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Archive for Garage Door Safety

Your emergency garage door safety is important. That thing is heavy, and like anything else in the house, it can get old and parts can get worn. Here are 10 tips to keep it healthy and safe.

1. Read All Installation Instructions Carefully.

Installation's a big job, and if you're not up to the task, it's a good idea to hire a professional. If you decide to do it yourself, follow the instruction manual perfectly.

2. Read All Owners' Manuals.

Whether you install or don't install, read your owner's manual from front to back. There's emergency garage door information in there that can help prevent future problems.

3. Get The Springs Changed Routinely

4. Don't Mess With The Springs Yourself

Springs require regular maintenance, but they're very dangerous. They're made up of spring coils that are wound tightly. This means they're under lots of pressure. Serious injury could occur from improper handling.

5. Check Cables

From time to time, check your cables for visible wear. Most emergency situations are easily avoided by regular maintenance. Worn cables are a major source of trouble, including injuries.

6. Pay Attention To How It Runs

If there's anything funny about how it opens or closes, you've got a problem. Don't treat it lightly. This is a potential safety issue, so take care of it immediately. Even old doors should open and close smoothly.

7. Test Its Switch Sometimes

All garage doors have an emergency switch that keeps it from crushing whatever is underneath. Occasionally, you should put a small object under it and try to close it on it. It should stop before it hits the object. If not, you need repairs.

8. Lubricate

Like all parts that move on any machine, your garage door needs routine lubrication. It depends on the make and model, so follow the instruction manuals and keep a schedule.

9. Don't Operate It When Anything (Including People) Is Near It

Even though it's supposed to catch, garage doors malfunction just like anything else. In general, keep things and people that you love away from the door when opening and closing.

10. Kid-Proof

Keep the wall switch high enough so that little hands can't reach it, and keep the remote control safe. Make sure they understand it's not a toy and they should be careful around the garage door. Don't let them play Indiana Jones, sliding under the door just in the nick of time.

Follow these safety tips, and keep your machine properly maintained. Study your owners' manuals, be safe, and enjoy this addition to your home for many years to come.

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Categories : Garage Doors, Safety
Consumer Safety GuideGarage Door System Safety – An Automatic Decision
A garage door is the largest moving object in the home. They are often operated by electric door openers. Proper installation, operation, and maintenance and testing are necessary to provide safe, trouble-free operation. An improperly adjusted garage door or automatic opener can exert deadly force when the door closes. This could lead to serious injury or death from being hit by a closing garage door or from being trapped under the door.
Safety is Everyone’s Business
A few simple precautions can protect your family and friends from potential harm. Please take a few minutes to read the following safety and maintenance information. Refer to your garage door and opener’s manual for details specific to the model you own. Then check the operation of your garage door and automatic opener.
Garage Door Openers are not Toys
Do Not stand or walk under a moving door! Do not let children or adults play “beat the door”. It is dangerous and can result in serious injury or death. Adults should set a good example. Know how to use the emergency release, in case someone is pinned by the door.

Do Not let children play with or use the transmitters or remote controls. Always place and store them out of the reach of children.

The pushbutton wall control should be out of the reach of children (at least 5 feet from the floor) and away from all moving parts. Mount and use the button where you can clearly see the moving garage door.

Teach Your Children About Garage Door and Opener Safety
Garage door openers are not toys. Careless operation and allowing children to play with or use garage door opener controls can lead to tragic results. Discuss garage door safety with your children. Explain the danger of being trapped under the door.

When using the pushbutton or transmitter, keep the door in sight until it completely stops moving. Teach children never to play under or near an open garage door.

Teach children to keep their hands and fingers clear of section joints, hinges, tracks, springs and other door parts. Contact with a moving door or its hardware could cause serious injury. These injuries can also happen with garage doors that don’t have automatic openers.

Routine Maintenance Can Prevent Tragedies
Take a few minutes to inspect and test your complete garage door system. Make monthly inspection and testing a part of your regular routine. Safety is everyone’s business. Make garage door and garage door opener safety automatic in your home.

Monthly Maintenance Checklist
Garage Door Opener

  • Reversal Test
  • Force Setting Test
  • Additional Safety Devices
Garage Door

  • Visual Inspection – Springs, Rollers, Pulleys, Cables, and Track
  • Lubrication
  • Door Balance

Consult owner’s manual for additional recommended maintenance for your models of door and opener.

Stuck Garage DoorTesting and Maintaining the Garage Door Opener
There are routine safety and maintenance steps that you should follow once a month. Review your owner’s manual for the door opener. If you do not have an owners manual, look for the opener model number on the back of the power unit and request a manual from the manufacturer.

