June is Garage Door Safety Month [SPONSORED POST]

A garage door is the largest moving object in a home, and is typically used every day, giving homeowners good reason to keep it in proper working order.

To promote garage door safety, the International Door Association (IDA) and the Door & Access Systems Manufactures Association (DASMA) have designated June as Garage Door Safety Month.

“We are committed to providing safe and reliable products for our customers, so Garage Door Safety Month gives us the perfect opportunity to give homeowners tips for keeping their garage doors and openers in proper working order,” said Darrel Groh of Overhead Door Company of Bangor.

Here are some door and opener safety and security tips from the staff at Overhead Door Company:

• Mount garage door opener control buttons out of the reach of small children (at least five feet from the floor) and where you have a clear view of the door.
• Do not let children play with garage door remote controls; explain that the remote controls are not toys and discuss garage door safety with them.
• Know how to use your garage door emergency release feature.  Your owner’s manual provides instructions. You may need to use this during power outages.
• Visually inspect your garage door two or three times per year.  Look at the springs, cables, rollers and pulleys for signs of wear.  If any of these components appear damaged, contact a qualified garage door professional for inspection or repair.
• Do not attempt to remove, adjust or repair cables and springs, or anything to which these parts are attached or fastened.  A trained door system technician using proper tools and instruction must make repairs or adjustments.  These parts are under high tension and can cause serious injury if not held properly.
• Disconnect the garage door opener (pulling the emergency disconnect) to manually open the door.  The door should lift smoothly with little resistance and should stay open around three or four feet above the floor.  If it is difficult to perform this task, your door may be out of balance, causing premature wear on the opener and door.  Call a qualified garage door professional for adjustment.
• Newer garage door openers feature photoelectric eye beams, which are mounted a few inches off of the floor and send an invisible beam across the door’s path.  If the invisible beam is broken, the garage door will automatically reverse into its fully open position even without contact. Consider replacing older openers that were not equipped with these safety sensors.
• While on vacation or away from home for extended periods of time, unplug the garage door opener unit or use a wall vacation lock console security switch, which is an optional accessory to most openers.