Quick Guide 9 Tips To Help With Garage Door Safety
Safety is always the first concern for families, whether or comes to safety inside the home, or during times when family members are out and about. We come up with plans, figure out the best things to do, and practice until it’s second nature to us, but how many of us think about safety when it comes to our garage doors? The answer is probably very few. Most wouldn’t even know where to start. To help with all your questions regarding safety and how to test for problems with your garage door,Chameleon Overhead Garage Doors is ready to jump to your aid. We’ve been serving the Round Rock, Austin and Cedar Park areas for several years, and can’t wait to work with you on all your garage door safety needs.
To help you get started testing and ensuring your garage door is the safest it could possibly be, below is a quick guide to common things you can do to give you a better idea of where you are when it comes to the safety and the integrity of your doors.
- Keep your garage door opener away from children – Never let your children play with the opener to your garage door. Teach them that it is not a toy, and avoid any possible injuries or accidental openings for home intruders to take advantage of.
- Stay away from closing garage doors – When the garage door is closing, make sure that you don’t try to cross it, or stand too close to it. Make sure that you stay away from the door, and that you teach your children to do the same.
- Inspect your gears – Every month, take some time to look over your garage door and all its parts to make sure that everything is in working order. If something looks strange or seems “off,” call immediately to have someone come look at it.
- Test that your auto-reverse works – Once a month, you should also test your auto-reverse mechanism in your garage door. The best way to do this is to take a paper towel roll, put it down in the path of the closing garage door, then close the door. A working door should sense the roll and instantly open again. If this is not the case, have someone inspect the door immediately so that no one gets hurt by the malfunctioning auto-reverse.
- Don’t leave the door open – Families have a tendency to leave their garage door open just a little in order to easily enter back in after some yard work, or allow children to enter the house when they’ve forgotten their keys. This is unsafe for two big reasons: leaving the door open for any reason at all gives intruders an easy way into your home, and an open garage door is an invitation for family members to enter through the gap. This could cause children or family members to get struck by the closing door if they’re not seen, or there is a door malfunction.
- Keep your fingers safe – Under no circumstance should you put your fingers near or between any of the parts of a garage door. Children are especially at risk for getting their fingers caught in moving gears. Teach everyone to keep their fingers clear of garage doors, and make sure they stay safe. If you have very small children in your family, you can even buy a special panel to keep their fingers from getting pinched.
- Change your code often – Codes are easy to guess or steal when they’ve stayed the same for a long time. Invest in a door that changes its code with each opening, or make sure to change your code at least once a month. This will help to make sure your garage door code doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.
- When you’re away, unplug your door opener – When you’re out of your home for an extended period of time, such as for a vacation, make sure to unplug your garage door opener. This ensures that no one will have the chance to find a way into your garage door, and eventually, into your home.
- Always lock the door between your garage and your home – You should do this even when you’re home. By locking the door between your home and the garage, you block intruders who have managed to get into your garage from also getting into your home. It’s an added layer of protection for yourself and your family members.
If you need help with any of these safety checks, contact Chameleon Overhead Garage Doors—they’re ready to help you inspect and repair any potential problems. Remember that garage doors are very heavy and most parts are under a lot of pressure and tension, so attempting to repair garage doors yourself may result in serious injuries. Let us help you make you home the safest it could be by doing what we know best: working with garage doors.
