Garage Door Maintenance: Three Practical Tips for Improving Home Safety
Posted on: 5 February 2018
Your residential garage door can cause injuries if it is not correctly maintained. In simple terms, if this large and heavy feature comes into contact with a person or pet during operation, a serious accident could occur. Fortunately, these incidences can be prevented through proper garage door maintenance and precautions. Here are some simple tips to help you promote safety in relation to your garage door.
Assess the Opener Sensors
If your garage door has an automatic opener, it will have some safety sensors installed along the rails. These sensors are designed to detect obstacles in the path of the garage door. Typically, these elements use special beams to detect the obstruction. If a person passes beneath the door while it is closing, the beam will be interrupted, and the door will stop. You should test the sensors to ascertain if they are still functional. Close the garage door and then place an item beneath the feature before it closes. The garage door should halt and reverse immediately. If it continues moving, you should hire a repair technician for troubleshooting.
Check the Reversing Mechanism
Garage door openers are fitted with a mechanism which allows the reversal of the door after it comes into contact with an object. While the auto-reverse feature is not as convenient or advanced as the sensors, it can save lives in your home. Simply speaking, this mechanism will prevent the door from exerting closing pressure when there is an obstructing force. If you have an old garage door opener without this feature, you should think about performing an immediate replacement. You should also check the function of this element by allowing the door to touch an obstacle when closing. If the auto-reverse mechanism is not working, you will need expert repairs.
Perform Regular Inspections
You should engage a garage door technician to inspect your door regularly. A thorough assessment of the door will help in identifying problems caused by impact, regular usage and other external actors. If you are aware of the problems, you can commission early repairs or a replacement, preventing unexpected injuries. Also, you can use the inspection session as an opportunity for routine maintenance. For example, you can have the moving components lubricated, the cables checked for wear, the rollers replaced and the hardware tightened. Remember, these upkeep practices will also promote better performance of your door and might even prolong the service life of your garage door and opener.
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