They say what goes up must come down. In the case of a garage door, this mantra proves itself several times a day. The average garage door opens and closes 3-5 times a day, and about 1500 times a year. As a result, your garage door experiences wear and tear that can result in some serious safety issues.
June is Garage Door Safety Month, and ProLift wants to do our part to keep you safe. Here are 6 safety tips & tidbits that can keep you and your family as safe as possible.
Check your springs.
It’s important to get your springs inspected regularly, as the torsion spring is responsible for keeping your garage door on balance. An unbalanced garage door will have difficulty remaining open, closed, or balancing in the middle. If your spring is nearing a decade of heavy lifting or your garage door seems off-balance, it’s probably time to replace your torsion spring. Replacing springs yourself can cause injury, so a professional is best equipped to handle the job.
Control your controller.
Since the garage door remote can be activated by a button on a remote, it’s an instantly attractive device to a kid. And it can seem like a harmless distraction for kids in a car or as you’re racing out the door, but messing with the controller puts you at risk. First, the door could be left open or closed unintentionally, and the constant pressing of the button could put the door at risk of performing the opposite function next time you go to use it. You can also damage the remote control itself. All in all, anything that activates a door that can weigh anywhere between 100 and 600 pounds is best kept out of reach of children.
Don’t race your closing door!
Garage doors have sensors in place to detect people or objects in their path, but that doesn’t mean they always work. To avoid injury, it’s best to never stand under a garage door that is opening or closing. Don’t try and duck under your garage door as it’s closing, either! Garage doors lowering onto someone are still one of the more common injuries, caused by a faulty sensor, broken door, or an old model without a sensor. If your door doesn’t have a sensor, you should definitely consider a replacement.
Watch your fingers!
Your hand can get pinched or crushed by your garage door’s section joints. In fact, this happens up to 7,000 times a year! While it’s a more common injury among children, it’s still a potential hazard for all ages. The best course of action is to just stay away from a garage door in motion.
If your opener doesn’t auto-reverse, it’s not optimally safe.
Starting in 1993, garage door openers included an auto-reverse feature. You can test this by placing a paper towel roll in the path of your garage door. If the door does change its path and open up after making contact with the paper towel roll, contact a professional for a repair. And if your garage door opener has not been updated since 1993, seriously consider getting a new one with the auto-reverse safety feature.
Rolling code technology is a plus for home security.
Rolling code technology changes the access codes each time the opener is used to prevent code grabbing. If your garage door opener does not include this feature, at least be sure to update your code from the standard manufacturer’s code. Consider updating to a garage opener that includes rolling code technology for an added security measure!
For a free estimate on any garage door repairs or replacements, call (888) 824-9947to find a ProLift Garage Doors premier garage door service provider near you! And check out our ProLift Pro Tips on our Facebook and Instagram all month long for more garage door safety information.
