Family Safety Checks

Testing Both Systems Properly

Every residential garage door opener made since 1993 has to carry entrapment protection, and there are two separate systems. They are independent by design, because each catches what the other might miss.

The Photo Eye Beam

Two sensors facing each other across the opening, near floor level. One transmits an infrared beam, the other receives it. Break the beam while the door is closing and the door must stop and reverse.

We test it by breaking the beam mid-closure, in front of you, so you know what a pass looks like on your own door.

We check the height, which is the failure we find most. Sensors belong below six inches from the floor. Raised to clear bins or bicycles, they pass over a child sitting in the doorway.

We check alignment, because the brackets are thin and bend easily.

The Contact Reversal

If the door meets an obstruction on the way down, it must reverse on contact, using the opener’s force settings.

We test it with a two by four laid flat on the floor in the door path. Flat, not on edge, because that is the standard.

This is the test homeowners skip, because deliberately letting a door close onto something feels like causing damage. It is not, and it is arguably the more important of the two, since it is what catches anything the beam missed.

Force Settings

Openers have adjustable force limits. Too tight and the door reverses on normal friction. Too loose and it will push through an obstruction rather than reversing.

We set force correctly, and we never turn closing force up to stop a door that reverses for another reason. If a door is binding mechanically, raising the force to overcome it is exactly the wrong response, and it removes the protection.

The Manual Release

We show every adult in the house where the release cord is and how it works. It is useless in a power cut if nobody knows it exists, and it is the thing that gets a car out when a spring goes.

What You Get

A written note of what was tested, the results, sensor height and alignment, and force settings. Something to compare against next time.

Call Ananimalfriendlylife at (562) 550-9329.