Garage door safety practices you should follow
Having a garage attached to your home provides covered parking for your car and extra storage space for your home. It is a great addition to any home. However, being the heaviest and largest moving object in your home (400 pounds on an average), it can also be a potential safety hazard. According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, each year, over 30,000 garage door injuries are reported in the country. Despite the automatic reverse function being installed on most garage doors as an industry safety standard, garage door injuries still occur. Here are some garage door safety tips that can keep you and your family safe from such horrific accidents.
Visual inspection
You must visually inspect your garage door and its working components each month. Look over the springs, rollers, pulleys, cables and see if they are functioning properly. If anything seems off, call a professional garage door installer for inspection and repair. If you find any signs or wear and tear, call in a professional right away. Do not attempt DIY repairs as it can put you at serious risk of injury.
Test the reverse mechanism
The automatic reverse mechanism of your garage door is what forces it to quickly reverse the direction when an obstacle is encountered. It is an important safety function that can prevent harm to a person, child, car, pet, or any other obstruction. It is important to periodically check the reverse function. All you need to do is put an object in the garage door’s pathway and then press the button to close it. You could place a toilet paper roll or anything you can lay your hands on. The garage door should recognise the obstruction in its way and reverse its path. If this does not happen, you need to get the reverse function repaired immediately.
Keep your passwords secret
Neglecting to keep your garage door passwords secret could compromise your home security. Even if the garage is detached, you don’t want any intrusions. If there is a door that leads from your garage to the inside of your home, all the more reason to keep your passwords secret. Kids must also be educated on the importance of keeping the passwords secret. Thankfully, there are smartphone apps that give you more control by enabling you to operate your garage doors from afar.
Watch your fingers
According to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), each year, over 7,500 injuries occur from finger getting caught between door sections. A finger can get caught between the horizontal, folding panels of the garage door. A pinching accident is also possible with the scissor-like springs on the side of the door. You must teach your children to keep their hands away from the joints between panels of the door when it is closing. Some doors come with pinch protection feature, which can reduce the risk of serious injuries.
Keep opener remote out of the reach of children
Children love anything with buttons. To them, a garage door remote may seem like a toy. They may want to push buttons and watch the garage door go up and down. We need to teach them that these remotes are not toys. Hide them from children and ensure that the wall control for the door opener is placed at least 5 feet from the ground so that the young children cannot reach it.
Don’t take garage door safety lightly
Garage doors are large, working machines and they should be treated with caution. They also give access to your house so it is essential to ensure that the garage door is safe, secure and functional. If your garage door is not working the way it should, call a professional right away.
