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How to check your garage door opener's safety reverse every month
Updated
Once a month, lay a 2 by 4 flat on the floor under the door and close it. The door must reverse when it touches the board. That check is written into the federal safety label for residential openers, and the CPSC urges owners to do it monthly. If the door does not reverse, stop using the opener until it is fixed.
What the federal rule requires
The safety standard for residential garage door operators is 16 CFR Part 1211. It says a closing door must start to reverse within 2 seconds of contact with an obstruction, then return to the fully open position. The required safety instructions in the same rule tell owners to check the opener monthly, and say the door must reverse on contact with a 1-1/2 inch object, or a 2 by 4 board laid flat, on the floor. After any change to the force or travel limits, do the check again.
The CPSC's final rules applied to openers made on or after January 1, 1993. They require a second layer of protection as well, such as an electric eye that senses an object without touching it, or a door edge sensor. The CPSC said it had received reports of 54 children aged 2 to 14 who died after being trapped under doors with automatic openers since 1982. That is why this check matters.
The monthly check
- Open the door fully. Lay a 2 by 4 flat on the floor in the center of the opening.
- Close the door with the wall button. Stay clear and watch it.
- The door should touch the board and reverse. If it stops without reversing, or keeps pushing, it fails.
- Remove the board. Start closing the door again and pass a broom handle through the photo eye beam. The door should reverse.
If it fails, follow the owner's manual to adjust it, or have a professional look at it, as the CPSC advises. DASMA recommends a trained door systems technician for sensitivity adjustments.
Photo eyes and the wall button
- Six inches: DASMA says photo eyes should be mounted no higher than six inches above the floor. Higher, and a child or pet could pass under the beam.
- Five feet: DASMA says the wall button should be at least five feet above the floor and out of children's reach.
- Watch it close: DASMA says to watch the door until it is fully closed every time.
- Before 1993: DASMA says that if your opener lacks a second reversing feature like photo eyes, it is time for a new opener.
Leave the springs alone
DASMA calls the springs arguably the most important and most dangerous part of the door, and says spring systems should be repaired only by trained professionals. If your door has extension springs, DASMA says you need a safety cable through each one. It also suggests a yearly visit from a trained door technician on top of your monthly checks.
All 7 picks on this site are current models from Genie and Chamberlain, and the federal rule requires entrapment protection on every new residential opener. See them on the roundup page, or start with the fit checker.