Door Limit Switches: A Comprehensive Guide

Dipti Park
2 min readAug 27, 2021

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To better understand a door limit switch, imagine a toilet float valve. As the water in the tank fills, the float rises, and at a certain point, it is high enough to stop the flow of water.

Now that I have ironed out the basics for you let me get to the nitty-gritty of door limit switches. This blog explores the meaning, possible applications, and benefits of using a door limit switch.

Door Limit Switches

What is a door limit switch?

The limit switch is an electromechanical device that serves as a sensor to detect and control the mechanical movement beyond the limit displacement. It is used to detect or sense the absence or presence, speed, travel limit, positioning, or the endpoint of an object in industrial settings.

The door limit switch is equipped with a lever, knob, and plunger for automatic detection, sensing the opening and closing of doors or the presence of objects. As soon as an object comes in contact with the door limit switch, the sensor mechanically dislocates the actuator and makes or breaks an electrical connection.

An explanation of some typical door limit switch applications

While dehydrating (drying), the washing machine operates at high speed. A person can injure themselves if they open the lid of the washing machine and reach inside. To prevent such accidents, a door limit switch is installed on the cover of the washing machine. If someone opens the washing machine’s door, the motor will automatically be disabled, which is akin to holding down the brake to prevent the rotating parts from spinning.

Door limit switches are used to prevent garage door openers from crashing into the lifting mechanisms when a motor lifts the door. As the door closes, the door limit switch deactivates the engine to prevent it from being slammed into the ground.

The microwave door uses them to verify the door is shut before operation can be performed.

The refrigerator’s door limit switch gets activated when you open it, which sends an electrical current to the bulb, causing the interior to be illuminated instantaneously. The opposite happens when you close the door.

What are the potential benefits of using a door limit switch?

The advantages they offer are numerous. The following are some of them:
• Lower power consumption
• Optimal repeatability and high accuracy
• Robust and long-lasting
• Installing is straightforward and hassle-free
• Suitable for switching loads with high resistance

Final Words

That concludes our comprehensive explanation of door limit switches. Thanks for reading this blog post. I hope it has given you the overview you were looking for.

Feel free to share the wisdom with anyone whom you think might benefit from this blog.

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Dipti Park
Dipti Park

Written by Dipti Park

Colleagues call me Dipti. Family and friends from long time ago call me Dips. My personal favourite hobby is to write blogs about random interesting things.