andamu

Our garage door has a safety feature which stops the downward descent and starts it open again if something passes in front of the optical sensor.

Yesterday, while I was at work, two big people (we shall call them A and B) and the munchkin wanted to go shopping. As with most American two car garages, ours is too small actually to fit two cars, and so it houses one vehicle and a whole lot of storage overflow from the house.

The vehicle they were taking was the one that stays outside, and does not have a garage door opener. Nevertheless it is easier to open the garage door for the mass exodus of people to take place, and so person A and the munchkin exited and started getting settled in the car.

Of course, person B also wants to use this exit, but they have no garage door controller. So, the wall switch at the internal door at the far end of the garage is hit, and person B shuffle-scampers to the descending door to pass through before it closes.
Door stops, and reverses.
Person B goes back to the wall switch, hits it, and shuffle-scampers with a little more haste.
Door stops, and reverses.
Repeat a couple more times.

(Of course we won't mention that by now about ten times more energy has been expended than would have been the case if they just closed the garage door, walked the five steps to the front door and exited that way...)

Now person A, settled in the car and watching all this (with commentary from munchkin in the booster seat of course) calls out: "You are breaking the beam. The sensor is located right there, you have to go over it, not through it." (The sensor is located about 6 inches off the ground).

So next, person B goes back, hits the wall switch, shuffle-scamper-scurries as far as the sensor, comes to a dead stop, puts both feet together, gives a little jump coming down right in front of the sensor.

After all that, person B did eventually exit via the front door.

What, me? Of course I'm not laughing. It must be a small animal trapped somewhere making those muffled sounds!