June is here and so is Garage Door Safety Month! June has been designated Garage Door Safety Month by the International Door Association (IDA) and the Door & Access Systems Manufacturers Association (DASMA). The garage is the most often used entry point of the home, opening and closing an average of four times a day. More than 70 percent of homeowners enter and exit through the garage. With that amount of foot traffic, it’s important to keep the garage door, openers, and parts in working order for safety and security. Here are some ways you can stay safe while using your garage:
Practice Good Garage Door Safety
Did you know that hospitals see approximately 15,000 garage door-related injuries each year? Its important for all garage door owners to make sure that their little ones are kept safe when playing in or around the door. To ensure everyone’s safety, remind your family and guests to keep fingers, arms, and clothing away from the garage door when it’s operating and to not duck under a closing door, as one may trip or become tangled. If you have a garage door that opens manually, make sure to never place fingers between door sections and consider adding pinch-resistant door panels to help prevent accidents.
Seeing as the garage door is often the heaviest and largest moving object in the home, it’s important to keep the garage door remote controls out of the hands of children. The best practice is to mount the garage door opener control button at least five feet from the floor. At this height, it will be inaccessible to children and adults will have a clear view of the door.
Make Sure Your Opener Has a Back-Up Battery
As summer wildfires ravaged California throughout 2018, many homes lost power resulting in electronically powered garage doors being unable to be opened. The residents who struggled to open their garage doors manually were trapped with no battery backup system for their opener’s electronic operation. In August 2018, the Senate voted unanimously to pass Bill 969 and Governor Jerry Brown signed the bill into law a month later. The law requires all California residents undergoing a garage door or garage door opener replacement to have a battery backup system that can operate in case of a power outage.
These systems do more than just comply with regulations. Backup battery capabilities are an essential safety precaution all homeowners across the country can benefit from having. It’s important to test your battery backup system so you’ll know how it functions when you need to use it. You can test your battery backup by unplugging your electronic garage door opener and operating the garage door with the battery backup system instead. You will also need to change your backup system’s batteries every couple of years, even if you have not used the garage door opener on battery power. If you’re interested in learning more about backup batteries, check out our article on everything you need to know about California’s backup battery laws.
Test Your Garage Door’s Reversing Mechanism
You should test the garage door opener’s reversing mechanism monthly by placing a 2×4 board in the door’s path. If the door does not automatically reverse after coming into contact with the board, call a professional garage door repair company, such as Haney Door Service, to service the door and parts. Children could easily be trapped and seriously harmed by malfunctioning doors.
Maintenance is an important step to keeping your garage door operational but, for the inexperienced person, fixing garage door springs, parts, tracks, etc. can result in severe injury. One of the most important actions you can take to prevent garage door-related injuries is to visually inspect the garage door for any signs of wear and tear. Pay particular attention to springs, cables, rollers, and pulleys. Do not attempt to remove, adjust or repair these parts or anything attached to them. These parts are under high tension and should only be fixed by a trained garage door professional.
Make Sure Your Garage is Secure
A garage is a place that many homeowners use as storage. Many people store valuable items inside their garage or use it as a space to get creative with home renovation projects, making it a gold mine for thieves. While many homeowners spend tons of money on keeping their front door and windows secure they often neglect the garage door. With the right garage door and appropriate security measures, you can reduce the risk of potential break-ins and keep your belongings and your family safe. Here are some steps we recommend you take to make sure your garage door is secure.
An annual visit from a trained garage door technician can keep your door operating safely and smoothly. If you find there is an issue with your garage door or opener, make sure you contact Haney Door Service. Our garage door technicians are fully trained on how to properly (and safely) fix your garage doors. You can request an estimate online or reach us at (916) 534-4538.