Don't Race to Beat the Door

Your garage door - you probably just take it for granted, don't you?  If your door has an automatic opener, that's even better; especially in areas that have regular inclement weather.  The door goes up or down when you press the button. You go in. You go out. But there are several good reasons why you shouldn't take garage door safety for granted.

Your garage door is the largest piece of moving equipment in your house.  Because a garage door can weigh up to 400 pounds, safety precautions are vital.  According to reports received by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), approximately 60 children between the ages of 2 and 14 have been trapped, have died or have suffered permanent brain damage in accidents involving automatic garage door openers and improperly maintained doors. 

That's exactly why the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) passed a law in 1993 that required all garage door manufacturers to equip their garage doors with photoelectric sensors and pressure-sensitive sensors.  These safety features are great, but only if they work properly.  Plus, they're only part of garage door safety.

To help prevent future problems, routine preventive inspections and maintenance can thwart tragedies and ensure years of uninterrupted service for your garage door.  You should periodically inspect and lubricate all the hinges, brackets and rollers. The CPSC suggests that homeowners inspect the operation of the door and opener every 30 days to verify that the system is functioning properly.  If you suspect any problem with your door, call a professional garage door contractor immediately.

     Visual Inspection of Components: Begin inside the garage with the garage door fully closed.  Visually inspect the door panels, springs, rollers, pulleys, cables, hinges, and the track for fatigue wear or damage.  Then visually inspect the chain/belt, mounting brackets and fasteners.  Don't proceed if you suspect a problem as this could present a hazardous condition. Have a qualified contractor do a full evaluation. 

     Manual Operation of Door:  With the door in the closed position, release the red colored handle to disconnect the door from the electric operator, if present.  This handle should be no more than six feet above the garage floor for easy accessibility in case of an emergency.  Without straining yourself, manually lift and operate the door in a safe place where your fingers cannot be pinched or injured.  Raise the door to the fully open position, and then close the door.  The door should move freely.  If not it needs repair or lubrication.  Also, rollers should stay in the track.  Doors that operate with difficulty can be unsafe.  If the door is hard to lift or closes too quickly, then it may be out of balance.

     Counterbalance Test:  A counterbalance test is performed while manually operating the garage door.  A properly operating door will be balanced. This means that the door will stay in place when stopped in a partially opened position about half way up.  A severely unbalanced garage door puts excessive strain on the opener and may lead to catastrophic failure that could allow the door to unexpectedly crash to the floor, possibly striking someone under the open door.  A spring system that is out of balance can also cause premature wear and tear on other important door components.  Keep in mind that spring systems are dangerous and should be repaired only by trained professionals.

     Contact Reversal Test:  After conducting the counterbalance check, reconnect the door to the opener, if present.  Once the garage door is operating properly, homeowners should check to see that the garage door opener's force and limit settings are adjusted according to manufacturer's instructions. Check the garage door operator owner's manual for any instructions on testing the safety features.  Electric openers push down with 130 pounds of pressure, enough to break the bones of a small child, and should be tested periodically. If you have any concerns that this test may cause damage, a trained door systems technician should check the entire system and conduct the Contact Reversal Test. One quick test is to place a 2"x4" piece of wood on the floor of the garage on its side in the door's path. If the door does not automatically reverse on striking the wood board then the garage door opener should be disengaged until the unit is either adjusted according to the instructions in the owner's manual, repaired, or replaced with a new garage door opener.  A professional garage door contractor should be contacted if the homeowner is not comfortable with performing these tests, repairs and adjustments.

     Non-Contact Photoelectric Eyes Test:  This check is for doors with openers.  Check to see if photoelectric eyes are present.  They will typically be found near the floor, mounted no more than six inches above the floor to the left and right sides of the bottom door panel.  Standing inside the garage, use the remote control or wall button to close the door.  For safety reasons, this button should be at least five feet above the standing surface and high enough to be out of reach of small children.  As the door is closing, wave an object in the path of the photoelectric eye beam that travels between the two eyes.  The door should immediately reverse and return to the full open position.

     Springs and Containment:  Torsion or extension springs and their attached hardware are under extreme tension at all times.   Springs that appear worn or damaged can cause serious injury or death and should be replaced by a trained door systems technician.  If an unsecured extension spring releases, it could lash out with enough force to kill you!  If your door has extension springs, verify that spring containment is present.  Safety cables are spring containment devices that run through the center of the spring and are secured at each end.  When the garage door is down, extension springs are under high tension.  If a spring breaks, it may cause injury.  A safety cable will keep that broken spring contained.  If missing, safety cables should be installed by a qualified contractor.

Caution must be used when operating the garage door.   Do not attempt to manually close a garage door by placing fingers between the sections as a place to grab onto the door.   Serious injury could result!   Use the step/lift handle or pull rope attached to the door to pull door closed.

Your garage door opener is a great convenience, but can cause injury if used improperly.   CPSC cautions consumers that not all devices that open and close the garage door are necessarily safe. 

Never let anyone "race to beat the door" as it closes.   Keep the wall control button at least five feet above ground and the remote controls away from children.   Instruct children never to play underneath the area where the garage door closes.   Always keep the area in full view as it operates and do not leave the area until the door completely opens or closes.

Homeowners should disconnect any garage door opener that has not been certified as meeting the requirements of the voluntary ANSI/UL standard 325-1982.  The standard calls for a number of safety features not found on earlier openers, and also subjects new openers to more stringent safety tests.

Some old openers are equipped with a mechanism that only stops the closing door when it strikes an object, not reversing the door in the process.  Other pre-1982 openers have a device intended to reverse the closing door when it strikes an object, but for reasons related to age, installation and maintenance, these products may not be safe enough to prevent entrapment of a child. These openers cannot be adjusted or repaired to provide the automatic reversing feature found on later devices. 

In summary; with a properly designed garage door system, regular maintenance, periodic inspections and detailed safety instructions to family members, your garage door and opener can provide years of safe, secure, and trouble free operation.

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