A garage door is an essential piece of equipment for keeping vehicles and other items safely protected. Unfortunately, its heavy weight and high-tension parts can pose a risk. That’s why teaching everyone in your household, especially children, the safety guidelines for operating and being near the device is so important. 

How to Implement Garage Door Safety

1. Don’t Treat It Like a Plaything

Garage doors are comprised of several parts that could cause a lot of harm if they were to break. Children should be taught early on how the torsion springs, pulleys, cables, and other components could hurt them if they try to play on the door. Additionally, explain how heavy the door is and why they should never try to race under it as it is closing. Finally, try to keep the opener out of reach of young hands.

2. Regularly Check the Safety Reversing Features

All modern garage door openers are required to have reversing mechanisms, which will prevent the entryway from closing anytime it senses an object in the way. You can regularly test that these work by placing a roll of paper towels or another soft object across the threshold. If it does not reverse, it either means the auto-reverse function or the photo-eye sensors on the sides of the door are malfunctioning. Call a contractor to inspect and repair these areas immediately.

3. Test the Balance

An off-balanced garage door will make it hard for the opener to work correctly. When this happens, extra force is needed to make the door open or close because the springs aren’t providing enough tension or are exerting too much to counter the lifted weight. You can test this by unhooking the door from the opener and manually opening it to determine if it is sticking, is difficult to lift, or won’t stay open. If any of these issues occur, have a professional realign the door to prevent the opener from failing or a cable or spring from snapping. 

Part of having a safe garage door is ensuring it was made with the highest-quality materials and construction. At Valley Isle Overhead Door in Kihei, HI, they provide long-lasting and durable products in a wide range of styles to homes and businesses throughout Maui. After installation, they also offer continued maintenance and upkeep to ensure the door remains working and looking great for years to come. Call them today at (808) 0593 for any questions about their vast selection and visit their website to learn more about their services.