Your automatic garage door is probably the oldest smart device in your home, and you have probably been relying on it for years. Over the years, though, garage doors have been responsible for a significant amount of accidental injury. Homeowners continue to be advised by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission to pay due regard to the safety hazards posed by their garage door openers. If you wonder how to keep your garage door in safe, operable condition, you will be pleased to learn that it is not rocket science. You can check the instruction manual that came with your garage door opener or use a weblink for handy tips. This article will also give you all the information you need to handle your garage door opener safely.
Hire Professionals For Installation And Repairs
Installing a garage door opener is a task that most DIY enthusiasts feel comfortable handling without a professional’s input. However, if you consider that your garage door will open and close thousands of times in a year, it is best to have the installation done by professionals.
Relying on an experienced professional to install your garage door opener will save you money in the long run by preserving the warranty from the manufacturer by using the right tools and parts. Calling a professional to repair the garage door when it is acting up is also much better than attempting to fix the problem with limited tools and expertise.
Be On The Lookout For Garage Door Malfunctions
If your garage door has a particular quirk that you have been ignoring, you should call a professional because it may pose a safety hazard to you and the inhabitants of your home. Common signs that your garage door needs attention from a professional include making strange squeaking or popping noises when opening and closing, not opening, opening at a prolonged rate, getting stuck at a certain level, opening unevenly, etc.
It is highly discouraged to attempt and repair any of these problems yourself because the cause may not be as straightforward to fix. Some elements of garage doors, e.g., tension springs, are hazardous and should not be repaired or tampered with in any way by amateurs.
Maintain Your Garage Door Properly.
The best way to notice any issues with your garage door before they become hazardous is by carrying out regular and proper maintenance. Your garage door owner’s manual will advise you on the right way to clean and maintain the product in optimum working conditions. Cleaning your garage door appropriately is very important because some materials like wood can warp or bulge due to wrong cleaning techniques and thus cause a garage door malfunction.
Some other tasks you can regularly perform to keep your garage door in proper shape include: ensuring that all moving parts are adequately lubricated, keep the garage door tracks clear of any obstructions, inspecting the cables for signs of breaking or fraying, checking the weatherstripping for any signs of breaking or cracking, examining rollers for cracks and tightening any moving parts that appear to have come loose over time.
Test The Garage Door’s Safety Features
Garage door manufacturing companies have introduced several safety features to make their products less hazardous to homeowners, children, and pets. The emergency manual release is a vital garage door safety feature that comes in handy when the automatic system has been affected by a power outage or other malfunction. The manual release is usually a red handle that hangs from a rope. When you pull the release, it disconnects the opener from the garage door.
Federal regulations have mandated that all garage door manufacturing companies include an automatic reversal system that detects obstructions on its path, stops immediately, and reverses its direction. If your garage door is ancient, you should verify that it has an automatic reversal system installed.
The automatic reversal system relies on infrared motion detectors to sense any object in your garage door’s path. The infrared motion sensors are usually located on the bottom left or right of your garage, and it is crucial to test them regularly. To test your infrared motion sensor and the automatic reversal system, open your garage door, then close it. While the door is closing, put your leg in the door’s path and see whether it immediately stops and reverses.
Garage doors are a great convenience that should not be allowed to turn into a lurking safety hazard. Practice all the handy tips above and have safety conversations with the inhabitants of your home to ensure they all know the proper way to handle the garage door.
