3 Quick Tips for Garage Door Safety

admin • Jun 01, 2016

June is National Garage Door Safety Month, assigned by the International Door Association and the Door & Access Systems Manufacturers Association , to promote safety and awareness about the biggest moving part of your house. Practicing garage door safety is important, especially considering these facts about garage doors:

More than 70% of homeowners enter and exit their home through the garage door.
The average garage door (ie: 25 gauge raised steel panel 16×7 garage door) can weigh between 150-160 pounds. The heavy weight means a garage door can exert deadly force when closing.
There were about 12,700 total garage door related injuries in 2007 alone.
Garage doors account for 20,000 emergency room visits for children annually.
The most common injury sustained by a garage door is pinching, crushing, and lacerations in section joints.

With these facts in mind, garage door safety is a huge priority in your home. Not only do our technicians perform a thorough safety check with every service appointment, whether it is for garage door repair or garage door installation, we also want to provide you some quick tips to practice garage door safety all year round.

Garage Door Springs

The garage door springs hold a huge amount of the tension of your garage door. Springs that are old and worn out can snap, causing the garage door to fall or someone nearby to be severely hurt by the garage spring. When the door is closed, see if the spring is tightly coiled together. If it is not, call a garage door repair company. Under no circumstances should you try to change the springs yourself as they can suddenly snap, causing serious or fatal injuries. Be sure your technician replaces both garage door springs at the same time for garage door safety.

Garage Door Safety Sensors

After 1992, every new garage door had to be equipped with photo eyes, commonly known as garage door sensors, that will reverse a garage door if an object is sensed in the way of the door. If your garage door does not have these sensors, it is very important to have them installed immediately to avoid injury or damage to property from a closing garage door. If you do have these sensors, it is important to test them for garage door safety using these steps.

Check to see if your sensors are installed low to the ground. Sensors should not be higher than six inches above the floor or they will have trouble sensing children or pets that go under the beam. Have a technician reinstall your sensors lower if they are higher than six inches.
Place a small object, such as a roll of paper towels, in the garage door opening and try to close the door. If the garage door reverses, the automatic reversal system is functioning properly. If not, the system needs to be inspected for safety.
Place a larger object, such as a cardboard box, in the garage door opening and try to close the door. If the door refuses to close, your safety sensors are working. If not, a technician needs to inspect your sensors.

Potential Need for Repair

There are a few signs that your garage door system is in need of repair. If any of these signs are noticed, it is important to call a garage door technician to perform service on your system. Trying to attempt to perform repairs yourself can result in serious injury.

Denting and cracking in aluminum garage doors.
Imbalanced door when opening or closing.
Sagging or out of place cables, roller, or pulleys.
Slow garage door operation in cold temperatures requiring adjustments to the automatic reversal system or garage door springs.

Even when inspecting your garage door, it is important to keep your hands away from springs, intersection points, hinges, pulleys, and from in-between the door panels to reduce risk of injury. If you see signs of repair needed, call a technician today.