How to Troubleshoot the Electric Eye in a Sears Craftsman Garage Door

Garage doors are heavy and can injure children and pets.

Garage doors are heavy and can injure children and pets.

Sears Craftsman garage door openers have an important safety feature that prevents the door from closing when something or someone is in the way. This safety reversing sensor is actually a pair of electric eyes that generate and receive a light signal that must remain unbroken for the door to operate. If it's interrupted while the door is closing, the door reverses and a safety light on the opener flashes 10 times.

The Safety Sensors

The installation instructions for a Craftsman door opener call for installing the sensors 6 inches above the floor, and you can mount them to the floor, the wall or the door track with the brackets provided. If they are properly aligned, both sensors display a steady light; the one on the receiving sensor is green and the one on the sending sensor is orange. If something is in the path of the beam or the sensors are misaligned, it's typically the green light on the receiving sensor that flashes. When the orange light on the sending sensor flashes or stays off, it usually indicates a loose wiring connection.

Stuff in the Way

The most common cause of sensor malfunction is also the easiest to remedy: Something is blocking the beam. It may be a garden tool or something left behind by children, such as a wagon or beach ball. If your garage door has been in place long enough, enough dirt may have formed on the lenses to block the beam, or cobwebs might be in the way. When this happens, the green light on the receiving sensor flashes or it stays off altogether. The orange light on the sending sensor will remain unaffected and be glowing steadily.

Misalignment or Loose Wires

The green indicator light on the receiving sensor also flashes or fails to illuminate when the sensor is out of alignment with the sending sensor. You can often restore alignment without tools; simply loosen the wing nut holding the sending sensor to its galvanized steel mounting bracket and adjust its orientation until the green light on the receiving sensor glows steadily, then tighten the nut. If the orange indicator light on the sending sensor is off, it usually indicates a bad electrical connection. Check the connection to the sensor and follow the wire all the way to the terminal on the back of the opener. You might find a staple or nail cutting through the wire insulation.

Light Interference

Some sensors temporarily malfunction at certain times of the day, and the problem is related to the angle of the sun. If the sun falls squarely on the receiving sensor, it can fail to detect the light beam generated by the other sensor. To remedy this, you might have to construct a guard around the sensor to block sunlight; an empty paper towel roll works well for this. Cut about 2 inches from the end of the roll and tape it to the sensor with duct tape to restore sensor operation.

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