Spring and Summer Garage Door Safety

There is never a wrong time to remind your family and others of how to be safe when it comes to garage doors. Now that spring is here and summer will be here soon, there may be more coming and going from the garage. It is a perfect time to address issues of safe operation.

The garage door is often taken for granted; we often don’t realize just how significant it is until it no longer works, or there is an accident. They provide shelter, storage space, protection, and more. For the doors to be the investments we want, we must care for them and use them properly. As you, your family, and anyone else using the doors go in and out in the coming outdoor seasons, set up a reminder for everyone about proper garage door safety. Set the rules, remind people of them, and make them accessible on a list somewhere.

Very young children should not be allowed to operate the door. Children can learn, but they sometimes don’t retain important information well enough to remember how to avoid danger at any time. Also, they cannot always fully grasp just how problematic something is when it doesn’t directly affect them at a given moment. Thus, until they prove to you that they can follow the rules every time, they should not be allowed to operate the doors. It’s a small inconvenience to open the doors for them when compared to the likelihood of an accident.

Never try to walk or run under a moving garage door. It’s not uncommon-someone trying to press the button, and then race to get under a closing door. It is simply not worth the risk. You or someone else could be caught and injured by the closing door. When opening or closing a door, stay at a safe distance. Watch to make sure the door opens or closes as it should, and that nothing malfunctions, is stuck in or outside of the garage, or under the door.

Set a check and maintenance schedule, and stick to it. This will help you avoid future issues that may suddenly disrupt your life. Including checking all parts, performing any cleaning, oiling, or tightening of parts that are safe for you to handle. In this schedule, include a visit by a professional. A visit once per year or more can save you time and money in the future.

Don’t try to fix things yourself. This rule can be for children and others who may not know how to address a problem, or it can be for you, too. Any problem that you don’t know how to solve should be handled by a technician. This particularly true for malfunctioning springs and cables, and the opener mechanics. This will save time and money caused by mistakes that may only make things worse.

Try to save on electricity by using your doors less. Each time you use the doors, they use power. Save on power by only opening and closing the doors when absolutely necessary. This will also help you avoid problematic temperature fluctuations.

Set some steadfast rules for safety and you garage doors will serve you well. If you need help with them, call us at Abstract Overhead Door and Fence.