On the covered Genie screw-drive garage door opener, Red LED flashes twice, pauses and repeats, and green LED is ON means genie's service table, as Sears PartsDirect publishes it, lists this code as: safety reversing sensor beam is obstructed or misaligned.
Differential
Likely causes of “Genie screw-drive garage door opener showing Red … and green LED is ON”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
The safety reversing sensor beam is obstructed or misaligned (two flashes)
What separates it The red LED flashes twice and the door will not close
How to confirm Look for anything between the sensors
- 2
An object in the beam path
What separates it A box, a tool or a spider web is in the way
How to confirm Remove the obstruction
- 3
Sensors that are out of alignment
What separates it A sensor was knocked
How to confirm Realign the sensors
- 4
A sensor lens that is dirty
What separates it The lens is dusty
How to confirm Wipe it
- 5
A defective sensor
What separates it Alignment is perfect and the code stays
How to confirm Replace the safety reversing sensors
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Whether the red LED shows two flashes with the green LED on, which is the beam obstructed pattern
- What lies across the doorway, such as a box, a tool, a bicycle or a cobweb
- Whether both sensors show a steady indicator light
- The opener's model number, from the label on the motor housing
Try in this order
0 of 8 completedCorrect only the documented fault domain
ReversibleRemove the obstruction between the safety reversing sensors. If there's no obstruction, realign the safety reversing sensors. Replace the safety reversing sensors if defective. Parts named: safety reversing sensors.
Remove any obstruction
ReversibleLook along the beam path between the two sensors for boxes, tools, cobwebs or a bicycle wheel, and clear anything that is in the way.
Realign the sensors
ReversibleIf there is no obstruction, the table says to realign the safety reversing sensors, so that each one faces directly at the other.
Check the indicator lights
ReversibleBoth sensors have a light that shows a steady glow when the beam is aligned, so adjust until both are steady.
Wipe the lenses
ReversibleClean the lenses with a soft dry cloth to remove dust and spider webs.
Test the door
ReversibleClose the door a few times and watch that it closes completely without reversing.
Replace the sensors if they are defective
ReversibleIf the alignment is correct and the code stays, the sensors are replaced.
Check the green LED first
ReversibleLook at the green LED beside the red. Green on means the beam problem on this page, and green off means the disconnected-sensor problem on the next.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- The code on this page
- Red LED, two flashes, an obstructed or misaligned beam.
- Parts involved
- The safety reversing sensors.
- Source
- Sears PartsDirect's table for Genie screw-drive openers.
- Common causes of misalignment
- Sensors are mounted on brackets close to the floor, so a bump from a car, a mower or a ball can nudge one slightly out of line. Even a small shift of a few degrees can stop the beam reaching the other sensor.
- A simple check
- Stand at one sensor and look along the beam toward the other. You should be able to see the other sensor's lens clearly. If you cannot, loosen the bracket a little, aim the sensor and tighten it again.
- Telling the two double-flash patterns apart
- Genie uses two flashes of the red LED for two different problems. With the green LED on, the sensors are connected and the beam is obstructed or misaligned. With the green LED off, the sensors are disconnected or defective. The green LED is the clue that separates them, and reading it correctly saves you looking in the wrong place.
- Aligning by sight
- The sending sensor and the receiving sensor sit across the doorway at the same height. Sight along one to the other. If you cannot see the other lens, loosen the bracket a little, aim the sensor at the other and tighten it, until both indicator lights glow steadily.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If the beam is clear and the sensors are aligned yet the pattern stays, ask a garage door technician to test the sensor wires and the sensors
- !Do not tape over a sensor to make the door close
- !Keep children and pets out of the doorway while you test the door
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
What does Red LED flashes twice, pauses and repeats, and green LED is ON mean on a Genie screw-drive garage door opener?+
Genie's service table, as Sears PartsDirect publishes it, lists this code as: safety reversing sensor beam is obstructed or misaligned.
What is the first fix?+
Remove the obstruction.
How do I realign?+
Aim the two sensors at each other.
Are the sensors costly?+
Modest.
Can I bypass them?+
No.
How accurately do the sensors need to be aligned?+
Closely enough that both indicator lights glow steadily, which a gentle adjustment of the bracket usually achieves.
Can the sun cause two flashes?+
Sunlight tends to cause three flashes, so two flashes point to an obstruction or misalignment.
What does the green LED tell me?+
If it is on with two red flashes, the beam is blocked or misaligned. If it is off, the sensors are disconnected or defective.
Do sunlight and shade matter?+
Sunlight tends to cause three flashes, so two flashes point to a block or a misalignment.