Published on: July 3, 2019
The garage door safety sensors are designed to ensure maximum safety for your garage door opener operation. The Genie garage door safety sensor kit (Safe-T-Beams) uses an invisible infrared beam across the opening of the door, the system detects any object passing through the infrared beam of light and automatically reverses the closing garage door. The Genie Safe-T-Beam system is required by US Law as of 1993.
However, the Genie Safe-T-Beam kit is self-diagnostic. If there is an issue or obstruction there is a series of garage door opener light flashes or small lights on the safety sensors to let you know what the issue could be (see chart below). If you are experiencing a garage door that will not close and a blinking garage door opener light you may have an obstruction of the Safe-T-Beam infrared light. If there is no physical obstruction you may have light interference. If the sun or another bright source of light shines into the garage door safety sensor lens it can cause a false positive and reverse the garage door. This can be a nuisance but good news, there is an easy fix available.
The Genie Version 2, Safe-T-Beam system (Model GSTB-R) has a lens cover that protects from alternative light interference, as seen in the picture below. This updated version should eliminate any false positive safety sensor signals. This is a very easy upgrade to your existing Genie garage door opener that should only take a few minutes to install. You can reuse your existing wiring and mounting locations. You simply remove the wires from the current Safe-T-Beam sensors and unscrew them from the wall. Then reconnect the wires and remount to the wall. The garage door safety sensor beams should still be lined up. If not loosen the mounting to the wall slightly and realign them by hand until both the red and green lights are on both sensors (one each on the left and right sensors themselves).
If an operating problem continues and you cannot close your door you can disconnect your Safe-T-Beams from the operator and hold down the wall control button until the door closes (remote and wireless keypad will not work without Safe-T-Beams).
You have just successfully upgraded your Genie Safe-T-Beam system!
86 comments
@Ed,
The unit will not work properly if the Safe-T-Beams are not installed. They are a safety requirement per UL 325. Please install them and proceed to your next step.
I have the Genie ChainDrive 750 3/4hp, will this unit work without hooking up the safety beam sensors? Having allot of problems with this new unit, the wall control won’t light up (checked wiring and it’s good), neither of the “pre-programmed” remotes will work (all we get is the flashing red light) tried to reprogram but neither will take. Any help is appreciated.
@ Kris- You cannot make the light come on when passing through the Safe-T-Beams on Genie garage door openers. The light will stay on for five minutes after the door is opened or closed. To keep the light on longer, you would need to turn the light on from the wall console.
I have the 3120h. Is there a way to make the light go on when I walk through the sensor? Is there a way to lengthen the amount of time the light stays illuminated after I open the door?
I have a 7155, only a year old, hardly ever gets used. No lights on the sensors. Red LED on the power head. You can close it by holding the wired button down, but will open with just the push of the button. Wiring is good. What should the voltage be on these? Or should I be looking at something else?