Garage Door Opener Safety: How to Test Auto-Reverse and Photo Eyes

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Why garage door opener safety matters

A garage door is the largest moving object in most homes, and the opener is what keeps it from closing on a child, a pet or a car. Garage door opener safety comes down to a few features that are easy to test and easy to forget: the automatic reverse, the photo eyes near the floor, and a door that is balanced and moving freely. In Fargo-Moorhead, cold winters add stiff lubricant, frozen seals and frosted sensors to the mix.

This guide explains how the safety features work, what common garage door findings mean in an inspection report, how to test your opener in a few minutes, and when to call a garage door professional.

How garage door opener safety features work

Federal rules from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) shaped the openers in most homes today:

  • Automatic reverse. Openers made or imported after January 1, 1991 must reverse when the closing door hits an object.
  • Photo eyes (external entrapment protection). For openers made on or after January 1, 1993, the CPSC added a second layer of protection, such as an electric eye that “sees” something in the door’s path and reverses the door instead of letting it close. The CPSC recommends mounting electric eyes 4 to 6 inches above the floor.

These rules followed a long list of tragedies. A CPSC safety publication reported that about 73 children between the ages of 2 and 14 had been trapped and killed under automatic garage doors since 1982. An opener that does not reverse, or photo eyes mounted where a small child could pass under the beam, removes the protection those rules were written to provide.

Signs of a garage door problem

  • The door does not reverse when it touches an object on the floor
  • The photo eyes are mounted high on the wall or ceiling, hang loose, or are not aimed at each other
  • The door stops short of the floor, or the opener strains to close it
  • The door is noisy, jerky, or binds in the tracks
  • The door feels heavy or drifts up or down when you disconnect the opener and move it by hand
  • Frayed cables, a gap in a spring, or loose brackets
  • The wall button is low enough for a small child to reach

What garage door findings mean in an inspection report

During an inspection, we run the garage door with the opener, check whether it reverses when resistance is placed under the door, and look at the photo eyes, tracks, rollers and hardware. Here is how we generally read the common findings:

Finding What it means Typical next step
Automatic reverse did not work A safety hazard. The door could close on a person, pet or car. Repair by a qualified garage door contractor before use
Photo eyes mounted too high or not secured The beam may miss a child or pet near the floor Remount the eyes 4 to 6 inches above the floor, aimed at each other
Travel needs adjustment The door does not close all the way to the floor Adjust the opener’s travel (limit) settings per the owner’s manual
Lubrication needed Moving parts are dry, noisy or stiff Lubricate hinges, steel rollers and springs
Door binding The door drags or sticks in the tracks Have a garage door contractor service the door

We do not adjust springs, cables or opener settings during an inspection. When safety features fail, we recommend not using the opener until it is repaired.

How to test your garage door opener

The CPSC, the door and operator manufacturers’ association (DASMA), and the International Door Association all recommend checking these features about once a month, and after any repair or adjustment.

  1. Reverse test. With the door fully open, lay a 2×4 flat on the floor in the middle of the door’s path. A 2×4 laid flat is about 1.5 inches tall. Close the door with the opener. It should reverse when it touches the board. DASMA warns against using a roll of paper towels for this test, because it can compress and hide a problem.
  2. Photo-eye test. With the door open, start closing it and pass a broom handle through the beam. The door should stop and reverse. If it doesn’t, wipe the lenses with a soft, dry cloth, check that the eyes are aimed at each other, and test again.
  3. Balance test. With the door closed, pull the opener’s release cord and lift the door by hand. It should lift smoothly and stay in place when partly open. If it is hard to lift or falls, have a technician service it.
  4. Look, don’t touch. Check springs, cables, rollers and brackets for wear, but leave the springs and cables to a professional. They are under high tension.

If the door fails the reverse or photo-eye test, the CPSC advises disconnecting the opener and using the door by hand until it is adjusted, repaired or replaced.

Fixes: adjusting, lubricating and when to call a pro

Travel and force settings. Most openers have adjustments for how far the door travels and how hard it pushes. Follow the owner’s manual. Chamberlain, a major opener maker, warns never to increase the force beyond the minimum needed to close the door, and never to use the force setting to make up for a door that binds or sticks. Any adjustment should be followed by a reverse test with a 1.5-inch object.

Lubrication. Clopay, a garage door manufacturer, recommends a silicone-based lubricant or white lithium grease on the hinges, steel rollers, torsion springs and bearing plates. Do not lubricate nylon rollers, and do not add lubricant to the tracks; wipe them clean instead. Clopay advises against WD-40 and oil-based products because they attract dirt. Plan on every 3 to 6 months, depending on use.

Winter problems. In a Fargo-Moorhead winter, stiff grease, a bottom seal frozen to the floor, or frost on the photo-eye lenses can make a door stop or reverse. Chip away ice, clean the lenses, and fix the cause rather than raising the force setting.

Call a professional for broken springs, frayed cables, a door that won’t stay balanced, or an opener that keeps failing the reverse test. If your opener is old enough that it has no photo eyes or will not reverse, replacing it is the safest choice. The CPSC also recommends mounting the wall button as high as practical, out of reach of small children.

A seasonal walk-through is a good time to run these tests. Our Fall Home Checkup looks at the garage along with the rest of the home, and our home buyer’s inspection includes the garage door and opener.

Garage door opener safety: common questions

How often should I test my garage door’s auto-reverse? About once a month, and after any repair or adjustment to the door or opener.

Why does my garage door reverse on its own in cold weather? Stiff lubricant, a frozen bottom seal or frosted photo eyes can make the opener think something is in the way. Clean the eyes, free the seal and lubricate the hardware. Don’t just turn up the force.

Can I adjust the springs myself? No. Garage door springs and cables are under high tension and can cause serious injury. Leave them to a trained technician.

Is a garage door that doesn’t reverse a big deal when buying a house? It is a safety issue, but it is usually a manageable repair. A garage door contractor can often adjust or repair the opener, or replace it if it is too old to meet current safety requirements.

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