Being safe when operating your garage door should be of utmost importance for homeowners. Check out these five tips and tricks to ensuring your home’s safety and that of your family and visitors.

1.    Test the Safety Sensors Regularly

Most garage doors these days have safety sensors – at least any garage door manufactured after 1991 should. Your garage door likely has a feature that makes the door go back up in reverse if it comes into contact with anything. This is a critical safety feature that prevents the door from closing on a person or animal.

It’s a good idea to routinely test out this feature. While all doors will need a repair or two over the years, a safety sensor is not something you want to ignore if it’s acting wonky. Test your safety sensor by putting a soft object underneath the door when it’s open. Push the button to close the door and see if the door automatically stops and goes back up when it contacts the object.

If the sensor is not working properly, call your trusted garage repair tech right away, and let everyone in the household know not to operate the door or go near it till it’s fixed.

2.     Don’t Share Passwords

In case of emergency, your garage door key pad is a convenient way to open your door, such as when your kids have forgotten their house key after school. This way, they can still safely access the home. However, let them know they should never share the pass code with anybody. Only those living in your home should know the code.

3.     Teach Kids Proper Use of Garage Door

Let them know:

  • The garage door isn’t a toy.
  • Before you close the garage door, make sure nobody is standing in the way.
  • Always close the garage door after going in and out.
  • Never tell anyone, including friends, the entry password.

4.    Maintain Your Garage Door

Maintenance is the best way to ensure a long life span for your garage door. You should schedule yearly garage door maintenance and inspections with a professional, but there are some things you can do on your own such as making sure the tracks are oiled and inspecting the springs.

5.     Don’t Leave Your Garage Doors Open

Some people keep their garage doors open a bit at the bottom to regulate temperatures in the home. Some just forget to close the door after leaving or coming in. These are bad habits, though, and they pose a safety threat. Not only does this negligence attract wild animals, pests and critters into your garage, it welcomes burglars to your home.

Contact M&M Garage Doors

Do you require some help ensuring your garage door and openers are working properly and safely? We can run some checks, do some maintenance, and let you know if it’s time for a new door. Just call M&M Garage Doors at (586) 610-5434.