SYMPTOM · DOWN, THEN BACK UP
DOWN, THEN BACK UP.
The door heads down, changes its mind, and rolls back up. Usually the door is fine and a sensor is unhappy.
WHY IT CHANGES ITS MIND.
Every opener made since 1993 has photo eyes, the little sensors a few inches off the floor on each side. If the beam between them is blocked or knocked out of line, the door refuses to close. That's a feature, not a fault.
Dust, cobwebs, low sun glare, and a bumped bracket are the usual suspects. The rake leaning an inch into the beam counts too.
If the eyes check out and it still reverses, the down-force or travel settings have likely drifted, and the opener thinks it hit something. That's an adjustment, not a part.
CHECK THIS FIRST.
- Wipe both sensor lenses with a dry cloth.
- Check the little lights on both sensors. Steady means aligned; blinking means bumped.
- Clear the floor across the opening and try again.
Never bypass the sensors to make the door close. They're the reason garage doors stopped closing on things that matter.
STRAIGHT ANSWERS.
REVIEWED AUGUST 2026
Why does my garage door start closing and then reverse?
Photo eyes. Every opener since 1993 has two small sensors a few inches off the floor, and if the beam between them is blocked or knocked out of line, the door refuses to close. It isn't broken; it's refusing to close over what it thinks is a kid or a dog.
Which sensor light means they're aligned?
Steady lights on both sensors mean the beam connects. A blinking light means one got bumped out of line: loosen its wing nut, nudge it until the light goes steady, and snug it back down.
Why does it only reverse at certain times of day?
Low sun can flood a sensor and fake a blockage, which is why some doors misbehave on sunny evenings only. A small sun shield or repositioning the sensor fixes it. Cold-weather binding from worn rollers causes the same on-a-schedule symptom in winter.