Really Cheap Guards for Garage Door Opener Safety Sensors

Less than a buck a piece!

By necessity the photoelectric safety sensors have to project beyond the garage door track, ready to be knocked out of alignment on their flimsy brackets. They do sell guards for protecting them but I found that they are not readily available nor do they cover all the installation variables. My sensor brackets are wall mounted on wood blocks to get them beyond the track. Store-bought guards wouldn't do so I was looking for an alternative. My first though was to make some out of heavy gauge sheet metal so I started sketching and I made a cardboard mock-up. It struck me that my mock-up looked just like a joist hanger. Eureka! Four 99 cent joist hangers, painted a shin saving safety orange, of course did the trick. The ones I used were for 8" joists but you may need shorter or longer ones. No worry, the selection is large at your local building materials store. I was able to mount mine solidly on the track but wall mounting is an option as well, you'll just need longer joist hangers.

I also cover the ridiculously thin and fragile wire with some plastic loom and fished them behind the wall panel for protection