How To Align Garage Door Sensors

If you have a safety beam that’s out of line, the good news is the fix is usually fairly easy to accomplish in just a few minutes. You may need a screwdriver or pliers to help loosen the connecting wingnut of the mounting bracket holding each sensor. Work to point the sensors straight at one another until they are aligned properly. Visualizing as close as possible will usually do the trick but most units now also have LED lights on the safety sensors that let you know when they are aligned correctly.

If the quick realignment method doesn’t work, you’ll need to move on to a slightly more involved process. Here’s the solution in a few easy steps:

1. Turn off power to the sensors.
2. Using a screwdriver or pliers, loosen the screw holding the unit into the mounting bracket.
3. Adjust each unit to 6” off the ground. If placed too high, the sensors will fail to pick up something low enough to go underneath.
4. Hand-tighten the mounting bracket screws just enough to hold each sensor in place.
5. Run a string from one sensor to the other.
6. Use a level at the bottom of the string and adjust as necessary to get level.
7. Tighten the mounting screws all the way to keep them in place but be careful not to jostle out of position.
8. Turn back on the power and test the unit.

While realigning the units, it’s also a good idea to clean them well. Using a soft towel, brush any debris off the unit being careful to wipe the sensor lense. Make sure any objects are well away from the sensors and the garage door’s path. This will keep the door from being damaged, and won’t cause issues with reversing when you try to close.