Reversal Test
Make sure your opener has a reversing feature. If a reversing feature is not present, it should be replaced. Garage door openers manufactured after January 1, 1993 are required by federal law to have advanced safety features which comply with the latest U.L. 325 standards: Contact your manufacturer or installer for additional information.

Test the reversing feature every month.

  • First, test the balance of the door (see “Testing and Maintaining The Garage Door.”). If the door is properly balanced, then proceed.
  • With the door fully open, place a 1-1/2″ thich piece of wood (a 2″x4″ laid flat) on the floor in the center of the door.
  • Push the transmitter or wall button to close the door. The door must reverse when it strikes the wood. (Note that the bottom part of “one piece doors” must be rigid so that the door will not close without reversing.)
  • If the door does not reverse, have it repaired or replaced. Have a qualified individual adjust, repair or replace the opener or door.

Force Setting Test
Test the force setting of your garage door opener by holding the bottom of the door as it closes. If the door does not reverse readily, the force may be excessive and need adjusting. See your owners manual for details on how to make the adjustment. Test the revesring feature after any adjustment.

Additional Safety Devices
Many garage door openers can be equipped with additional safety devices. Consider adding a photo eye or edge sensor as an extra measure of safety to prevent against entrapment. Keep in mind that adding more safety devices will not make an old opener meet current U.L. standards.

Make sure the additional safety devices, such as photoeyes or edge sensors, are properly installed and adjusted (see owner’s manual).

Testing and Maintaining the Garage Door
Perform routine maintenance steps once a month. Review your owner’s manual for the garage door. If you don’t have a manual, look for the model number on the back of the door, or check the lock handle, hinges, or other hardware for the manufacturer’s name and request a manual from the manufacturer.

Visual Inspection
Look at the garage door springs, cables, rollers, pulleys, and other door hardware for signs of wear. If you suspect problems, have a qualified person make repairs.

Warning – Springs are under high tension. Only qualified persons should adjust them
Garage door springs, cables, brackets, and other hardware attached to the springs, are under very high tension and, if handled improperly, can cause serious injury. Only a qualified professional or a mechanically experienced person carefully following the manufacturer’s instructions should adjust them. The torsion springs (the springs above the door) should only be adjusted by a professional. Do not attempt to repair or adjust the torsion springs yourself.

A restraining cable or other device should be installed on the extension spring (the spring along the side of the door) to help contain the spring if it breaks.

Never remove, adjust or loosen the screws on the bottom brackets of the door. These brackets are connected to the spring by the lift cable and are under extreme tension.

Lubrication
Regularly lubricate the moving parts of the door. However, do not lubricate plastic parts such as plastic rollers and plastic idler bearings. Consult the door owner’s manual for the manufacturer’s recommendation.

Door Balance
Periodically test the balance of your door.

  • Start with the door closed
  • If you have a garage door opener, use the release mechanism so you can operate the door by hand when doing this test
  • You should be able to lift the door smoothly and with little resistance. It should stay open around three or four feet above the floor. If it does not, it is out of adjustment. Have it adjusted by a qualified service person.
Garage Door Opener Safety – An Automatic Decision
This important information is provided by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the National Safety Counsel and the Industry Coalition for Automatic Garage Door Opener Safety.

Here’s an interesting tip on safety when it comes to children

  • be a public citizen – let’s keep with a safety theme. while keeping our kids safe is a top priority, it’s also important that we safeguard our rights. one way to do that is to become aware of the things that are happening in various aspects of our lives. …
  1. Garage Door OpenerMake sure garage door opener control button is out of the reach of small children.
  2. Do not let children play with garage door remote controls.
  3. Consult the owner’s manual and learn how to use the garage door’s emergency release feature.
  4. Visually inspect the garage door each month. Look at springs, cables, rollers and pulleys for signs of wear. Do not attempt to remove, adjust or repair these parts or anything attached to them. A trained door repairman must make adjustments to these parts, which are under high tension. Read More→

Your garage door should provide many years of safe operation if it is installed, operated, and maintained properly. Here are some helpful safety tips.

NOTE: This list is not intended to be a comprehensive list of every safety precaution.

Always consult your manufacturer’s installation or instruction manual for safety information about your door model.

WARNING: Garage door springs, bottom brackets, red colored fasteners, cables and supports are under extreme tension, and can cause serious injury or death. Read More→

Categories : Homeowner Resources, Safety