Your Montgomery, IL home’s garage door keeps your vehicle and other belongings safe from the elements. It’s an essential part of your home’s structure and security. The mechanical opener, the large size and heavy weight of the garage door require additional safety precautions for your family and pets. Follow these garage door safety tips to avoid an accident or injury.
1. Never Walk or Stand Under a Moving Garage Door
Avoid passing or standing under a garage door while it is opening or closing. An average garage door weighs 300 pounds. If the opener, chains, springs or tracks fail, the door could fall onto someone. Getting hit or crushed by a garage door could cause serious injuries or death, especially in a small child.
2. Watch Your Fingers
If you need to manually open or close your garage door, watch your fingers. Use the handle to open or close the door instead of putting your hands on the door’s panels. The area between sections of the garage door could pinch or crush your fingers. Consider having pinch-resistant garage door panels installed to prevent accidents and injuries to your hands.
3. Use and Test the Laser Eye
For more than 30 years, garage door openers have included a laser eye. This laser eye is usually located about 12 inches up from the garage floor. It mounts close to the garage door’s track. If the laser beam is broken, the garage door opener should halt the opening or closing process and return the door to the open position. The batteries in the laser eye may fail, which disables this safety measure. Once per month, check the laser eye for dirt and dust buildup. Debris covering the laser will interfere with its operation. Use a level to ensure the laser eye is mounted properly. Test the laser eye to make sure that it works properly when an object, such as a box, breaks the laser beam.
4. Know How to Use the Auto Release
All garage doors have a manual auto release. This mechanism allows the door to open when there is no power to the opener or in the event of an emergency, such as someone falling in the path of the garage door. Make sure you know how to use the auto release. Practice using it when there is no emergency.
5. Keep the Door Closed
During the summertime, many people keep their garage door ajar for air circulation. Other people may leave the garage door ajar for pets. Leaving the door ajar could cause an injury if the door’s springs unexpectedly fail. When the door is ajar, this also causes extra stress on the springs. Keep the door closed when you’re walking or driving through the doorway.
6. Watch the Door When Using It
Keep your garage door in your line of vision when opening or closing it. This is especially important if you have children or pets who might try to enter or exit the garage when the door is in the process of closing. Watch the garage door the whole time during the opening and closing process. This might require you to exit your vehicle so that you can see the full length of the garage door while it moves.
7. Teach Children How to Use the Garage Door Safely
Starting at a young age, teach your children about garage door safety. Tell them that the door could trap them, and they should never walk, scoot or crawl near it when it’s opening or closing. Keep the garage door remote control away from children. Make sure the wall-mounted control unit is at least five feet up from the garage floor. This prevents young children from reaching it.
8. Be Cautious With Your Remotes
Avoid leaving your garage door remotes in your vehicle when you’re parked on the street or in a parking lot. If someone breaks into your vehicle, they could use the information in your vehicle to find your house. With the remote, they will be able to gain access to your home. Take the opener with you, and frequently change its code.
Not in need of garage door repairs today? We also offer garage door installation, maintenance and inspections. If you’re a business owner in Montgomery or the surrounding area, you can also count on us for commercial garage and fire door services. To learn more or schedule an appointment with one of our technicians, reach out to us at BDK Door Company today.
