FirstCheck
EN FR
🍁 Built for Canadian homes — written to Canadian codes and provincial rules. Not intended for use outside Canada.
DRAFT — this page has not yet been reviewed by a licensed professional. Editorial preview only.

Garage door closes partway then reverses

This is usually the door's safety system working, not a breakdown — most of the time a five-minute wipe and nudge of the little sensors near the floor sets it right.

tuneWhat are you noticing?
Select anything that matches and the checklist below reorders to fit. Not sure? Skip it.
emergency_home

flag
Start here

In Canada, start at the two safety sensors near the floor, one on each track. Wipe each lens clean with a soft cloth, clear anything breaking the beam, and gently nudge them until both indicator lights glow steady (not blinking). This is the most common fix by far, it's free, and it takes about five minutes. A steady light on both eyes means the beam is aligned.

Ranked from real-world failure data. The order updates as you select what you’re noticing above.

Likely causes, in the order to check them

Showing the typical order
Beginner-friendly Doable, with care Safety-critical Call a pro

visibilityHow to check

  1. Find the two small sensors mounted near the floor on each track — one usually shows a steady light (the sender), the other a light that goes out or blinks when the beam is broken (the receiver).
  2. Wipe each lens gently with a soft, dry cloth, and clear anything sitting in the beam's path — a bin, a bike wheel, a coil of hose, even a thick cobweb.
  3. Watch the lights: if one is off or blinking, loosen its wing-nut or bracket slightly and tilt the sensor until both lights glow steady, then re-snug it. Try closing the door again from the wall button.
buildNo tools schedule10 min

handymanHow to fix it

Wipe both sensor lenses clean, clear the beam path, and gently realign the sensors until both indicator lights are steady, then re-tighten the brackets and test the door.

  1. Clear the doorway of anything that could break the beam, then wipe both sensor lenses with a soft, dry cloth — dust and condensation film are common culprits in a Canadian garage.
  2. If a light is still off or blinking, loosen the bracket wing-nut and slowly tilt that sensor up, down, and side to side until its light glows steady and matches the other.
  3. Re-tighten the bracket without knocking the aim off, then close the door from the wall button and watch it seat fully to the floor without reversing.
  4. If both lights are steady and clean but the door still reverses at the floor, the photo-eyes aren't the cause — move on to the opener's close-force setting.
schedule10 min savingsusually free
gavel Check your province first AB: homeowner may do this · BC: homeowner may do this · ON: homeowner may do this · PE: homeowner may do this · QC: homeowner may do this
Cleaning and aligning the safety photo-eyes is routine homeowner maintenance in every province and is not trade-licensed. Adjusting the opener's close-force limit is likewise owner-permitted, but must preserve the auto-reverse. Torsion-spring and cable work is not DIY on safety grounds regardless of province — route it to a garage-door professional.

visibilityHow to check

  1. Confirm the photo-eyes are clean and aligned first — a force problem and a sensor problem look identical from across the garage.
  2. Watch the door reverse: if it touches the floor (or nearly) and then backs off, the down-force or down-limit is likely too sensitive; if it reverses in mid-travel, look at the tracks instead.
  3. Find the force and travel-limit adjustments on the opener head (dials, screws, or buttons — see your manual) and note the current settings before touching anything.
buildNo tools schedule15 min

verifiedWhy this one goes to a pro

The torsion spring above the door is wound to hold the door's full weight and stores enough energy to break bones or worse if it lets go while you're near it — this is one of the most common serious garage injuries. Adjusting or replacing it needs winding bars and training. Don't loosen it, don't try to 'help' it, and don't run the opener against a broken one. A garage-door professional replaces springs quickly and safely, usually in a single visit.

Your notes travel with the request — what you saw, what you ruled out, when it started — so the pro arrives with a head start instead of a mystery.

verifiedWhy this one goes to a pro

Straightening a bent track or replacing a door section means working around the door's counterbalance springs and cables while the panel is partly supported. Get it wrong and the door can bind, fall, or release stored spring tension. A garage-door pro has the tools and can realign the track or swap a section safely.

Your notes travel with the request — what you saw, what you ruled out, when it started — so the pro arrives with a head start instead of a mystery.

sort

Why the list is in this order

We don’t sort by likelihood alone. We sort the way a good, honest tradesperson thinks: rule out the free, safe, common causes first. That’s why the cheap checks outrank the expensive repairs — and why anything dangerous gets a hard stop instead of a pep talk. The order exists to save you money, not to sell you anything.