the garage door to close as long as you hold the button. However, this is just a temporary fix since it doesn’t solve the issue with your garage door sensor. While you’re bypassing your garage door in this method, you also need to contact a reliable garage door expert to check the sensors.
Check the Wiring
This is the part where you need to check on the sensors directly. To do this, cut the garage door sensor wires. Then remove them from both sides of your garage door.
Disengaging garage door sensor
After that, rewire them to the opener motor and place them to face each other using a tape of a mounting device. Rewiring them will allow the sensors to connect and align. This method will also allow the garage door opener to work.
However, this hack presents many risks. The garage door might close even if there’s an object in the way.
Is there a Permanent Way to Bypass Garage Door Safety Sensors?
You can not permanently bypass garage door sensors. The other option is to operate the door or cut the wires manually. However, they are not long-term solutions. These are only temporary fixes until you sort this problem with garage door experts.
Garage door sensors are essential since they protect your cars and your family. So when they are malfunctioning, it’s best to call a garage door repair company. In this way, they’ll inspect eh problem and do what is necessary to fix the sensors.
Conclusion: Replace the sensors
In short, bypassing sensors will solve what you’re dealing with with your garage door. However, it’s not a permanent fix. You’ll only trouble yourself with manually opening and closing the door or cutting the wires. And what if you won’t be able to perform the job successfully? That’s where the problem comes in.
Bypassing a garage door is only temporary until you sort the problem regarding the sensors with a professional. After all, you must address the underlying problem to prevent any future issues from escalating.
In most cases, replacing the sensors will solve the problems you have with your garage door. If the sensors don’t work after realigning or cleaning, they need to be replaced.
Most likely, replacing the sensors will permanently bring back the condition of your garage door. However, consult with an expert to determine if you need a replacement or a simple repair.
