Garage doors can weigh hundreds of pounds. It’s probably one of the heaviest working components in your whole house. Is it’s not working properly, it can pose a dangerous safety risk to anyone who goes near it. With garage doors injuring and even killing thousands every year, you can’t be too careful. Here are five smart garage safety tips to live by.
1. Check Safety Sensors
Your garage door opener’s safety sensors attach to the rails on which the door glides along. They’re located some six inches off the ground. Their sole job is to reverse the direction of the garage door as it’s closing if an object passes underneath.
It’s important to test out this sensor regularly to make sure it is working properly. Simply push the control button so the garage door begins to close. Then, place an object like a broom or a roll of paper towels in the path of the door and sensor. The door should stop right away and reverse. If it doesn’t reverse, immediately call a garage door repair professional to fix it.
2. Keep Passwords Secret
Many companies feature openers with both one-time and user-specific codes. You may need this feature if, say, you have guests staying with you from out of town and they need access to the garage door to get in and out, or to accept deliveries for you. You can give them their own code without revealing your main one. Also, smartphone apps give you even more control by allowing you to open and close the door from remote locations.
3. Teach Kids That Garage Doors Kill
Your kids may think a garage door is fun to hang onto for a free ride or that the buttons to open and close it make for a fun pastime. Teach your children to have respect for the garage door and that it is not a toy. Make sure the opener mounted on the wall is at least five feet from the ground.
4. Watch Fingers
Kids should be told to keep their hands away from the areas between the panels when the door is opening or closing. Many of the 20,000 injuries that occur as a result of garage doors involve serious hand and finger injuries. Hundreds of pounds of pressure can come down on little fingers that are inadvertently placed between the slats of a closing door.
5. Test the Force
Your garage door should stop immediately if force is put upon it. For instance, try pushing it down while it is rising or push up on the bottom when it is lowering. If it does not stop, the force settings may need to be adjusted.
Contact M&M Garage Doors
If you need help with any of the above troubleshooting measures or require a repair, call M&M Doors at 586-610-5434 or fill out our online form.
