May is Garage Door Safety Month

By Brian Lampkin, General Manager

Garage doors and electric operators are made up of numerous stationary and moving parts. Understanding what they do is just as important as what you can touch. Learn more about how to take garage door safety into consideration!

FOR YOUR GARAGE DOOR

As a homeowner, you have the ability to monitor the sounds of the door and use a spray lubricant for certain parts, such as hinges, rollers and springs once per year with a product that has the following properties; lubricant, penetrant and rust inhibitor.

DO NOT touch or replace components (springs, drums, cables, bottom brackets or any plates that connect these components to the frame or other parts) UNLESS you have read and understood the installation manual, have the qualification, tools and training, as these components are under extreme tension and can cause serious injury or even death. If you are unsure, side with caution and DO NOT touch. When something does not sound correct, it is time to call a professional.

FOR YOUR ELECTRIC OPERATOR 

As a homeowner, you would want to verify the safety features are functioning with the operator. Start with the two black boxes at the bottom of the vertical track. These two black boxes communicate to each other and if something is blocking the signal path, the door will not close completely and reverse back to the fully opened position, essentially a system to prevent entrapment. There is a bypass to this safety feature and that is by holding the wall control until the door fully closes.

Improper installation of an operator is the leading cause of failures for the operator to open and close the door as well as damage to the top sections due improper bracing (perforated angle is not proper support for the top section).  

SOME GARAGE DOOR SAFETY TIPS

The garage door has become the new front door utilized by the entire family. What you store in your garage should be carefully considered. Garage door safety is critical to the wellbeing of your family.

• Make sure your garage door properly closes before you drive off
• Keep garage door openers and accessories out of reach of children
• Never walk or stand under a moving garage door
• Never enter or exit the garage under a moving garage door, try to jump over the safety eyes
• Know where the emergency release handle for your doors is and how to use it
• Going on vacation? Use a vacation lock on the console switch or unplug the garage door
• Check to make sure your garage door is closed when you lock up at night
• Never leave the remote control in your car or with a parking attendant
• Always lock the door from the garage to the inside of your home for safety and security
• When damage to the door occurs, perhaps by a vehicle, have the door inspected, repaired, and maintained by a professionally trained service technician
• Even when there doesn’t appear to be severe damage, a misaligned operating system could create danger

As spring approaches, you may be using your garage door more frequently. Now is a good time to have an inspection by a professionally trained service technician so appropriate repairs and maintenance can be performed.

Stewart Overhead Door, with over 50+ years in business, provides Certified Garage Door Technician as recognized by the Canadian Door Institute (CDI) and can complete the repairs professionally, safely and to ensure the largest moving part in your home is operating safely and as it should to improve the life expectancy of the system. Poor maintenance means decreasing the life span of the product. Visit us at www.stewartdoor.com to arrange one of our “Planned Maintenance Programs”.