Introduction:

Automatic garage door openers are a great convenience but they are also potentially dangerous and can be deadly if a small child is caught under the door. Modern garage doors have automatic openers built in the electrical circuit for safety. The circuit consists of an electrical eye at the base of the door which will prevent the door from coming down if there is an obstacle in its path.

 The garage door should be tested once a year to insure that the automatic safety devices are working.  If the safety features are not operating properly the garage door opener should be disabled until it can be repaired. The garage door can still be used manually when the automatic door opener is disabled.

How to test an automatic garage door opener:

One of the safety features is an electronic eye that is mounted about six inches off the floor on each side of the door. With the door in the open position press the close button to close the door and then use a stick to break the beam of light between the two sensors. The door should reverse direction immediately.

Next place an obstruction to block the beam of light and then press the button to close the door. The door should do nothing or it may start to close then immediately stop. If the door operates when the beam is broken disable the garage door opener until it is repaired.

The second safety device is the automatic reversal system. It activates anytime the door encounters excessive resistance in either direction. To test that the door reverses when it encounters an obstacle place a block of wood under the door. Insure that it does not break the beam of light from electronic eye. Close the door. If the reversal system is working properly the door will reverse direction immediately after encountering the obstacle.

 Automatic garage door safety features save personal injuries and lives. Children and pets are particularly at risk because of their size. You can keep your automatic garage door opener working safely by testing it every year to insure that the safety features work.

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