Failure to close (FTC) is without a doubt the most common garage door problem. Most of the time it is the result of a broken signal between the Infrared Safety Sensors (a.k.a. photo eyes, safety eyes, photoelectric sensors, etc.)

This guide will cover pretty much everything you ever need to know about garage door safety sensors.  

• Garage Door Infrared Safety Sensors Overview
• How to override your sensors to close your door now
• How to line up your garage door sensors
• My opinion on different brands’ IR sensors
• Proper installation
• Tricks for difficult installations
• Troubleshooting
  • Safety Sensors vs Mechanical Problem
  • Alignment 
  • Bad Wiring vs Bad Sensor
  • Sunlight on the Sensors
• Wiring
  • Types of wire
  • Wiring configurations
    • Home Run
    • Daisy Chain
  • Common problems
    • Loose wire at the opener terminal
    • Bad splice
      • Finding the splice
      • Checking the splice
    • Damaged wire
  • Fix it the right way
    • The right way to twist wires together
    • Common connectors
    • Attaching to the opener
• Where they are located
• What they do and DON’T do
• Why they come out of alignment
• Best practices

If it turns out to be a challenge to get your safety sensors working, try reading about the specific quirks of your garage door opener brand.

• LiftMaster
• Chamberlain
• Craftsman
• Genie
• Overhead Door
• Linear
• Marantec
• Sommer

The information in this guide could save people around the world millions of dollars in unnecessary service charges!  Be sure to share with your friends and neighbors, even if they don’t live in a different part of the country, or the world for that matter.  I bet if you talk to them many will have had an annoying problem with their garage door recently.