Preventing mishaps with your garage door
A garage door that’s in working order will never open or close without someone activating the opener. However, all electronic systems have the potential to malfunction or fail. If this happens when someone is in the path of your garage door, it can cause pain, injury or even death. Cars can also become stuck under doors that close unexpectedly, resulting in high repair bills at the least and serious injury at the worst.
Garage Door Safety Standards
Because of these potential dangers, there are specific safety standards that garage door manufacturers must follow. Doors that are opening or closing should stop automatically if the garage door opener button is pressed a second time. In addition, all doors must have a reversing system in place that automatically pulls the door back up within two seconds of contacting an object in its path. The same system must reopen the door within 30 seconds if it doesn’t close all the way.
Garage door manufacturers must provide clear instructions for how to detach the power mechanism from the door if need be. In the event of a problem, you should be able to do this yourself without help from a professional.
Additional Security Measures
Garage doors safety may also be improved with:
- Sensors that reverse the door if its path is obstructed
- Motion detectors to sense objects passing underneath a closing door
- Visual inspection of the door area before closing
- Safety cables to catch the door if springs break
Performing Regular Inspection
These safety features will keep your family safe from garage door mishaps as long as the door itself is in good working order. To ensure that this is the case, perform regular inspections of the mechanical parts. Check all springs and brackets for rust and tighten attachments if need be. Detach the door from the opener and open and close it manually, watching for any signs of imbalance or misalignment. Assess the condition of the rollers and pulleys as well as the wiring inside the opener panel, looking for anything that appears worn, rusted, split, or rotten.
If your garage door needs replacing or you find that the opener mechanism is unsafe, contact the Overhead Door Company of Portland. We’ll set you up with a safer, more reliable system that opens and closes the door only when it should. Choose from screw drive, belt drive, and chain drive openers complete with built-in diagnostics and “Safe-T-Beam” technology to ensure that you and your family stay safe whenever the garage door is in operation. Call a local distributor today to find the best opener system for your home.
