Your garage door is a very large, very heavy piece of machinery and should be handled carefully. Though there are many safety features connected to your door and opener, there are still a few rules and guidelines to keep in mind when operating your garage door on a daily basis. Here are some safety tips to keep your family and yourself out of harm’s way and prevent any accidents from happening.
– Prevention is the best method of making sure your door never breaks down or a moving part becomes dangerous. The best way to do this is with routine maintenance check ups, done by you and by a professional. You can routinely inspect the tracks and moving parts for buildup and debris and keep them clean and lubricated. But you should also invite a professional once or twice a year to perform a proper inspection.
– If you are moving into a new home with a garage door opener already there, make sure that it still has the emergency release device, which is usually the red cord with a handle. This is an important part of your garage door system, that is necessary should you ever need to quickly disengage the opener, for example if a person is ever trapped beneath the door. It is required by law so if it isn’t there, ask the previous owners where it might be or contact a professional right away.
– For security purposes, it is recommended to set up some kind of monitoring system outside of your garage door, even if it is just a motion-sensing light. Keep in mind that your garage door is an entrance to your home just like any other door and added security will prevent anyone from using it to break in while you are away or at night.
– Another way to prevent someone using your garage door to gain access to your home is to keep your garage door remote with you and not leave it in your car. If your car is ever stolen and the garage door remote is in the car, you have just given that person a key to your house. Keep your remote with you, in your bag or attached to your keys.
– Make sure to keep the clutter to a minimum in your garage, especially around the door and moving parts. If anything comes in contact or blocks the door or tracks when the door is opening or closing, you could seriously damage the entire system which is both very dangerous for anyone standing nearby and expensive to repair or replace. Do yourself a favor and keep your garage clean and organized and you’ll never have to worry about accidents or an expensive repair bill.
– Keep children and pets away from the door when it is opening or closing and never hit the button to close the door and just walk away. Always pause for a moment to watch the door close all the way before walking away, to make sure no one tries to rush in or out and becomes trapped beneath the door.
We hope that you found these safety tips useful and will put them to good use. Precision Garage Door of Charlotte cares about your safety and wants to spread the word of proper and safe handling of garage doors and openers! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call our experts, 24/7!
