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How to test your garage door opener's reverse
Before you start: keep the moving door in sight and keep people and objects away from it until it is completely closed. No one should cross the path of the moving door. Never go under a stopped, partly open door. (source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)
- Place a 2x4 on the floor of the garage in the door's path.
- Close the door with the opener.
- If the door does not reverse when it strikes the 2x4, disengage the opener.
- Leave it disengaged until it is adjusted according to the owner's manual, repaired, or replaced with a new opener.
(source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)
CPSC also says to inspect the door and opener every 30 days, install the wall button as high as practical, and keep remotes away from children. (source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)
The federal label on openers says the same thing: test monthly with a 1 1/2 inch object or a 2 by 4 laid flat. (source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)
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Sources
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (eCFR): 16 CFR Part 1211: Safety Standard for Automatic Residential Garage Door Operators (checked November 1, 2026)
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC): Non-Reversing Automatic Garage Door Openers Are a Hazard (Pub. 523, PDF) (checked November 1, 2026)
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