Safety Matters!

June is Garage Door Safety Month. It’s a reminder to make regular safety checks on your garage doors. Educating yourself and your children on correct use and operation as well as taking proper care of your garage door will help you avoid unnecessary accidents and loss of life.

Here are a few precautions to keep in mind:

Safe distance – Garage openers and wall control units should be at least 5 feet away from the floor, and the door opener control button should be high enough that small children cannot reach it.

It’s not a plaything – Children should not, at any time, be allowed to play with the garage remote control or any part of the door. Hitting the door with their hands or even a soft object may cause the interior mechanism to loosen and the door to malfunction when you least expect.

Familiarize yourself with the manual – Read the door’s instruction manual and understand the door’s emergency release feature so that in case of an emergency you’ll know how to operate it.

Monthly visual inspections and maintenance checks – At least once a month, inspect your door and its component parts for wear and tear. Pulleys, cables, springs, and rollers may malfunction when worn out. If your garage gets jammed for some reason, call in a professional. Don’t attempt to repair or replace it yourself; get a trained garage door repairman to do the job. Don’t forget to oil the bearers, rollers, and hinges with a light lubricant oil.

Monthly testing – You’ll never know if the garage door’s reversing mechanism is working properly unless you test it. To do this, place an object – a piece of plywood or a roll of toilet paper – under the door’s path then release the control to let the garage door roll down. If it doesn’t reverse after touching the object, have it repaired. Test the reversing mechanism every month. If your garage door has an electric eye, make sure you test this on a monthly basis as well. If the door is old and has no auto-reverse feature, consider replacing it with a new one that has safety features.

Finger safety – Never place your fingers in between the door sections and caution your children against this as well.

Keep the garage door closed – Never – ever – leave your door partially open. Aside from placing your home at risk for intruders, when the door is activated again it may travel down instead of up and hit whatever lies in its path.

The emergency release – If there’s a power failure and you must open the garage door, use the emergency release to disengage the door from the opener. After the door is released you can operate it by hand. Again, consult your instruction manual and learn how to use this feature.

Garage Door Check-Up

It's Garage Door Safety Month!

Garage Doors are amazing if you think about it a bit.  A large, flat panel is rotated up and down either in sections or one big flat plane at least a few times a day without any problems. Well, that is as long as you do some maintenance on your door.

Are you even aware you should do maintenance on your garage door? Well, you should if you want it to last. The first thing to check is lubrication. Regardless of the type of system and door you have, something does the pivot and pull when the door goes up or down. This means you should lubricate the chain on the opener and the pivot points on the braces that pull up and lower the garage [on the outer edges].

Next, check the springs on your door. Look for signs of rust and sag. If you see them, you are better off replacing the springs before they break. If the break, the door can literally be bent out of shape since one side of the door will be supported by a spring while the other sags. This will knock your door out of shape compared to the frame, which means it will not close or open without rubbing on the frame or at all. Importantly, your springs are under a lot of tension, so have a professional replace them. Do it yourself and you can be badly injured.

The final step is to check the condition of your garage door. Open it and pay particular attention to the bottom edge. This is where rot and what have you can start. Check your weather stripping in this area as well. Keeping water and cold gusts out of your garage is important. If the weather stripping is stiff or cracked, it is more or less useless so replace it.

Maintaining your garage door can add tens of years to its life. Do it once a year and you won’t have to worry about spending big bucks to get it replaced for a very long time.

June is Garage Door Safety Month. Now’s the time to get that garage door check up!

JUNE: IT’S GARAGE DOOR SAFETY MONTH!

The International Door Association and the Door & Access Systems Manufacturers Association have designated June as Garage Door Safety Month.

The International Door Association and its affiliated dealers will be working to increase awareness of the possible hazards of garage doors and automatic opener systems, and the need for periodic inspection and maintenance to keep them safe. Give your garage door a safety check to insure it’s in proper working order by using these ten garage door safety and security tips.

1. Make sure garage door opener control button is out of the reach of small children.

2. Do not let children play with garage door remote controls.

3. Consult the owner’s manual and learn how to use the garage door’s emergency release feature.

4. Visually inspect the garage door each month. Look at springs, cables, rollers and pulleys for signs of wear. Do not attempt to remove, adjust or repair these parts or anything attached to them. A trained door repairman must make adjustments to these parts, which are under high tension.

5. Test the garage door opener’s reversing mechanism monthly by placing a 2 x 4 board or a roll of paper towels in the door’s path. If the door does not reverse after contacting the object, call a qualified garage door professional for repair. If the opener has not been replaced since 1993, seriously consider a new one with auto-reverse as a standard feature.

6. Never place fingers between door sections and explain the dangers to children. If you have small children, consider a door with panels that can’t pinch.

7. Do not leave the garage door partially open. When activated again, it may travel downward and come in contact with an object in its path. This also impacts your home’s security as well.

8. While on vacation, unplug the garage door opener unit or use a wall vacation lock console security switch, which renders remotes unusable and is an optional accessory to most openers.

9. If the opener does not have rolling-code technology, which changes the access codes each time the opener is used to prevent code grabbing, be sure to change the manufacturer’s standard access codes on the opener and remote control, or consider investing in a newer model with more safety and security features that are now standard.

10. A new trend in home invasion is gaining access to the home by stealing the opener or car. Never leave the remote control in the car or with a parking attendant. Consider using a key chain remote and always lock the entry to the inside of your home – especially if your opener is programmed to your vehicle. It is a small inconvenience for safety and security.

Although you should provide monthly safety checks and maintenance to your garage door system, an annual visit from a trained door systems technician can keep your door operating safely and smoothly for a long time.

The Modern Garage Door

Garage is the shelter for your car. That is its main function.

