When the front steps stop being a safe way in, many families look to the garage. Dad may be fine with that, and it can be a reasonable choice, as long as the door behaves the way it was built to. The opener and its safety sensors decide whether the garage is a safe entry. Most of the checks here are homeowner work. A few jobs are not.
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Test the reversal first
Start with the check that matters most. Lay a flat board on the floor in the door's path, then close the door from inside. When the door touches the board, it should stop and go back up. Next, check the photo-eye sensors, the two small units mounted on either side of the opening near the floor. While the door is closing, wave something slowly through the beam. If the door does not reverse in either test, the sensors are misaligned, dirty, or wired wrong. Do not use that door as a routine entry until the problem is fixed.
What you can do yourself
Realign the sensors. Each unit has a small indicator light. Loosen the bracket, aim the two units at each other until the light holds steady, then tighten. Wipe the lenses. Look at the sensor wire for chew marks, staples, or spots where it was pinched against the track. Replace a worn wall button or keypad if one is failing. Re-code the remotes so only the people who should be inside know the codes, and write down who holds each remote. Check the manual for the correct sensor mounting height, since they sit low on purpose.
Test the emergency release at least once. With the door fully closed, pull the red cord hanging from the opener rail. That disconnects the door from the motor. Lift the door by hand. If it is heavy, catches, or moves unevenly, stop there and call a technician. The door reconnects to the opener the next time the opener runs.
What belongs to a technician
Do not touch the springs. Torsion springs and the cables that run with them hold stored tension even when the door looks still, and they can injure someone who handles them without the right tools and training. A broken spring, a cable off its drum, a bent track, or a door that drops unevenly are all hire jobs. So is wiring a new opener into the house or any repair that needs the door held up while the work is done. If a technician is coming, ask who will program the keypad and who will hold the codes afterward.
Compare the two calls
When you ask for a quote on a sensor or keypad job, ask three things. Who programs the codes, and does the family get a written copy of them. Will the visit include a reversal test, and will the technician write down the result. Who handles the warranty on the sensors and the opener if a replacement part fails soon after the visit.
Next move
Tonight, close the garage door with the flat board in its path. If it does not reverse, realign the sensors and run the test again before anyone uses that door to come and go. If the spring, cable, or track looks wrong, book a garage door technician and ask the three questions above before you agree to anything.