If your garage door was installed more than 15 years ago, it may not meet current safety standards. Automatic garage doors can cause injuries and even fatalities, primarily to children, each year. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure your garage door is safe.
One option is to purchase a new, modern system that complies with today’s safety standards. Modern systems feature electric eye sensors placed on each side of the garage door, a few inches off the ground, and aligned with each other. If something, such as a person, obstructs this alignment, the garage door will reverse when closing and open to avoid causing injury.
Garage doors built before 1982 do not have reversing mechanisms, and even those that reverse on contact may still cause injury. Replacing older garage doors can significantly reduce the risk of personal injury and damage to your property.
Another essential safety measure is to regularly test and maintain your garage door. Your owner’s manual will provide specific maintenance procedures. If you don’t have a manual, contact the manufacturer of your automatic opener for the recommended maintenance guidelines.
Safety guidelines are especially important for parents of young children. Preventing children from playing around garage doors or remote controls will help keep them safe. The wall control keypad should be placed out of children’s reach, and an emergency release should be available in case someone becomes trapped by the garage door.
Basic maintenance includes oiling, cleaning, and applying graphite to the lock. Keeping the tracks clean and regularly oiling the rollers, hinges, and bearings with machine oil or silicone lubricant will ensure smooth operation.
Three basic tests can help ensure your garage door operates safely:
Balance Test: Manually open the garage door. It should be easy to lift and stay open approximately 4 feet above the ground if it is balanced.
Force Test: While the door is closing, apply moderate resistance. The door should reverse direction. If it does not, the force setting needs to be adjusted.
Reversing Mechanism Test: Place a 2×4 block in the path of the closing garage door. The door should immediately reverse and open when it contacts the block.
Perform these tests regularly to ensure your garage door operates safely and to prevent injury.
Call Harry’s Garage Doors for a professional maintenance check to ensure your garage door’s safety!