Garage door inspection procedure

[sgilligan1 (Scott Gilligan, CMI)]

**Contact Reversal Test
**In some rare instances, a contact reversal test could damage the door system when the opener’s force-setting has been improperly set or when the opener reinforcement bracket is not securely or appropriately attached to the top section. If you have any concerns that a contact reversal test may cause damage, don’t conduct the test. This check applies to doors with openers.

Begin this test with the door fully open. Under the center of the door, place a 2x4 piece of wood flat on the floor, in the path of the door. Standing inside the garage, but safely away from the path of the door, use the wall push button to close the door. When the door contacts the wood, the door should automatically reverse direction and return to the fully open position.

I never perform this test anymore the way it is described because of the potential damage that can result from a door not reversing. I use my forearm with my palm facing down to put under the door when it is several feet off the ground. Pay close attention to the bracket at the top of the door and the tension in the drive chain. If it is the screw type track, keep your eyes open for any resistance and listen for any noises indicating the hardware is not functioning properly. It doesn’t take but a fraction of a second for a garage door to start to self destruct doing this test. I have seen it happen in the past and it isn’t pretty. BTW…It wasn’t me or my client who did it…It was the seller!