More About Garage Door Safety

A Garage Door is a large door on a garage that can either be opened manually or by a Garage Door Opener.

A typical overhead Garage Door consists of several panels hinged together that roll along a system of tracks guided by rollers.

The weight of the door is balanced by a torsion spring system.

Garage Doors can be made out of many materials, but steel, wood, and vinyl are the most popular materials

Doors are available uninsulated or insulated with different level of insulation.

Maintenance and Safety
The balance of the door should be checked monthly.

The door should smoothly roll along the tracks and should remain stationary at any point of travel. The door that does not pass these tests is out of balance and should be adjusted.

All moving parts of the door should be lubricated monthly.

The door tracks should never be lubricated since the lubricant will only create a sticky surface o the track that can attract more dirt, resulting in a difficulty of door operation.

The rollers, hinges, brackets, and torsion springs should be lubricated for proper operation.

Safety

Safety is the most important aspect of Garage Doors.

Garage Doors are massive, and heavy objects, with many parts under extreme tension, and usually operated by a mechanical operator that has the potential to pull or push with a dangerous amount of force.

Garage Doors cause injury and property damage in several ways. The most common causes of injury included falling doors, pinch points, improperly adjusted opener force settings and safety sensors, attempts at do-it-yourself repair without the proper knowledge or tools, and uncontrolled release of spring tension.

A Garage Door with a broken spring can fall with tremendous force. A free falling Garage Door can cause serious injury or death.

The sections and rollers on Garage Doors represent a significant pinch hazard

Children should never be allowed near a moving Garage Door for this reason

Garage Door Openers can pull or push a Garage Door with enough force to injure or kill people and pets if they become trapped

All modern Openers equipped with”force settings” that will cause the door to reverse if it encounters too much resistance while closing and stop it if too much resistance encountered while opening. All openers after 1992 require “safety eyes,” which are sensors that will prevent a Garage Door from closing if there is an obstruction under the door.

Many serious injuries can occur when people without proper experience and tools attempt to repair a garage door. Certain parts: springs, bottom brackets, cables, bearing plates are under extreme tension.