Here's how it works: Anybody can ask a question The best answers are voted up and rise to the top Only during summer and only when the sun is close to the horizon the light from the sun confuses my garage door opener and in order to close the door I have to hold down the wired button which is a real pain if I'm leaving. A friend suggested I use toilet paper rolls (or maybe some PVC) to shield the sensor from the sun and direct the beam to the other sensor and that's a good idea but it'll mean I have to change how the sensors are mounted to the track and move them out a bit. Just moving them back might solve the problem (since they'll be blocked by the walls).Is this a common problem? You probably only have to shield the sensor just enough to put a shadow over it (and not let the sun hit it directly). I would think a small piece of cardboard taped to the side or top (or both) of the sensor that is getting hit with the sun should do it. Another way would be to block the sun from outside of the garage by maybe planting a shrub (test it out by putting your garbage can in line to block the sun when it is low in the sky and see if it works).
You could swap the emitter and detector units so that the emitter is on the sunlit side. It doesn't matter if the emitter is being blasted by sunlight; only the detector needs to be protected. Of course you might just be changing the time of day of your problem if the other side of the door is sunlit at a different time. Don't forget to swap the wiring at the opener unit as well of course. I had the same issue. I tried shading both the sensor and the emitter with card board and toilet paper rolls. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. Today it wouldn't cooperate at all. I even tried re-aiming the sensors. I was able to prove that it was the sun causing the issue by closing the door, disengaging the door from the opener, and activating the opener. It worked fine with the door closed. So....after giving it some thought..... I decided to find some glass cleaner. I cleaned the sensor and the emitter. After that it worked fine even in direct sunlight without any type of shading.
Hope this idiot fix helps!!!! Placing a tube around the sensor/emitter might work, but it sounds like that would easily break if kicked or struck by something passing by. Perhaps a polarized filter for a camera would be taped or somehow fixed to the unit. Amazon has this one for $11.99. I used an old pair of polarized plastic safety sunglasses that were $6.00 new. I cut one lens off and slid it behind the sensor so that it covers the lens: no more sun problem stopping the beam so the door now works. What a pain that must be. Could you raise or lower the sensors a few inches up or down to make it less inline with the sun? I agree with Jeff, all you need is just enough to make a shadow. Really not much else you can do, other than disable the sensors which would obviously dangerous and not recommended. I placed a semiclear plastic food service glove over the receiver has worked so far. I placed a piece of black construction paper around the receiver.
This helped me to solve the problem. Thank you for your interest in this question. Because it has attracted low-quality or spam answers that had to be removed, posting an answer now requires 10 reputation on this site (the association bonus does not count). Would you like to answer one of these unanswered questions instead? Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged garage garage-door-opener or ask your own question.Edit ArticleHow to Shut a Garage Door when the Sun Is Shining on the Electronic Eyes Get your Garage Door closed on sunny days by making an electric eye hood! Use the inside tube from an empty roll of toilet paper, holiday wrapping paper, plastic wrap, or any cardboard tube that is large enough in diameter and flexible enough so you can bend it to the shape of the electric eye. You may have to experiment with several size tubes until you find one that fits snug enough so it won't fall off. Cut the tube to be at least 2–4 inches (5.1–10.2 cm) long.
Squeeze the tube so it makes an oval shape instead of it's normal round shape and slip it over the body of the electric eye unit so it extends about 2–3 inches (5.1–7.6 cm) past the end of the electric eye. Put a tube on the electric eye on each side of the garage door (one side for mornings, the other side for evenings) Make sure the tube is extending straight out from the electric eye. Once you've determined the proper length of tube to block the sun from the electric eye you may want to go to a hardware store and invest in some plastic or rubber tubing that would be more durable and weatherproof for those rainy or snowy days. You can also hold down on the wall console button until the door is completely shut and then let go. This overrides the safety beam feature. Make sure the tube extends straight out from the electric eye so it doesn't break the beam. Tube must be snug enough so it won't fall off. To confirm/adjust electric eye alignment, you can use a laser pointer sitting in the tube pointed across to the other side (best with the door closed so it's sufficiently dark to see the red dot on the other side)
Don't cut the tube too short. PVC pipe and a "L" bracket screwed to the wall is more durable and doesn't fall apart when it gets wet If you are in a hurry and need to get your garage door closed right away, stand in such a way that you cast a shadow over your garage door's beam sensor (but of course don't block the beam itself - just the sunlight that is shining on it) and then press your remote control so that your door will close. See price in cart Sold by Sanford and Son? Overhead Doors and Fulfilled by Amazon. To see our price, add these items to your cart. Why don't we show the price? FREE Shipping on orders over . DetailsLiftmaster 41A5266-1 Safety Sensor Brackets for 41A5034 Sensors Universal Garage Door 35265B WIRE 2 Conductor What openers are compatible with the 41A5034 sensors? 1. Newer chamberlain manufactured garage openers including sears craftsman, chamberlain, LIFTMASTER. 2. Newer chamberlain openers that currently have black brackets that clip onto the garage door track.