Garage Door Safety Check in Augusta, GA
A garage door is the largest moving object in most homes. A safety check makes sure it reverses, balances and holds together the way it should.
Safety Systems That Protect Your Family
Modern openers have two safety systems: photo-eye sensors near the floor and a mechanical auto-reverse that responds when the door touches something. Combined with a properly balanced door and sound springs and cables, they help prevent the door from closing on people, pets or vehicles.
Those systems can drift out of adjustment without anyone noticing. A safety check tests and corrects them, and looks for hazards like fraying cables or loose brackets.
- Photo-eye sensor alignment and beam test
- Mechanical auto-reverse test
- Opener force and travel limits
- Spring, cable and bracket hazard check
- Emergency release and wall control placement
What a safety check covers
- Photo-eye test. The beam is broken while the door is closing; the door should reverse.
- Auto-reverse test. A 1½-inch object (a 2x4 laid flat) is placed under the door; the door should reverse on contact.
- Force setting. Force is set as low as practical for reliable operation.
- Balance test. An unbalanced door is harder to stop and more dangerous if a spring fails.
- Hazard check. Springs, cables, bottom brackets, extension spring safety cables and fasteners are inspected.
- Controls. The wall button should be out of children’s reach and in sight of the door; the emergency release should be accessible and working.
Safety tips for families
- Teach children that the garage door isn’t a toy and keep remotes out of reach.
- Never walk or run under a closing door.
- Keep fingers away from section joints, which can pinch.
- Don’t leave the door partly open with the opener disconnected.
- Test the auto-reverse and photo-eyes monthly.
If your door fails the auto-reverse test, stop using the opener until it’s fixed. Never disable photo-eye sensors or turn up the force to make a door close.
Need help with this today?
Call to describe what your door is doing and schedule a visit from a garage door technician.
Older doors and openers
Openers made before modern entrapment protection requirements may have no photo-eye sensors at all. If yours doesn’t, we strongly recommend opener replacement. Extension-spring doors without safety cables should have them added.
Related: opener safety & force adjustment, sensor repair, inspection.
Related Garage Door Services
Work that often goes hand in hand with garage door safety check.
Common problems that lead to this service
Garage Door Safety Check FAQs
How do I test my garage door’s safety reverse?
Lay a 2x4 flat in the door’s path and close the door. It should reverse after touching the board. Also test the photo-eyes by passing an object through the beam while it closes.
What should I do if my door fails the test?
Stop using the opener and call. Don’t increase the force or bypass the sensors.
How often should I test my garage door safety features?
Monthly is a common recommendation.
Is my old opener safe?
If it lacks photo-eye sensors or doesn’t pass the reversal test, it should be repaired or replaced.
What are extension spring safety cables?
Cables threaded through the center of extension springs that contain the spring if it breaks. Every extension spring should have one.
Where should the wall button be mounted?
In sight of the door and high enough that young children can’t reach it, following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Garage Door Safety Check Across the Augusta Area
We schedule this service in Augusta and the nearby communities below. Call to confirm availability for your address.
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