Hence, most people then think about their garage doors as strictly functional. They protect the contents of the garage. Now, more and more people care about how they look. The garage doors have to look good and welcoming. Garage doors after all make a huge personal statement about one’s taste and style.

The garage is considered the threshold of a home. First thing that we come faced up with when we enter a house is usually the garage door. Garage doors are becoming a major design element as they say. Most homeowners use the garage as the primary entrance to the house and are subject to much wear and tear. It is only fitting that the garages must be impressive and attractive, as it is durable and secured. The style and the condition of the garage door is influential on the appearance and impression that the house projects.

Today, several manufacturers have created different styles of garage doors with various exceptional features to choose from. The appearances of garage doors have improved dramatically over the past few years adding to the aesthetic value of your home. The erstwhile wooden doors are being replaced in favor of modern day materials like steel, which can be customized to suit your preferred look and color.

Garage doors are built to be durable and long-lasting.

The average life of a garage door is about 30 years if you take care of it. Thus, it is imperative to pay extra attention to its specifications and features. Rain, snow, wind and other assaults by the nature can be kept at bay with the use of the tongue and groove feature. It is also important to settle always for low-maintenance garage doors. It will save considerable amount of money and time.

Garage doors also have many options such as decorative windows that allow the natural light to trickle in and can often match the window package on your home. You may also want to consider adding decorative hardware, handles and hinges, to your door selection. Whatever you do decide on, make sure you enlist the expertise of a professional to install or service garage doors.

June is Garage Door Safety Month. Call on your local licensed garage door dealer to perform your annual safety check. Your garage door will love you!

Garage Door Remote Control Safety

These days, a garage door is usually remotely controlled instead of manually controlled.

There are still manually controlled ones around but these are fewer compared to the openings controlled by a remote. Since these openings should be able to let a vehicle through, it is understood that they are large and heavy. Safety is a key concern when it comes to this part of the home.

 

Maintenance

The open and shut mechanism of a garage door should be well maintained as well as other parts of the unit to ensure that there is minimum risk of accidents. The motor should be kept free of dust and other debris which may cause it to get stuck or to operate erratically.

Depending on what kind of entry one has at home, there are several different kinds of openings. Roll up and roll down, hinged doors and others are some of the more common ones around. Even the remote control used to operate the mechanism should be maintained well and should be brought in for servicing if there is any damage incurred on it.

It is Not a Plaything

The unit is not a toy. This is something that should be impressed on children to avoid accidents and even fatalities. The idea of a mechanism that does the bidding of a remote can be appealing to small and even older children.

Many play with the garage door as part of their make believe world or just out of curiosity how it works. It is important to point out to a child that once the unit starts to go up or down there is little that anyone can do to stop it unless using the remote.

The possibility of being squashed under it or lifted up and caught in the paneling is serious and dangerous. It is imperative that children are taught not to play in and around the vicinity of a moving garage door or even an open one. Accidents can and will happen even with the utmost care.

Playing with the controller can prove fatal and the entryway should always be kept in sight when opening or closing it until it is fully opened or closed to prevent accidents or damage. Even the hinges, motor and any other moving parts of the garage door can prove dangerous when little fingers or clothes are caught in them. Reading the user manual can help to understand safety when it comes to these parts of the home. Regular maintenance of the unit also helps to prevent accidents.

June is Garage Door Safety Month, an annual event to increase awareness of the possible hazards of garage doors and automatic opener systems, and the need for periodic inspection and maintenance to keep them safe. Give your garage door a safety check to insure it’s in proper working order.

JUNE IS GARAGE DOOR SAFETY MONTH!

The International Door Association and the Door & Access Systems Manufacturers Association have designated June as Garage Door Safety Month. The IDA and its affiliated dealers will be working to increase awareness of the possible hazards of garage doors and automatic opener systems, and the need for periodic inspection and maintenance to keep them safe. Give your garage door a safety check to insure it’s in proper working order by using these ten garage door safety and security tips.

1. Make sure garage door opener control button is out of the reach of small children.

2. Do not let children play with garage door remote controls.

3. Consult the owner’s manual and learn how to use the garage door’s emergency release feature.

4. Visually inspect the garage door each month. Look at springs, cables, rollers and pulleys for signs of wear. Do not attempt to remove, adjust or repair these parts or anything attached to them. A trained door repairman must make adjustments to these parts, which are under high tension.

5. Test the garage door opener’s reversing mechanism monthly by placing a 2 x 4 board or a roll of paper towels in the door’s path. If the door does not reverse after contacting the object, call a qualified garage door professional for repair. If the opener has not been replaced since 1993, seriously consider a new one with auto-reverse as a standard feature.

6. Never place fingers between door sections and explain the dangers to children. If you have small children, consider a door with panels that can’t pinch.

7. Do not leave the garage door partially open. When activated again, it may travel downward and come in contact with an object in its path. This also impacts your home’s security as well.

8. While on vacation, unplug the garage door opener unit or use a wall vacation lock console security switch, which renders remotes unusable and is an optional accessory to most openers.

9. If the opener does not have rolling-code technology, which changes the access codes each time the opener is used to prevent code grabbing, be sure to change the manufacturer’s standard access codes on the opener and remote control, or consider investing in a newer model with more safety and security features that are now standard.

10. A new trend in home invasion is gaining access to the home by stealing the opener or car. Never leave the remote control in the car or with a parking attendant. Consider using a key chain remote and always lock the entry to the inside of your home – especially if your opener is programmed to your vehicle. It is a small inconvenience for safety and security.

Although you should provide monthly safety checks and maintenance to your garage door system, an annual visit from a trained door systems technician can keep your door operating safely and smoothly for a long time.