Garage Door Safety Check: A 2-Minute Monthly Test
Your garage door is the biggest moving object in your house. These quick checks come from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the door industry’s trade association.
Found a problem? A local technician can inspect and fix it.
Monthly
Test the auto-reverse
Since 1993, federal rules have required automatic garage door openers sold in the U.S. to have entrapment protection, either photo eyes or a hold-to-close button. The rule was updated in 2018 to incorporate the UL 325 standard. The CPSC says to test the reversing feature monthly.
Photo-eye test
Start closing the door, then wave an object (not your body) through the beam near the floor. The door should stop and reverse.
Obstruction test
Follow your opener manual’s reversal test. The door should reverse when it meets resistance. If it doesn’t, stop using the opener and have it serviced.
Sources: U.S. CPSC, automatic garage door opener rule (1993); Federal Register, 16 CFR 1211 update (2018); DASMA, TDS 351.
Look and listen
- Watch the door open and close. It should move smoothly and evenly.
- Look for gaps in the springs, frayed cables, or rollers leaving the track.
- Listen for grinding, scraping or popping.
- Check that the photo-eye lights are steady and the eyes are aimed at each other.
- Keep remotes out of reach of children, and teach kids not to play with the door.
Don’t adjust springs, cables or the brackets at the bottom corners of the door yourself. They’re under high tension.
Sources: DASMA, torsion spring safety.
Questions
Safety FAQ
My opener is from before 1993. Is that a problem?
Is it safe to lubricate my garage door?
Door failed the test?
Tell us what happened during the safety check. A local technician will follow up.