Your Local Garage Door Maintenance Experts
Garage Door System Safety – An Automatic Decision
A garage door is the largest moving object in the home. It is often operated by an automatic door opener, which is why proper installation, operation, maintenance, and testing are necessary to provide safe, trouble-free operation. An improperly adjusted garage door or automatic opener can exert deadly force when the door closes. This could lead to serious injury or death from being hit by a closing garage door or from being trapped under the door. To decrease the risk of an accident with your overhead door system, schedule annual garage door maintenance with local pros like Alpha Overhead Door.
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Safety is Everyone’s Business
A few simple precautions can protect your family and friends from potential harm from a malfunctioning garage door. Please take a few minutes to read the following garage door maintenance and safety information. Refer to your garage door and opener’s manuals for details specific to the model you own. Then check the operation of your garage door and automatic opener.
Garage Door Openers Are Not Toys
Do not stand or walk under a moving door! Do not let children or adults play “beat the door.” It is dangerous and can result in serious injury or death. Adults should set a good example. Also, know how to use the emergency release in case someone is pinned by the door.
Do not let children play with or use the transmitters or remote controls. Always store them out of the reach of children.
The push button wall control should be out of the reach of children (at least 5 feet from the floor) and away from all moving parts. Mount and use the button where you can clearly see the moving garage door.
Teach Your Children About Garage Door and Opener Safety
Garage door openers are not toys. Careless operation and allowing children to play with or use garage door opener controls can lead to tragic results. Discuss garage door safety with your children. Explain the danger of being trapped under the door.
When using the pushbutton or transmitter, keep the door in sight until it completely stops moving. Teach children never to play under or near an open garage door.
Teach children to keep their hands and fingers clear of section joints, hinges, tracks, springs, and other door parts. Contact with a moving door or its hardware could cause serious injury. These injuries can also happen with garage doors that don’t have automatic openers.
Following these garage door maintenance and safety tips will help you protect yourself and your children from injury!
Monthly Garage Door Maintenance Checklist
Keeping your garage door system in great shape through regular maintenance is pivotal to ensuring the safety of your family, friends, and pets. Without regular garage door tune-ups, garage door parts could break suddenly, causing injuries or property damage. Add our list of garage door maintenance tips to your yearly home improvement checklist!
Garage Door Opener
- Reversal Test
- Force Setting Test
- Check Safety Devices
Garage Door
- Visual Inspection – Springs, Rollers, Pulleys, Cables, and Tracks
- Door Balance
- Lubrication
How to Test and Maintain Your Garage Door Opener
You should follow routine garage door maintenance steps once a month on your garage door opener. Review your door opener’s owner’s manual. If you do not have an owner’s manual, look for the opener model number on the back of the power unit and request one from the manufacturer.
There are three important tests you can perform to keep your garage door opener in great shape.
1. Reversal Test
Make sure your opener has a reversing feature. If one is not present, it should be replaced. Garage door openers manufactured after January 1, 1993, are required by federal law to have advanced safety features that comply with the latest U.L. 325 standards.
Test the reversing feature every month by:
- With the door fully open, place a 1-1/2″ thick piece of wood (a 2″x4″ laid flat) on the floor in the center of the door.
- Push the transmitter or wall button to close the door. The door must reverse when it strikes the wood.
- If the door does not reverse, schedule garage door service with a local professional.
2. Force Setting Test
Test the force setting of your garage door opener by holding the bottom of the door as it closes. If the door does not reverse readily, the force may be excessive and need adjusting. See your owner’s manual for details on how to make the adjustment. Test the reversing feature after any adjustment. If you need help completing a force setting test, contact Alpha Overhead Door to schedule garage door maintenance in Billings and Butte!
3. Check Safety Devices
Many garage door openers can be equipped with additional safety devices. Consider adding a photo eye or edge sensor as an extra measure of safety to prevent entrapment. However, keep in mind that adding more safety devices will not make an old opener meet current U.L. standards.
Make sure the additional safety devices, such as photo eyes or edge sensors, are properly installed and adjusted (see owner’s manual). This is an important garage door maintenance step to keep your overhead door safe for your family.
How to Test and Maintain the Garage Door
Perform routine garage door maintenance steps once a month. It’s important to review your garage door owner’s manual for best practices. If you don’t have a manual, look for the model number on the back of the door, or check the lock handle, hinges, or other hardware for the manufacturer’s name and request a manual from the manufacturer.
Now, let’s walk through three ways to keep your garage door in great shape with some simple garage door maintenance tips.
1. Visual Inspection
Look at the garage door springs, cables, rollers, pulleys, and other door hardware for signs of wear. If you suspect problems, have a qualified person make repairs.
Garage door springs, cables, brackets, and other hardware attached to the springs are under very high tension and, if handled improperly, can cause serious injury. Only a qualified professional or a mechanically experienced person carefully following the manufacturer’s instructions should adjust them. The torsion springs (the springs above the door) should only be adjusted by a professional. Do not attempt to repair or adjust the torsion springs yourself.
A professional installs a cable on the extension spring (the spring along the side of the door) to help contain the spring if it breaks. If the garage door cable looks loose or worn, leave it as it is and call for professional help.
Never remove, adjust, or loosen the screws on the bottom brackets of the door. These brackets are connected to the spring by the lift cable and are under extreme tension.
2. Door Balance
Periodically test the balance of your door. Here’s how:
- Start with the door closed.
- If you have a garage door opener, use the release mechanism so you can operate the door by hand when doing this test.
- Once you disconnect the opener, you should be able to lift the door smoothly and with little resistance. It should stay open around three or four feet above the floor. If it does not, it is out of adjustment. Call a local garage door company to take care of your unbalanced garage door.
3. Lubrication
Lubricate the door’s moving parts regularly—springs, cables, and hinges. However, do not lubricate plastic parts such as plastic rollers and idler bearings. Consult the door owner’s manual for the manufacturer’s recommendations. You can also schedule a garage door maintenance appointment near Billings and Butte, MT, with the local experts at Alpha Overhead Door!
Schedule Garage Door Maintenance Today!
Do you need help with these garage door maintenance steps? Contact Alpha Overhead Door! We’ve been serving Montana with top-rated local garage door service for many years, and we know how to ensure the best outcome for every home. We’ll complete a thorough garage door maintenance routine to ensure your overhead door system operates smoothly, quietly, and has a long lifespan protecting your family. Let’s get started on your garage door tune-up today!
WE OFFER SAME DAY GARAGE DOOR REPAIR SERVICE