What are the garage door photocells

Garage door photo beam/photo eyes are standard in most homes today.The door automatically stops closing and reverses when objects pass through the photo eyes.This helps prevent dangerous garage door accidents including small children or unleashed pets running under the door.

All residential garage door opener systems manufactured since the early 1990’s have had an infrared light beam safety reversing device as a standard safety item.

This device requires a sending and receiving unit placed at four to six inches above floor height. These are placed directly adjacent to the garage door track so they are easy to spot.

First, let’s look at what this device does. The photocell monitors for an unbroken beam of light to allow the garage door opener system to close. Should the beam of light be interrupted the door will immediately stop its downward travel and reverse to the fully open position.

This safety device is required primarily to prevent personal injury to the user or a pet but also protects against property damage.

If something is left in the doorway the door will not close on it. Most all photocell devices have indicator lights on them that will indicate if they are in alignment and clear. The indicator lights should be steady if everything is normal.

If there is a blockage the indicator lights will be blinking in most cases.

If the lights are off there may be other issues, more on that later.