To celebrate National Garage Door Safety month and to keep you safe, we are sharing a list of maintenance tips to make sure your garage door is safe and secure. Before you begin any of the suggested updates, make sure everyone in your household is aware you are performing maintenance.
1. Preventative Maintenance: Regularly inspect your garage door and mechanical parts. Do a visual inspection by opening and closing your garage door to make sure everything looks correct. Parts to keep an eye on include struts, angles, rollers, tracks, pulleys, springs, cables and bolts. Make sure they are well lubricated and functioning properly as these areas can easily get worn down and may need to be replaced. If something does not look quite right, do not hesitate to call a service technician.
2. Standard Garage Safety Features: All garage doors manufactured after 1993 are required to have sensors. According to Door & Access Systems Manufacturers Association International, “Federal law required manufacturers of residential garage door operators (GDO’s) to change the way they make their products. Residential GDO’s manufactured on or after January 1, 1993 must:
- Have an automatic inherent reverse feature that reverses after two seconds upon sensing an obstruction
- Have a 30-second reverse timer that moves the door upward 30 seconds after sensing the door has not reached the fully closed position
- Have a secondary entrapment protection system, which may be either an attached and working external device (example: edge sensor or photoelectric eye) or an inherent secondary system (example: combination sectional door and operator system with the entire door system acting as a force-sensing device)
- Close the door using the manufacturer’s suggested devices (wall switch or a push-button remote control)”
(Source: http://www.dasma.com/pdf/publications/techdatasheets/operatorelectronics/tds351.pdf)
Sensors mentioned above set off a reverse automatic open if something is obstructing the door from closing. Make sure your sensors have been installed properly and are working correctly. You can test this by placing a non-fragile object below the garage door when you close it. If the sensors are not working correctly, the door will close no matter what is in the way.
3. Security: Do you only have one way of accessing your garage door? Try to have at least two to three ways of opening your garage door in case of a power outage, or a lost/broken device. Some examples of accessing your garage include a hand-held garage door device, a keypad or the ability to open the door manually. Make sure to test each device regularly to ensure security.
4. Organization: The garage can sometimes be a place where you store many items you don’t have room for in the house. Regularly organize your storage spaces so you have room to move in and out without hurting yourself or others.
5. Injury Prevention: To avoid injuries, make sure you keep your hands and body away from tight areas and any joints within the garage door. Also, teach children about garage door safety. If they know to stay away from the garage door when it is opening and closing, this could help prevent injuries in the future.
Inspecting your garage door monthly is critical to establishing a safe area for you and others. Also, hiring a trained professional to come out and inspect your garage will not only ensure safety and security, but will also give you comfort in knowing your garage door will last a long time!
