Garage Door Safety Tips
Every year, thousands of garage door-related injuries occur in the United States. In fact, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that approximately 30,000 people are injured by their garage door during any given year. Although technology has offered some improvements in garage door safety features, failure to practice garage door safety procedures continues to lead to injuries that are entirely preventable.
One of the biggest reasons to talk about garage door safety is simply that it’s something most people take for granted. It’s not that homeowners are apathetic or resistant to safety practices — it’s that they don’t realize a safety issue exists until they’re in the middle of a dangerous situation.
Rather than wait until a safety issue arises, you may want to understand the potential risks surrounding your garage door, as well as the important things you can do to reduce the risk of injury. For the most part, safety tips for garage doors are mostly common-sense practices. But it’s a good idea to make yourself aware of what these tips are and how you can incorporate them into your routine.
Importance of Garage Door Safety
Garage doors cover a considerable amount of a home’s surface area, and this large opening can be a safety risk to those who live inside. Besides being big, they’re also a primary access point into the home. The Door and Access Systems Manufacturers Association International (DASMA) calls the garage door the new front door, with approximately 89% of homeowners with garage doors using them to go in and out of their homes regularly.
But it’s not just residents who are using garage doors to gain entry to homes. Increasingly, burglars are using the garage to access homes they want to steal from. By understanding how your automatic garage doors operate, as well as the safety mechanisms available to you, you can reduce the likelihood of anyone breaking into your garage and gaining access to your home.
7 Garage Door Safety Tips
Whether you’ve had a garage door for 20 years or you’ve just moved into a home with a garage, it’s always a good time to practice garage door safety to protect yourself and those you love. The most important thing to remember is this — a garage door is a moving piece of equipment. It is heavy, and it has several moving parts that can wear out, just like any other appliance in your home. Follow these garage door tips and tricks for protecting yourself and those you love.
1. Carefully Guard Remotes
One of the most important garage door safety rules applies to the most convenient feature of any automatic garage door — the remote. If you keep a garage door remote control in your car for easy access, store it out of sight or bring it inside at night so potential burglars can’t use it to access your home. When the remote is in your car, always keep your car locked. Home invasions using the garage as an entry point are becoming increasingly common, so it’s crucial you ensure your remotes and access codes don’t fall into the wrong hands.
Homeowners with a detached garage tend to be more relaxed about this since burglars can’t gain entry to their house via the garage, however, vigilance is important even with a detached garage. Consider the expensive lawn equipment and vehicles stored in your detached garage. Losing those to thieves could be a significant financial blow to just about anyone.
It’s also important to keep remotes away from young children who might find themselves in danger if they begin pushing buttons. If a child can open or close the garage door without an adult nearby, they may put themselves in danger should the door malfunction. It can also give them a way to leave the house unattended and become lost. It’s tempting to hand the remote to a young child to allow them to push the button to open the garage upon your return home, but teaching them how to use the remote when they’re young can also lead to them taking the remote and using it when they are unsupervised. Refrain from allowing young children to operate the garage door remotes and have any wall remotes installed at least 5 feet from the floor to prevent children from reaching them.
2. Familiarize Yourself With Garage Door Operation and Built-In Safety Features
It’s easy to assume that an automatic garage door just goes up and down on command. If you’re like many homeowners, you probably didn’t look at the owner’s manual that came with your garage door. But taking the time to familiarize yourself with how your garage door works is an important way to protect your household. Understand the different components of the door, the garage door opener’s reversing mechanism and other safety features. When you get to know the built-in safety features and what they can do to protect you in a dangerous situation, you reduce the risk of injury.
All garage door openers made after 1991 are legally required to have a reverse feature — test your garage door opener’s reversing feature for yourself. Place a roll of paper towels or an empty cardboard box on the floor underneath the middle of the door while the door is open. Then, hit the close button on your remote. If the auto-reverse feature is working properly, the door should stop and then go back up as soon as it touches the object in its path.
One of the most important features to familiarize yourself with is the emergency release feature. This is typically the red handle hanging from your garage door opener. This feature allows you to raise or lower your door manually in a power outage. It’s critical to understand how the emergency release works if you live in an area where you may have to evacuate due to a natural disaster. You want to be sure you can get your vehicle out of the garage during an emergency. Knowing how this emergency feature works and practicing using it could save your life one day.
Practicing using the emergency release feature can also alert you to potential problems with the door itself. If you can’t raise the door on your own, this may be a sign that the tracks or spring needs to be repaired or replaced. Or, it could be a sign that it’s time for a new garage door altogether.
