Garage Door Safety

Being safe around your garage door is 99% common sense. Of course, accidents can always happen, but most times a bit of prior planning can keep everyone in your family safe and sound. Here are a few safety tips:

1. Keep the garage door opener out of the reach of children. Children should never be allowed to play with garage door openers, and the remote shouldn’t be stored in a place where a child can easily access it.
2. Never step, walk, or run under a moving garage door. Also, never try to jump over the sensor beam. Even a one-car garage door is heavy and can cause serious injuries if you come in contact with it while in motion.
3. Be ready ahead of time for emergencies. You should know how to open or close your garage door in an emergency situation, like a power outage. It’s better to be prepared ahead of time and never need to use it than to try to figure it out while the emergency is occurring.
4. Test the auto-reverse feature on your garage door opener periodically. Most doors with an automatic garage door opener have an auto-reverse feature where the door will reverse when the sensor detects that something is in the door’s path. To test the auto-reverse function, place an item that is big enough to block the sensor’s beam on the garage floor where the door comes down. The item should be bulky enough to block the beam, but not anything of value in case the door’s auto-reverse feature is malfunctioning. A roll of paper towels or an old empty box will do. Do not use your leg or foot. If the auto-reverse function doesn’t work, contact Gerald Giel Garage Doors for service immediately.
5. Keep your fingers away from the door when it is in motion. Teach your children to do this, too.

Garage Door Security Tips

1. Don’t leave the door open or partially ajar when you’re not nearby. If your garage is attached to your home, an open door provides easy access to the rest of your house. Even if your garage isn’t attached to your home, an open door provides access to whatever may be in your garage.
2. Change your garage door code on your automatic opener and remote every so often. By changing the code, you make it a little more difficult for a thief to break in through your garage. Some newer model door openers come with a rolling code that changes after every use.
3. Unplug your garage door opener if you plan to be away for an extended period. By unplugging the door opener, you prevent someone who knows the code from being able to gain access to your home while you’re away.
4. Don’t leave the door opener remote within easy view in your car. Also be careful when you leave the car with a third party, like a parking valet. A stolen remote can mean easy access to your home.

The best safety and security tip is to have regular check-ups of the entire system so that any problems can be addressed.