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Test the garage door opener's safety reverse once a month: lay a 2x4 flat on the floor in the door's path, close the door with the opener, and watch it reverse when it touches the board. If it does not, the CPSC says to disengage the opener until it is adjusted, repaired, or replaced. Then wave something through the photo-eye beam while the door is closing and confirm it reverses again. That is the whole test, and it takes less time than reading this paragraph.
The reason is not abstract. The CPSC's rules on reversing openers exist because children were killed under closing garage doors, and every opener sold since 1991 must reverse on contact and, since 1993, must also have an external sensor (the photo eyes near the floor) that reverses the door before contact. Those systems drift out of adjustment, get knocked out of alignment, and fail. The monthly test finds it.
What does the CPSC say?
The Consumer Product Safety Commission's rule is the one to follow: test the reverse with a 2x4 on the floor, disengage the opener if the door does not reverse, keep the photo eyes 4 to 6 inches above the floor, and inspect the door and opener every 30 days. The requirement for reversing openers dates from 1991 and for external sensors from 1993.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission's guidance on garage door openers says to test the reverse function by placing a 2x4 on the floor in the door's path; if the door does not properly reverse when it strikes the board, the opener should be disengaged until it is adjusted per the owner's manual, repaired, or replaced. It says openers made after January 1, 1991 must have reversing systems, an external entrapment protection system (an electric eye or door-edge sensor) was required from 1993, an electric eye should be installed 4 to 6 inches above the floor, and the door and opener should be inspected every 30 days.
What do you need?
A foot-long scrap of 2x4, a broom or a box to pass through the photo-eye beam, a can of garage door lubricant (silicone or lithium, not a penetrating oil), a rag, and a stepladder for the top rollers. The test itself needs only the 2x4; the rest is for the yearly service.
- A 2x4 scrap, about a foot long
- A broom or a cardboard box for the photo-eye test
- A garage door lubricant (a silicone or lithium spray made for garage doors, not a penetrating oil)
- A rag, and a stepladder for the top rollers
What are the steps of the monthly test?
Each month, check the photo eyes are aligned and clean, lay the 2x4 flat in the door's path, close the door and watch it reverse on contact, then pass the broom through the beam while it closes and watch it reverse again. Finish by pulling the release cord and lifting the door by hand to feel the spring balance. If any of the three tests fails, disconnect the opener until it is fixed.
- Look at the door in the fully open position. Check that the photo eyes on each side of the door near the floor are pointed at each other, their lenses are clean, and their indicator lights are steady (a blinking light usually means misalignment).
- Lay the 2x4 flat on the floor in the center of the door's path. Flat, not on edge; the door must strike the wider face.
- Press the wall button or remote to close the door. Stand clear. When the door touches the board it should stop and reverse to fully open within a couple of seconds. Done when: the door has reversed on its own.
- If it did not reverse, or it pushed on the board before reversing, disconnect the opener (pull the red emergency release cord with the door fully closed) and use the door by hand until the force setting is adjusted per the manual or a technician has looked at it.
- With the board removed, start the door closing again and pass the broom through the photo-eye beam while the door is moving down. The door should reverse at once. Done when: it reverses.
- If it does not, check that the eyes are aligned and clean and that nothing is stored in front of them. If it still fails, treat the opener as unsafe until it is repaired.
- Test the manual release. With the door closed, pull the release cord; lift the door by hand. It should lift smoothly with moderate effort and stay put when half open. Done when: it lifts and holds. A door that is very heavy to lift or that slams down has a spring problem; stop and call a technician. Re-engage the opener per the manual.
What is the yearly service you can do yourself?
Once a year, lubricate the hinges, rollers, springs, and lock (never the tracks), tighten the hinge bolts and the opener's mounting hardware, look at the cables and rollers for wear without touching them, replace the bottom weatherstripping if it is flattened, and put fresh batteries in the remotes and keypad. Anything involving the springs or cables stays on the technician's list.
- Lubricate the hinges, the rollers (the bearing, not the track), the springs (a light coat on the torsion spring reduces noise), and the lock. Do not lubricate the tracks; they should be clean and dry. Wipe them.
- Tighten the hardware: the hinge bolts, the bracket that holds the opener rail to the header, and the bolts on the opener's ceiling mount. Do not touch the spring hardware or the cable brackets.
- Look at the cables on each side for fraying and at the rollers for cracks or wobble. Note anything you see; do not adjust it.
- Check the weatherstripping along the bottom of the door and replace it if it is cracked or flattened; it keeps water and mice out.
- Replace the batteries in the remotes and the wireless keypad.
When should you stop and call a pro?
Call a garage door company for anything involving the springs, the cables, or the bottom brackets; a door that is hard to lift by hand, sits crooked, or slams; a frayed cable; a roller that has come out of the track; a door that reverses for no reason (after you have cleaned and aligned the eyes); and any opener that fails the 2x4 test after the force adjustment in the manual. Springs under tension injure people every year; there is no homeowner version of that repair.
In a new home, the opener came with a manufacturer warranty and a manual; register it if the paperwork asks, and put the model, the install date, and the manual in the record.
What should you record?
The date of each test and the result, the force setting if you adjusted it, the lubrication date, and anything a technician did. The opener's model and the door's spring type are worth noting for the day a spring breaks. Set the reverse test as a monthly task with the detector and extinguisher checks; the three together are the monthly safety walk.
Common questions
The door reverses on the 2x4 but not when I block the photo eye. Which matters?
Both. The 2x4 test checks the force-sensing reverse in the opener; the photo-eye test checks the beam sensors near the floor that stop the door before it touches anything. A door that passes one and fails the other has half its protection. Fix the failing one before using the door with the opener.
Can I adjust the force setting myself?
The manual shows the adjustment, usually dials or buttons on the opener body, and adjusting it is a normal owner task. Adjust in small steps and retest with the 2x4 each time. If the door needs a lot of force to close, the door itself is binding or the springs are out of balance, and that is a garage door technician's job, not an opener setting.
What should I never touch on a garage door?
The springs (the large torsion spring on the shaft above the door, or the extension springs along the tracks), the cables, and the bottom brackets the cables attach to. They are under enough tension to cause serious injury. Anything involving them is a professional repair.
What should you do next?
Do the 2x4 test today; it is the fastest safety check in the house. Then, if the garage has a floor drain or the basement has a pit with a pump in it, the sump pump test is the other quick check that prevents a large loss.
