A garage door is one of the largest moving objects in your home, and is typically used every day, giving you good reason to keep it in proper working order. We would like to offer the following practical tips for keeping your garage doors and openers in safe, proper working order.
Garage Door Safety Tips
- Mount the garage door opener control button out of the reach of small children (at least five feet from the floor) and where you have a clear view of the door.
- Do not let children play with garage door remote controls; explain that the remote controls are not toys.
- Set a good example for children and discuss garage door safety with them; explain how to operate the door safely.
- Know how to use your garage door opener’s emergency release feature. Your owner’s manual provides instructions.
- Visually inspect your garage door each month. Look at the garage door’s springs, cables, rollers and pulleys for signs of wear. If any of these components appear damaged, please feel free to call us at 203.795.3577 to schedule a repair .
- Do not attempt to repair cables or springs. These parts are under high tension and require special tools for adjustment. Improper handling or disconnection can cause breakage and serious injury.
- To avoid damage to your door and/or opener, make sure you disable and/or remove any door locks, ropes, and/or cables prior to operating your opener.
- Use the release mechanism on the garage door opener to manually open the door using its interior or exterior lift handles. The door should lift smoothly with little resistance and should stay open around three or four feet above the floor. If it is difficult to perform this task, your door may be out of balance, causing premature wear. You can reach us at 203.795.3577 to have your door properly balanced.
- To prevent accidents when a garage door is closing, invest in a garage door opener that features photoelectric eye safety beams, which are mounted a few inches off the floor and send an invisible beam across the door’s path. If the invisible beam is broken, the garage door will automatically reverse to its fully open position. The invisible beam provides added safety to the auto reverse mechanism, as the door does not have to contact an object in order to reverse.
Garage Door Security
- While on vacation or away from home for extended periods of time, unplug the garage door opener unit or use a vacation lock on the wall console switch, which is an optional accessory on most wall buttons.
- Wireless keypads, which activate the garage door opener with a personal identification number (PIN) allows family members to open the door without the use of a key or remote. Never disclose the PIN or leave it written down.
- Never leave the remote control in the car or with a parking attendant. It should be treated like a house key.
- Always lock the door from the garage to the inside of your home for greater safety and security.
- Check to make sure your garage door is closed when you lock your entry doors at night.
