Garage doors remained well-liked features since their first introduction, irrespective of the escalating injuries and deaths that occur yearly. Even with the industry, safety standard, which necessitates doors to have an automatic reverse function, deaths and injuries, still happen. Despite safety features and technology of modern garage doors, it is still necessary to practice precaution and to check your doors periodically to ensure the best possible functionality.
12 Home Garages Door Safety Tips
1. Always keep the garage door opener control function safely out of reach of small kids. Oftentimes, little kids can be curious and will try to experiment with buttons or levers they find in their environment. If a child discovers the garage door opener control, they could accidentally start a serious navigational hazard if they manage to press the button while a car is in the garage.
2. Never permit your, children, to play with the garage door remote control. Fingers can easily be caught between sections of a closing door, as well as getting slammed in a closing door’s trackway. Plus, there are other hazardous elements if they tinker with the opener’s battery or breaker box. It’s simply much easier to keep children away from these potential hazards altogether rather than constantly having to look out for them when opening or closing the garage door.
3. Check the owner’s manual and familiarize yourself with how the garage door’s emergency release feature works. This manual should provide detailed instructions on how to safely disengage and engage the emergency release feature as well as information on routine maintenance that should be done to keep it functioning as intended. Familiarizing yourself with how your garage door’s emergency release feature works can give you peace of mind knowing it will work when needed and can help prevent potentially dangerous situations.
4. Visually check your garage door at least once a month. Look at cables, pulleys, springs, rollers for any signs of wear. Do not attempt to repair, adjust, or remove any of the parts yourself, instead hire a trained repairer to make adjustments to high-tension parts. Check PortesDeGarageMB.com for garage doors, parts, accessories and repair services on offer.
5. The garage door opener reversing mechanism must be tested monthly to ensure that the door is reversing after coming into contact with an object. Every month, press the button or activate the mechanism that causes the door to close, and then place a block or something similar in its path. If the door senses the object and reverses as it should, there is no need for concern. However, if the door does not reverse itself when it comes into contact with an object, you must have a professional inspect and fix your opener as soon as possible.
6. Avoid placing fingers between door sections and illustrate this to your children. If you have small infants in the home, consider installing a door with panels that cannot pinch. Avoid squeezing fingers between door sections – this can cause a lot of pain and even possible fracture in the worst cases. To minimize the risk of that happening, remind your children to keep their hands away from the door sections and demonstrate by example.
7. Never leave the garage door partly open as it may travel downward and collide with an object in its path once activated again. It can also pose a home security hazard too. The risk of someone unknown entering your property is just not worth the convenience of leaving the garage door slightly open for any amount of time. Instead, ensure that you are always closing the garage door all the way and engage its locks for extra security.
8. When leaving on vacation, make sure the garage door opener unit is unplugged, or you can opt for a vacation lock console security switch, which makes remotes unusable and is a useful extra accessory to most openers. There are now many options for vacation locks which will fit most openers, so you won’t have to worry about leaving your home accessible for unwanted visitors.
9. If your opener doesn’t include rolling-code technology, make sure you change the manufacturer’s regular access codes on the remote control and opener or consider buying a newer model with more security and safety features which is now commonplace.
10. A new tendency in home invasions is attaining access to your home by pocketing the opener or vehicle. Steer clear form leaving the remote control in the vehicle or with a parking attendant. Opt for a key chain remote and never forget to lock the entry to the interior of your house, particularly if you have a remote that is programmed to your car.
11. Never take garage door safety for granted. Garage doors are working mechanisms with metal pieces; tension fuelled parts and are heavy in itself. They should be handled with caution and ultimate respect for safety. Always ensure that they are functional and secure. Make use of an expert to do repairs if your garage door is malfunctioning.
12. Garage door safety must enjoy precedence, and it is essential to keep your garage door up to standards. However, if you are thinking about upgrading your existing door, a detached garage is an excellent option if you are opting to gain more security and space.