Garage Door Flashing Light
Why is my garage door light flashing?— there are a few reasons why your garage door light might be flashing. Know that there is no need to panic or be too annoyed with that flashing yet. Modern garage door openers include technology that alerts us when they’re running into a problem, similar to the alerts from our cars. While all garage door openers are different, they share many similarities. We’ll help you identify the issue your light is sensing in this post.
Troubleshooting: Garage Door Flashing Light
Read through the scenarios below and try to identify possible problems.
Locking Feature Engaged
If your garage door opener has a locking feature, it’s possible that someone accidentally engaged the lock on the wall control panel. The locking system prevents the door from opening by remote control, instead, the door needs to be opened from the keypad or the wall panel. To unlock the door, press down on the lock button for a few seconds to disengage the lock. Again, the lock button is on the wall control panel.
The Safety Sensors Aren’t Working – Wiring Problem
Your safety sensors are located near the bottom of your garage door opening. The sensors are there to detect motion under the door when the door is in motion. If the sensor detects motion it automatically reverses the door to avoid hitting whatever is obstructing the opening. If the opener doesn’t detect the safety sensors the lights will flash and the doors won’t close.
The sensors need to be inspected, a wire may have come loose or it could be that the sensors need to be replaced. If you can’t get a garage door technician out immediately, you may want to turn the power to the opener off. You can operate and lock the door manually until the technician repairs or replaces the sensors.
The Safety Sensors Aren’t Working – Misalignment
Another reason why the light blinks is because of misaligned safety sensors. Typically, the light will flash 10 times when the safety sensors aren’t properly aligned. This is a problem you can try to tackle on your own.
First, locate the photo eyes attached to the door and clean the lens using a clean microfiber cloth. Then, loosen the nut holding the photo-eye in place and adjust it until it is properly aligned. The light on the photo-eye is an amber color, but the light on the receiver is green. You’ll know they are aligned when the sensor light continuously glows green.
Still flashing? Double-Check the LED Light Indicator
Your garage door opener has a troubleshooting key on the opener. The key may be on the back or bottom panel of the opener or under one of the light lenses. Most will include the problems we’ve described above. Below is an example chart of what you may see on your opener.
| Flash Amount | Problem | Solution |
| 1 flash | Broken or disconnected wire leading to safety sensor | Reconnect or replace the wire |
| 2 flashes | Black/white wires reversed or safety sensor wire shorted | Check for staples that can short wires or correct reverse wires |
| 4 flashes | Safety sensors are misaligned | Realign sensors until continuous glow |
Why is My Liftmaster Garage Door Light Flashing?
You can troubleshoot your flashing light on a Liftmaster door opener by checking the arrow keys on the opener. Below is a diagnostic chart.
| Up Arrow Flash Amount | Down Arrow Flash Amount | Problem | Solution |
| 1 | 1 | Opener light flashes and the door will not close | Safety sensor may be disconnected. Check the wire for damage |
| 1 | 2 | Opener light flashes and the door will not close | Repair short with wiring or reverse the wires for the safety sensor |
| 1 | 4 | Opener light flashes and the door will not close | Check for sensor light obstructions |
| 4 | 6 | Opener light flashes and the door will not close | Realign sensors until continuous glow from opener LEDs |
Other brands of garage door openers work the same way as Liftmaster openers. You can follow the same tips we’ve discussed above or look for troubleshooting charts on your particular garage door opener.
Call Heritage Garage Door to Diagnose Your Garage Door Problems
If you’ve tried all the tips we’ve outlined and can’t find the problem or solution, contact us immediately. Our team of technicians will help you diagnose and repair your garage door so that you can get back to normal as quickly as possible. Heritage Garage Door is has been a family-owned and operated business for over 30 years. We’re located in Southern California.
