Why won't my garage door close in the afternoon?

Safety sensors work with an invisible infrared beam. When strong, low sun shines straight into the receiving sensor, it can swamp that beam and the opener reacts as if something is blocking the doorway. Garages that face the afternoon sun are the usual candidates, and the problem tends to shift with the seasons as the sun's angle changes.

Signs it is the sun

• The door closes normally in the morning, in the evening and on cloudy days.
• It fails or reverses only during the same window each afternoon.
• One sensor indicator light flickers or goes out while sun is on it, then returns to steady once the sun moves.

If the door also fails at other times, or reverses after touching the floor, the cause is probably something else. See why a door goes back up before it touches the ground.

What fixes it

We confirm the timing and the indicator pattern, then check sensor alignment, the brackets and the wiring, because a slightly misaligned sensor is more easily overwhelmed by sunlight. If sun is the cause, a compatible shield for the sensor usually solves it. A sensor that is damaged or aging may need a matched replacement pair.

What not to do

Do not tape over, unplug or move the sensors out of the doorway, and do not hold the wall button down to force the door closed. Those steps remove the protection that stops a closing door before it reaches a person or pet. We see this in neighborhoods such as Natomas, Plumas Lake and Vineyard, and handle it the same way across all the cities we serve.

Read more

• Safety sensor service
• How garage door sensors work

Related questions

• Why does my garage door go back up before it touches the ground?
• My garage door won't close and a sensor light is blinking. What do I do?
• Can I install garage door safety sensors myself?
• Is it okay to use a garage door opener without safety sensors?
• Is it safe to fix a broken garage door myself?

Have a different question? Call (916) 838-8182 or browse all garage door questions.