We have provided the following archive of Q&A for reference purposes only. To get answers to your home improvement questions, please visit our new community forums.

Linear garage door opener

Name: Roy  City:

Question: Is their a way to bypass the safety beam? I tried disconnecting but nothing works when I do that. The problem is the sunlight is crossing the beam and I cannot close the door with the control.

Name: Jeff | Date: October 24, 2004, 17:33
Answer: I have the same problem - any thought?

Name: jon | Date: December 18, 2004, 15:35
Answer: I bought wire from an electonics store and spliced it into the wire from the wall to extended the monitors so the beam crosses accross the ceiling. It disables the saftey feature, but the door works. It did not work when I used electrical taped to bind the wires, but it did work when I connected the spliced wires with a wire connector.

Name: homebild | Date: December 20, 2004, 11:25
Answer: You should NEVER bypass the electric eye on a garage door. It is not only illegal, it is dangerous to do so...The eyes are in place to assure that a door cannot close onto a child and kill them. They also protect your car and other proeprty items by preventing the door from coming down upon them.....If light is an issue, cover the glass panel on your garage door with curtains...Otherwise NEVER remove ot interefe with the electric eye safety features on a garage door.

Name: john | Date: December 31, 2004, 14:42
Answer: why does my garage door opener only work when it's right next to the receiver?

Name: Steve | Date: January 5, 2005, 11:35
Answer: I unhooked an electric garage door due to power failure. The wires went off track and un loosened the round spindle they went on to re-alogn them. That done the door is now all the way down weighs a ton and ther is no tension from the torque spring that had been holding open. Help?? Can I repir this myself or do I need to call someone? Thanks.

Name: dale | Date: January 5, 2005, 15:02
Answer: How do you realign the electric eyes? I bump one of them and now I have to hold down the button for it to go all the way down. Is there a reset button?

Name: Scott | Date: January 6, 2005, 15:37
Answer: I have the same issue. As to homebuild's response: you really aren't paying attention to the question. The issue is that with a door open, the sun comes in at the right angle to trip the sensor into thinking that something is in the way, when it isn't. I have this happen from 9 am til 3 PM, or later/earlier depending on if there is snow or not. These lights are pretty dumb, and cause trouble. As a side note, the door can't close on a child and crush them, there is another sensor that trips of there is too much pressure before the door should be closed, and I have tried it, it doesn't take much for this one to trip. I would like to know where you live that you think this is a legal issue, and I would like to know the place you found this law so that I can check for myself, as I am would like to know those laws for myself.