Garage Door System Safety – An Automatic Decision

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.

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

• 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. …

Your automatic garage door opener works just fine, you say. It’s opened and closed your door reliably for years. All you’ve needed to do is change the light bulb or the battery in the remote control once in a while.

Replace it? What more could you want? What could be new in garage door openers?

Plenty.

Safety First

If your opener was installed prior to 1993, you may be missing out on a great safety feature that is now required on all U.S. and Canadian openers manufactured since that time – photoelectric eyes or some other device that provides equivalent protection against entrapment.

Photoelectric eyes – mounted about six inches above the floor – cast an invisible beam across the door opening. If a door is closing and, for example, a child or pet were running underneath the door, they would “break” the beam, causing the door to automatically reverse.

Because your garage door is the heaviest and largest moving part of your home, a new opener with entrapment protection makes a great deal of sense, particularly if you have small children. (Note – It’s important, too, to teach children that the garage door system is not a plaything.)

Our professional door technician can help you choose the system that makes sense for your needs – and he or she is also fully trained to install and test the system for optimum performance and safe operation.

Key to the Castle

Many folks don’t carry a house key anymore. Why? Many find it easier to enter their homes through the garage door, using a remote control or an external keypad. These devices have become the new “house keys” for many homeowners. These keypads are especially popular with “latchkey kids” – kids who come home to an empty house. Millions of children come home every day and enter their homes using an exterior garage door keypad. In fact, one survey shows that 33 percent of parents whose homes have external keypads say that the keypad is the number one way for children to enter the homes.

“Latchkey kids are now keypad kids,” said Chris Long, editor of Door & Operator Industry, an industry magazine.

“Keypad use has more than doubled in the past 10 years,” said Tom Wadsworth, editor of Door & Access Systems, another magazine for the garage door industry. “Convenience is the driving factor behind this trend – no more worries about lost or stolen keys.”

The new fingerprint-activated keyless entry pads have created a whole new level of convenience. Now, you don’t even need to memorize an entry code. Convenience is literally at your fingertip.

You’ve Always Got the Power

Entrapment protection and keypads are great, you may say – but how do we open and close the garage door when a storm rolls through and knocks out the power?

Today’s openers won’t keep you waiting outside in the rain, or force you to manually disengage the opener and lift the door by hand. A popular accessory sold with new openers is a battery back-up system that allows you to use your garage door opener 24/7, regardless of any loss of power to your home.

Speaking of power, chances are you have a surge protector in your home to safeguard your computer from voltage spikes. Surge protectors are also available to shield your garage door opener as well, keeping your door operating system running and protecting your investment.

If You Can Dream It …

It’s probably available. Garage door opener accessories abound. Would you like your garage door opener to switch on lights in your home as you’re pulling up the driveway? Or alert you if you left the garage door open? It’s all now possible with new garage door accessories. You can even make a fashion statement with your garage door remote by customizing it to match your car’s interior.

Where can you learn more about and find these accessories? Check the DASMA members who manufacture garage door operating systems and accessories:

Manufacturers of garage door
openers and accessorieswebsite

Allstar AllStarCorp.com

The Chamberlain Group www.Chamberlain.com

Fraba www.fraba.com

Hörmann www.hormann.us/us/en/

Linear www.linearcorp.com

Marantec America www.marantecamerica.com

Martec Access Products
www.martecaccess.com

Miller Edge www.milleredge.com

Napoleon/Lynx www.lynx-nsw.com

Genie www.geniecompany.com

Raynor www.raynor.com

Skylinknet www.skylinkhome.com

Somfy International/Simu U.S. www.simu-us.com

Sommer Home Automation www.sommer-america.com

Wayne-Dalton www.wayne-dalton.com

This is so important, let’s say it again: have your garage door installed and serviced by a professional. This is not a job for a DiY-er with minimal knowledge of the task at hand.

Why?

One word – safety.

For most Americans, a garage door is the largest moving object in the home. Garage doors are both large and extremely heavy. This means that not only are they incredibly difficult to lift, but install it wrong and it can come crashing down with unbelievable force.

The garage door springs that help the doors open are under extreme pressure and can release enough power to severely injure or even kill someone. Specific tools and training are needed when dealing with these springs.

“Installing a garage door system is complicated, and can be a dangerous task if not done properly. A professional door dealer will help you find the perfect door for your home, and install it correctly and safely,” said Chris Long, Managing Director, International Door Association.

There are plenty of other jobs around your place that are perfect for the weekend warrior, but installing a new garage door is not one of them. You want it installed correctly, functioning safely and smoothly, and you want it up right the first time. When deciding on a professional installer for your new garage door, here are some questions to ask:

1.    How much experience does the installer have? 
How long has the company been in business? If it’s a new company, do the owners have experience working in the door and operator industry? As a general rule, the more years, the better.
2.    Does the dealer have satisfied customers or reviews available? 
This may be the most important checkpoint. Does the door dealer have satisfied customers? Are you willingly given phone numbers so you can talk directly to past customers, or do you have access to letters of recommendation from customers?
3.    What type of insurance coverage does the dealer have? 
It is important that door dealers carry the proper insurance on their business and employees. Ask for a copy of the company’s certificate of insurance. If it doesn’t have one or hesitates to provide it, this could be a red flag.
4.    Does the dealer comply with codes and regulations? 
There are many requirements that apply to safety and the installation of a garage door system. Federal, state and local codes and regulations must be followed. Ask the dealer about how he or she complies with the codes in your city. Selecting the right door dealer is as simple as asking a few questions. Don’t hesitate to call two dealers and ask these same questions. They take only moments to answer, and yet they can help you find an honest, competent professional who can solve your garage door problem.