DS wrote:
The two laser units on the tracks for my garage door were damaged when
our garage flooded and then froze during the winter.
These are a safety feature but with no small children around, I don't
consider it necessary.
Is there any way of by-passing them? I tried twisting the wires to-
gether on each side. It didn't work. Then I joined the respective
wires from one side to the other across the opening. That didn't work
either. The laser beam is essentially a switch, isn't it?
If I can't bypass it, do I have to order the manufacturer's
replacement equipment (which will take time) or is there something
"generic' I can use?

I doubt they're lasers but instead one is an LED transmitter and the
other is a phototransistor receiver, and you should be able to repair
them by opening them up, washing them thoroughly with alcohol, and
letting them dry for several hours in a warm place before putting them
back into service. Sometimes the only problem caused by flooding is
silt build-up on the optical parts. All but the oldest garage door
openers are designed to not allow the door to be closed if the signal
from the optical receiver can't be detected, so of course merely
cutting the wires or connecting them together won't work, and the
latter could damage the overhead unit. Damage to the electronics in
the optical sensor and transmitter should be inexpensive to repair
since only generic parts are used in them, and I would expect any
parts related to them in the overhead unit to be the same, but it's
much more hazardous to work on it since some of the circuitry runs at
high voltage, and a careless person could easily get shocked (to
death), lose a finger, or even be scalped if the opener starts to move
unexpectedly.

Almost all openers are made by Chamberlain (Liftmaster, Sears
Craftsman) or Genie, and parts are readily available from them, opener
service companies, and retailers.