Garage Door Safety Features to Install and Check

We are wrapping up Garage Door Safety Month, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore the safety standards of your garage door operating system the rest of the year. For example, in extreme cold temperatures, your garage door can malfunction to let cold air into your home or potentially injure someone in your home. To keep you safe all year long, here are some garage door safety features you should be aware of.

Checking that the safety reverse mechanism is operating correctly is one of the most important parts of your garage door maintenance. When reviewing your garage door safety features, be sure to place an object, like a cardboard box, underneath the garage door. Try to close the door and see if it will reverse when it hits the object. If your garage door does not reverse and was installed before 1993, you will need to upgrade your garage door operator to a more current device with the reverse function.

The 90s were a big decade for garage door safety features! After 1992, it was required that all garage door installation had to include photo eyes. These are the small sensors that are near the bottom of your garage door opening. Their job is to sense if there are objects in the way and will not close. Be sure that you have photo eyes installed and that they are functioning properly by performing the same test as mentioned above.

You should never let kids play with the garage door opener. Many will make it a game to try to jump under the door and over the sensor as it is closing, but this can result in serious injury. Even when teaching kids not to play with the garage door, something could still happen. In this case, it is important to learn where the emergency release is on your garage door and how to operate it.

After you have these safety features installed and you know they are functioning properly, it is important to perform a monthly visual inspection of your garage door parts. Look at the springs, pulleys, hardware, rollers, track, and pulleys. Do you see any signs of wear or tear? If you do, call a garage door technician to perform a professional inspection and repair if needed.

For more details on garage door safety features, check out the International Door Association’s Consumer Safety Guide.

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