FAQS

Type Photocell Eye on Garage Door

Near the bottom of the door tracks at the opening on each side is a set of Photocell eyes. These eyes detect if any objects, persons or vehicles are in the way of the door closing. They are an important safety device that prevents your door from closing when there is something or somebody in the way. The door will only close if there is a clear path from one "eye" to the other "eye".

• If the door is not closing, please check the following:
  • Remove any obstructions in the path between the eyes (e.g. boxes, buckets, brooms, etc.)
  • Ensure the eyes are clean
    • They can get dusty, dirty or splashed with dirt/mud over time.
    • Clean the eyes carefully with a soft, damp, non-abrasive cloth. Do not use any chemicals. Do not scratch the lens.
    • Avoid moving or changing the position of the eyes.
  • If the eyes are clean and unobstructed, they may simply be out of alignment. They need to point directly at each other to work.
    • Use the next tip to align them correctly.

• In most cases, a poor alignment of the photocell eyes can prevent the garage door closing.
• These can be thrown out of alignment when they are bumped accidentally (e.g. items falling over in the garage, etc.)
• Please refer to this document for instructions on how to re-align them:
  • How to Align Photocell Eyes (PDF)

If the eyes are aligned, clean, and unobstructed, there may be a more complex problem going on. Please call our service department to have one of our qualified technicians inspect your system. Do not try to service the system yourself, as this may present a safety hazard as well as void your warranty.

Please refer to the following guide for instructions on programming remotes for your door:

• Programming Remotes (PDF)

There have been some reports on the Internet about techniques to open garage doors. Overhead Door is aware of such techniques and installs doors in a way that makes them very difficult to break into using these methods. However, if somebody really wants to get into something, they will find another way. They can just as easily break a window, and for this reason we might argue that your garage door is not the weakest point of your home. If you are seriously concerned about the security of your home, please talk to one our specialists about rolling shutters and other secure entry solutions.

We recommend resetting your lift unit to the remotes linked to it, then obtaining a new set of remotes and re-pairing them.

On most units, the steps to take are:

1. Unplug the door lift operator
2. Hold the Reset / Learn button for 8 seconds.
   1. This will clear the memory of any remotes. After this step, NONE of the remotes that were on the unit will work.
3. Call an Overhead Door representative to obtain a new set of remotes.
4. Re-program the new remotes to your door.