Control Systems & PLC's

Sensor Module

Garage Door Sensors - The Importance of these Critical Safety Devices

It is an unfortunate reality that every year thousands of people are injured by their garage doors.  Most of these injuries are due to the garage door falling on or crushing the person, and sadly, in a majority of cases, it is a child who is most likely to be hurt.  This is why it is so critically important to install a high quality garage door safety sensor on every garage door you own.

A vital Safety Feature

Why are garage door sensors considered such vital safety features?  Put simply, it's because they save lives and prevent serious injuries.  A garage door safety sensor does not replace proper safety habits, but it does help ensure your safety when the unexpected happens.

Garage door sensors generally include two modules placed on either side of the garage door opening, usually toward the bottom of the track.  One module emits a light beam or an electronic signal, while the other module receives the light beam or electronic signal.  As long as that beam or signal remains uninterrupted the garage door opener will continue to operate and lower the door into place. 

But if that beam or signal is interrupted, such as by a child walking under the closing door, the garage door opener will stop immediately and reverse itself, raising the door back into the full open position.  This prevents the door from crushing or pinning the child (or whatever else is breaking the beam) underneath and potentially causing serious or even fatal injuries.

Proper installation of Garage Door Sensors

Today's garage door openers all come with some form of garage door safety sensor built in to the system.  Details for proper installation of these sensors are included in the overall installation instructions for the opener itself.  Most experts strongly recommend you hire a professional to install a garage door opener and the included garage door sensors because of their vital safety function.  If you choose to do it yourself, however, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Line up the two modules directly across from each other and secure them firmly to the garage door track
• Connect the garage door sensors to the garage door opener motor using the included wiring or other connection device
• Test the garage door sensors several time to ensure they are working properly and that they halt the progress of the garage door as quickly as possible

Remember, garage door sensors are vital pieces of safety equipment so read and follow all directions carefully if you plan to install them yourself.  If you have any concerns or are worried you might not be able to handle the installation yourself, it is well worth spending a bit of money to have a professional do it for you.

About the Author

Pat Easterbrooks is the editor of http://www.garagehowto.com/ which provides practical information on building, fixing and organizing garages. To learn more about garage door sensors and other important garage door repair tasks, visit http://www.garagehowto.com/garage-door-repair.html Copyright: You may freely republish this article, provided the text, author credit, the active links and this copyright notice remain intact.

43 esc module or sensor circuit problem?

this is the code coming up in my 1988 chevy truck 5.7 engine 43 esc module or sensor circuit problem what does this code mean?

what it means is the ECM has detected that the ESC system is in constant timing retard...if you want to fix it.

here is a link to the info you need;

http://straighttalkautomotive.com/GM_OBD1.html

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