3. Monitor the Door’s Operation
A simple garage door security tip is to stop and pay attention to your door while it’s opening and closing. It’s important to make sure that your garage door goes all the way up and down each time you use it. We’ve all had mornings when we’re in a hurry and barely glance over our shoulder after we hit the button to close the garage door. However, it’s better to take some time to watch your door as it goes down. Observe how it opens and closes. Does it move up quickly or slowly? Do you hear noises as it moves? Is it sensing objects in its path? By making these observations, you can get a better understanding of how the door works, and you’ll also be more likely to spot potential problems before they become an emergency issue.
4. Perform a Visual Inspection
Take a few minutes to walk around the outside and inside of your garage door. Note any scratches, cracks or dents that might be problematic. Check the safety sensors on either side of the door to ensure that the lenses are clean and no objects block them. Next, check the springs, pulleys and rollers for signs of wear or damage.
If you do find problems, refrain from turning this into a DIY project. One of the biggest mistakes that many homeowners make is assuming that they can repair a garage door themselves. Garage door repair is incredibly dangerous if you aren’t specially trained to handle the door and its weight. If you suspect a problem, call a professional garage door repair company to evaluate the problem and complete the repairs.
Watching the door is also important for home safety. We’ve all been in a hurry and sped away from the house before the garage door closes all the way. But what happens if your sensors pick up something and send the door back up? Your door could potentially be open all day while you’re away, leaving your home vulnerable to break-ins. Even when you’re in a rush, take the time to watch the door as it descends to ensure that it goes all the way down properly and locks in place before you drive away.
5. Keep Out From Under Your Door While It Is Moving
These days, safety sensors can tell if you run under the door while it’s moving. If they’re doing their job, your movement will cause the door to stop and go up. However, it’s still a good idea to avoid going under the door while it’s moving up or down. Rushing to get under the door could cause you to trip or slip. Or, it could set a bad example for children watching you do this. A child could watch you and try to emulate your behavior, resulting in them getting injured by the door or under the door.
Although it may seem like it’s not a big deal to duck under a garage door while it’s rising, this too can have serious consequences. Most of the time, this won’t do anything, but any foreign movement can trigger the motion sensors and signal the door to do something other than going up. In some rare cases, this has caused the door to stop or start back down while someone is still under it. Rather than risk this happening to you, it’s best to wait for the door to get all the way up before you walk under it.
6. Have a Unique Door Opener Code
In the past, potential burglars could use a scanner to pick up the code your remote used to signal your garage door opener. They didn’t need the remote itself — just the code — to enter your home. Because of that, many of today’s garage door openers are programmed with rolling code technology, which changes the code in between each use. When the code changes, it changes in both the garage door opener and your remotes, so you never notice the change, but it’s nearly impossible for someone else to obtain the code and get access to your garage.
Some garage door openers offer an option to assign user-specific or one-time codes that allow delivery drivers or visitors access on a case-by-case basis. This way, you can allow someone access when they need it, but you don’t have to worry that they will come back or regain entry when you don’t want them to. This is also helpful if you employ a pet walker or cleaning professional who periodically needs to gain access to your house. Some openers also come with advanced technology that allows you to control your garage door opener with an app, reducing the need for remotes or codes that may fall into the wrong hands. These apps even allow you to open your garage door from wherever you are so you are the only one granting access to the people who need it.
Regardless of what kind of door opener you have, it’s also a good idea to deactivate your garage door opener if you plan to be gone for vacation or a business trip — any extended period of time, really. This prohibits anyone from gaining electronic access to your garage while you’re away and gives you greater peace of mind.
7. Have a Professional Perform Maintenance
Homeowners can and should perform regular checks on their garage doors. Take notice of cracks, dents or potential damaged places. Check the weatherstripping for cracks or tears. Inspect the spring and tracks for signs of damage or rust. It’s even a great idea to use mild soap and some water to gently wash the door a couple of times a year.
However, more involved maintenance or repair are best left to a professional. DIY projects are all the rage in home improvement these days, but attempting garage door repairs yourself is dangerous. Garage doors, their springs and their tracks are incredibly heavy. Even if you’re working with a friend, the weight of these pieces can easily cause injury or even death. If your garage door needs to be repaired or replaced, call in a professional garage door repair company.
Garage Door Safety at Kitsap Garage Door
One of the best things you can do to protect yourself and your family is to have a garage door maintenance and repair company you trust. At Kitsap Garage Door, our technicians are trained and experienced in handling many issues, meaning that they’re ready to provide the help you need whenever you need it. We understand the importance of garage door safety, and we’re committed to helping you stay safe. Serving the Kitsap Peninsula for more than 45 years, we have a local reputation for bringing high-quality customer service and professionalism to each and every job.
Schedule your free estimate today.
