During a recent garage door inspection and tune-up in Hastings, nothing seemed wrong.
The homeowner had no complaints. The door was running normally. Nothing suggested a problem.
Then their dog found one.
As we were closing the door, the dog ran through the opening and crossed the path of the garage door safety sensors. The door should have stopped and reversed right away.
It didn’t. Luckily, the dog made it through untouched.
A routine tune-up had just turned into a safety diagnosis.
In the photo above, the sensor’s green light looked normal. But higher up the jamb, a staple had been driven through its wire.
A safety system that looked like it was working
Garage door safety sensors, sometimes called photo eyes, watch the opening while the door closes. If something breaks the beam between them, the opener should stop the door and send it back up.
These sensors looked normal. There was no visible damage, and the indicator light was on. The homeowner had no reason to think anything was wrong.
We broke the beam again and again. Each time, the door kept closing.
Tracing the sensor wire up the side of the track, we found the cause: a staple driven straight through the wire.
At some point, the wire was pierced while it was being fastened to the wall. Whenever that happened, nobody caught it.
We removed the staple and tested again. The door reversed every time, exactly as it should.
The door still opened. It still closed. But one of its most important safety features wasn’t doing its job.
“It works” isn’t the same as “it’s safe”
That’s why a garage door inspection should be more than listening for squeaks and watching the door go up and down.
A garage door is one of the largest and heaviest moving objects in most homes. The opener relies on safety features that need regular testing to make sure they still respond.
Most homeowners don’t test them. If the door opens every morning and closes every night, there’s no reason to suspect a hidden problem.
Until something crosses underneath it.
In this case, the dog accidentally ran the most important test of the whole visit.
How to test your garage door safety sensors
You can check your sensors in under a minute. Do it once a month:
- Open the garage door fully.
- Start closing it with your remote or wall button.
- While the door is still well above the floor, swipe your foot or an object like a broom handle through the beam near the floor, then step back.
- The door should stop and reverse right away.
If it keeps closing, stop using the opener and have it inspected and repaired.
If your door refuses to close only at certain times of day, the problem may not be the wiring at all. Sunlight hitting the sensor can cause it too.
Stay out of the door’s path while you test. Never stand, kneel or reach under a closing door, and keep kids and pets inside or well away until you’re done.
Why every visit includes a safety inspection
At Spiral Garage Door, every repair and tune-up includes a full door and opener safety inspection.
We inspect the door’s mechanical parts, check its balance and operation, and test the opener’s safety systems to make sure they actually respond.
Usually, everything checks out. Sometimes a routine visit uncovers something nobody knew was there.
This homeowner didn’t call because something was broken. They just wanted a tune-up, and that small decision caught a safety problem that could easily have gone unnoticed.
A garage door doesn’t have to sound bad, struggle or stop working to have a problem.
Sometimes it works just fine.
Until the one thing that’s supposed to protect you doesn’t.
Want your door’s safety systems checked? Call Spiral Garage Door at (612) 314-5990, or claim a free tune-up. We serve Hastings and the South & East Metro, with free estimates and no trip fees.
