Photo Eye Sensor – Garage Door Safety
Garage doors are huge. Their moving seems effortless, because all we have to do is push a button and voilà it’s in motion. What many may not realize, until it’s too late, is these doors that protect you can cause huge amounts of harm if they aren’t operating properly. The garage door openers are often the main focus. If the opener is malfunctioning, the garage door will too.
A huge component of safety are the photo eye sensors. It’s required for both residential and commercial garage doors in order to meet safety requirements.
The residential requirement has been a law since 1993. If your garage door opener was manufactured and installed before this time, there’s a chance you don’t have a sensor. If you don’t have a photoelectric eye sensor, get one as soon as you can. They’re easy to install and will do a great deal to protect you from harm.
The commercial requirement law has been modified and slower to adapt, but as of 2012, this is where the law stands. All newly manufactured commercial door openers must meet the UL325 safety code in one of two ways:
- The close button must be set to require “constant contact” on close. That means, when the door is being closed someone must press the button until it is completely shut. That way, if something gets in the way, the user can release the button and the door will reverse up to completely open.
- The close button is set to a quick push, but a monitored safety system must be present. Either a photo eye or edge sensor. A photo eye, which “sees” an object obstructing the door without contact, must be mounted 6” above the floor. An edge sensor is similar edge sensors on elevator doors, contact must be made to reverse the door.
If you’re looking for even more ways to be safe, here are more tips!
Whether you’re a homeowner or business owner, your safety is very important to us, especially when it comes to things we can control — like your garage door and garage door opener. Overhead Door Company of Garden City can help keep you safe by installing, updating, or fixing your photo eye sensor. Give us a call 620-275-4602 or contact us for more information.
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