Garage Door Safety Tips

When people think of household hazards they often overlook the largest one. Garage doors, particularly older models, can be very dangerous. Your garage door should provide many years of trouble free service if it is installed, maintained, and operated properly. Here are some useful safety tips. NOTE: This is not intended to be a comprehensive list of every safety precaution, always consult your manufacturer's user guide for safety information about your specific door model. A garage door, sometimes weighing up to 600 pounds, is the largest moving object in your home and is often operated by an electric door opener. Proper installation, maintenance, and testing are necessary to keep the garage door working safely. An opener that is not installed properly could result in a serious and in some cases fatal injury. Print these tips and review them with every member of your family. Education is the best defense for preventing accidents.

• Keep your garage door closed at all times. It takes only seconds for a criminal to enter your garage and 50% of all residential burglaries are the result of an open garage door. These crimes occur in any neighborhood at all times of the day or night. Even a momentary lapse in garage security can be disastrous.
• Always keep the area around the garage door clear of any item that could come in contact when the door is in motion. Never allow people, pets, vehicles, or any other object to remain under the path of the garage door.
• Keep garage doors properly balanced. See the owner's manual for your garage door. An improperly balanced door increases the risk of severe injury or death. Always have a qualified service person make repairs to cables, spring assemblies, and other hardware.
• In 1993 the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) passed a law that required all garage door manufacturers to equip their garage doors with photoelectric sensors and pressure-sensitive sensors. Safety features are great but only if they work properly. The CPSC found that only 40% of the garage doors evaluated worked efficiently; this was due to a lack of proper maintenance. Some garage door openers that didn't correctly reverse the garage door action, pushed down with 130 pounds of pressure, enough to break the bones of a small child. Every garage door sold comes with safety instructions. Follow them religiously!
• SAFETY STANDARDS FOR AUTOMATIC RESIDENTIAL GARAGE DOOR OPERATORS
  
• All newer automatic garage door openers have a safety feature that causes the door to reverse if it encounters an obstruction. TEST THE DOOR OPERATOR MONTHLY. The garage door MUST reverse on contact with a 1-1/2 inch high object (or a piece of two-by-four lumber laid flat) on the floor. If the door doesn't stop and reverse after contact with the object, disconnect the operator and use the door manually until the operator is replaced or repaired by a qualified technician. Newer garage door openers also incorporate photoelectric eyes that stop and reverse the door if a child, animal or an object passes in front of them. Some newer photoelectric eyes use wireless technology for added convenience. Electric eyes have been standard equipment for garage door openers since 1993. Since then the sensors have also been greatly improved and injuries are now much less frequent; however, that doesn't mean you don't have to be careful when small children are around a garage door as it opens and closes.
• If you ever need to open the door when the power is out, use the red emergency cord to release the locking mechanism. Use caution when using this release with the door open. Weak or broken springs are capable of increasing the rate of door closure and increasing the risk of severe injury or death.
• If you have a wall control for your garage door opener make sure it's mounted more than 5 feet above the floor, out of reach of children. GarageHawk Remote Modules should also be located where access is limited to adults.
• Another fairly recent innovation is the wireless keypad that opens the garage door when the correct code is entered. Keypads can be especially helpful if you find yourself locked out of your house.
• If you're going to be away from your house for an extended period of time simply unplug your garage door opener. Some of the newer openers have security switches you can just turn off.
• Look for a garage door opener that automatically changes security codes every time you use it (Rolling Codes). Some thieves are able to 'record' your transmitter's signal. Later, after you're gone, they replay that signal and open your door. If your remote control transmitter has rolling code technology the code changes after every use. This renders the thieves' controls useless. Contact your garage door opener manufacturer for additional information.
• Always treat your garage door remote control like a key. Do not leave it in your car where it can be seen - hide it in the console, glove box or somewhere else in your car, but don't leave it on the visor where it can be seen. Never leave the remote control for your garage door opener in an unlocked vehicle as this could result in your car and your house contents being stolen.
• Teach your children the dangers of garage doors and garage door openers. Explain the danger of being trapped under the door. Children should be supervised in and around the garage door area. NEVER LET CHILDREN OPERATE OR PLAY WITH DOOR CONTROLS. Keep remote controls away from children.
• Automatic garage doors should only be left in the fully open or fully closed positions and never in a partially open or closed position. Walking or crawling under a partially opened door creates a potential entrapment hazard. When stopped in this position, activation of the door operator may result in the door initially traveling in the downward direction thus increasing pressure on someone trapped beneath the door. Continued or repeated activation of the door, particularly when in a panic state, may not result in the immediate reversal of the door to the open position, particularly if the door operator is not properly maintained. Do not let children play 'beat the door.' It is very dangerous and can result in serious injury or death. Adults should set a good example.