garage door optical sensors

[Ken Meyer]

When did optical sensors become required for garage doors? The house I inspected today had this mystery wiring, and there were no optical sensors at the doors. Couldn't find them in the attic space above, it was well insulated. They may be inside the ceiling. I've seen photos on other posts that show the sensors installed in the ceiling above. I think that's what's happening here, but can't verify it.

The house was built in 1989.

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[hausdok]

They've been required since 1993. That could be an antenna for the remote control, a ground, or perhaps it's the wire from the wall button.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Ken Meyer]

They probably are the wires for the button. The antenna wire hangs down. I advised the buyer to upgrade the openers or at a minimum, get optical sensors installed.

Thanks for your quick reply.

Originally posted by hausdok

They've been required since 1993. That could be an antenna for the remote control, a ground, or perhaps it's the wire from the wall button.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by Ken Meyer

They probably are the wires for the button. The antenna wire hangs down. I advised the buyer to upgrade the openers or at a minimum, get optical sensors installed.

Thanks for your quick reply.

You can't retrofit optical sensors on that opener.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Neal Lewis]

Can some openers be retrofitted with sensors, but not others? I didn't think any of them could.

[Mark P]

http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/523.pdf

Garage door safety from th CPSC. I provide this link to my customers if the door does not have the sensors.

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by Neal Lewis

Can some openers be retrofitted with sensors, but not others? I didn't think any of them could.

A few (very few) of the older Liftmaster openers would accept retrofit eye kits. I'm not aware of any other brand that could.

Practically speaking, your assumption is correct.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Ken Meyer]

Originally posted by AHIS

http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/523.pdf

Garage door safety from th CPSC. I provide this link to my customers if the door does not have the sensors.

Thanks, Mark. I added the file to my library.

[Inspectorjoe]

Has anyone run across the Wayne-Dalton TorqueMaster idrive® opener? It's a proprietary opener that mounts on the wall above the door. The manufacturer claims that it's exempt from the photoelectric eye requirement if it's used with a pinch resistant door.

Force and Limit Profiling

I was lucky enough to get a heads-up on this a few weeks ago when I set a radon monitor two days before the inspection. I found tons of info including installation videos on their web site. That kept me from looking like a dummy at the inspection ..... "uh, I ain't never saw nuthin' like this before". It also saved me the embarrassment of writing up the lack of optical sensors.

BTW, I was impressed with the units when I finally operated them.

[hausdok]

Hi,

Yeah, I inspected a few last summer. There have been a fair number of complaints about them on the internet. I too heard about the exemption but I've never actually seen it in writing. Last summer, when I looked at 16CFR1211 I didn't see any exemption listed for them. I suppose there might have been some changes since then.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Ken Meyer]

If you search the forums, there was a thread on this subject back in July.