The Garage Door Opener is a marvelous invention. With it we do not need to get out of our car to get into the garage. Just hit a button and up goes the door, be it rain or shine, snow or sunny day. But with convenience comes responsibility. The garage door is a complex system and to ensure safety and continued effective operation it is best to follow these opener safety tips.
1. Be cautious.
Do not stand or walk under a garage door when it is moving. Children, and occasionally adults, like to play a game of "beat the door", where they race to get past the door before it closes. This is dangerous and can lead to serious injuries or even death. You should familiarize yourself with how the emergency release works just in case someone is trapped under the door.
2. Keep remotes out of reach of children.
Kids like to play with the remote control for the garage door. They have fun with it. Push a button and the door goes up, push it again and it goes down. This is not safe however harmless it may seem. Be sure to put the remote far out of the reach of kids. Also, make sure that the control button on the wall is 5 feet off the floor so kids can't play with that either. It should be positioned in an area far away from moving parts and within site of the garage door.
3. Remotes are not toys
Aside from just taking the openers out of the range of children be sure to have an extended conversation with them about the dangers of playing with this. Explain how they could get trapped under the door or get pulled in. Be aware that many accidents occur as a result of kids hanging on to the door or standing on a latch and "riding" it.
4. Test and Maintain
Review the manual that came with your opener. There are routine steps for safety and maintenance that you want to take a look at and consider following once a month. If you can't find your manual you can find the model number on the back of the unit and call the manufacturer or search online.
5. Test safety reverse
All garage doors installed after 1993 are required by federal law to include an advanced safety feature. This feature reverses a garage door when it detects an object. To test that yours works first open the door and put a roll of paper towels on the floor in the center of it. Push the remote control and watch as the door closes. When it hits the roll of paper towels it should stop and reverse. If it does not you need to have the system looked at, as that could be a small child, animal, or foot under it. To find someone who can fix it either open your yellow pages or go to Google and type in Garage Door Repair Cleveland or whatever city you are in. Call some of the companies you see and get quotes to see who is best for your needs.
Being preemptive and testing your system and having a conversation with your children is the best form of safety. Rather than wait for an accident to happen, make sure that your garage door is in optimal safety condition.
Jim Flick provides tips and tricks for getting the most out of your garage door service. If you run into trouble with your door and can't seem to fix it yourself, give Garage Door Cleveland a call.
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