How Can Garage Doors Be Dangerous?
Garage doors operate at the touch of a button and are on the exterior of your home, so it can be easy to forget that they are large moving objects with the potential to injure someone when not working properly. They also have many moving parts that maintain high levels of tension to keep your door in place and operating as it should.
When your garage door or parts are malfunctioning, it can create several dangerous situations, including:
- Moving parts like springs, cables, hinges, and panels create potential pinch points where fingers or hands could get trapped.
- Off-track garage doors can fall on a person or pet.
- Springs and cables are full of tension and could snap back and injure someone when they break.
Considering the potential danger of garage doors, it’s essential to establish a regular safety and inspection routine to ensure your overhead doors don’t injure you, a family member, or a pet. Let’s walk through some garage door safety tips!
Garage Door Safety Tips
Test Safety Features
Because garage doors are potentially dangerous, they have built-in safety features called garage door sensors that help prevent the door from injuring anyone. These safety features are installed on either side of the garage door opening, creating a beam from one side of the garage to the other when the door is open. If someone or something crosses this beam when the door is closing, it will automatically reverse to avoid crushing anyone.
To test this safety feature, open your garage door and place an object in the door’s path. This can be anything from a piece of wood to a roll of paper towels. Then, press the button to close the door. If your automatic reversal system is working correctly, your garage door should quickly reverse. If it continues to close on the object, call a professional to repair this critical garage door safety feature.
Inspect Your Garage Door Operation
The best way to stay ahead of potential issues with your garage door system is to regularly inspect its operation, watching and listening to abnormalities. As your garage door goes up and down, stand inside your garage and listen for odd noises like grinding, squeaking, or shaking. Also, visually inspect your garage door parts—like the spring, cables, hinges, and tracks—looking for signs of wear, rust, or loosening. Regularly inspecting your garage door operation helps you stay ahead of potential issues and call in a professional for assistance at the first sign of a problem.
Check Your Garage Door Balance
Your spring and cables create a counterbalance system of tension, keeping your garage door in place so it operates smoothly and safely. When the balance between these parts is thrown off, it can create potentially dangerous situations as your garage door can carry more weight on one side, leading parts to wear out or break more quickly.
To avoid this scenario, check your garage door balance periodically. You can do this by pulling the emergency chord and disengaging the automatic opener from the door. Then, attempt to open the door manually and release it around chest height. When you let go of the door, it should stay in place. Also, try releasing it around knee height and head height. If it is not balanced in these positions, call a professional to balance your garage door system and ensure it runs safely.
Always Work With a Professional for Garage Door Repairs
The most important garage door safety tip is to call a professional when you need garage door repairs and never attempt to complete repairs on your own. As we mentioned earlier, garage door parts hold a lot of tension. If this tension is released incorrectly, it can cause parts to spring back suddenly and hurt someone. To avoid the risk, call a qualified local garage door company whenever you need garage door repairs.
Unfortunately, garage door accidents do happen. But you can help protect your family by following the safety tips outlined above. Remember: never underestimate the danger of your garage door. It is the heaviest moving object in your home, working alongside tension-filled parts and metal pieces. Treat garage doors with caution and safety measures, and teach your children to do the same.
If your garage door isn’t working as it should, call a professional like Garage Door Enterprises! We are qualified garage door experts serving Chesapeake, VA, and the surrounding areas with fast, friendly garage door service. We’d love to assist you with a garage door inspection or repair and guide you on the best garage door safety tips for protecting your family. Contact us today to learn more!
