Previously on our garage door company blog, we’ve discussed in detail how to keep your kids safe around garage doors. But these powerful machines aren’t just a hazard to the children in your household; in the right circumstances, they can pose a safety hazard to anyone, regardless of age.
We’re not saying garage doors are inherently unsafe! Indeed, the industry has made great strides in the last few decades in this respect. The Consumer Product Safety Commission, for example, put a regulation into place in the 1990s that made garage door openers vastly safer to use. That being said, hundreds of pounds of material that opens and shuts via a mechanical system demands respect and care—and Door Power, your Norwood garage door repair specialists, are here to educate. Below, we’ll give you a few practical tips that will help keep your family safe and happy with your garage door installation for years to come.
Practice Preventive Maintenance
We talk a lot about this subject on our garage door company blog, but because it’s the number-one thing you can do to keep your garage door going strong—and your family safe—it bears repeating. The more frequently you keep up with your garage door care and the more you proactively schedule the necessary garage door repair services, the safer your family is. It’s that simple.
Consider garage door cables, for example. These heavy lifters are responsible, alongside your garage door springs, for performing the countless lifts and closes that you demand of your door each year.
While these cables are made of metal and are therefore strong, even they can fray, especially when they are forced to compensate for other facets of your garage door that aren’t working at their prime. Not only will you experience a service interruption if this happens, but the door itself may fall off the tracks, swinging into nearby people or vehicles. Plus, whiplash from a metal rope is dangerous in and of itself.
With regular care and TLC, though, both on your part and that of your garage door pro, you’ll catch any problems long before they get to this point—so there’s no need to worry.
Ensure Everyone Has Access
Of course, this is probably already so on a good day—but what about if you experience an unpredicted service interruption? Being able to get inside your home is as much a safety requirement as getting out of it in an emergency is.
Can everyone get into the garage if they need to? Do the appropriate people know how to manually open the garage door? The questions you’ll need answers to depend on your individual family structure, but the following can help fix any access problems you come across:
Consider Remote Access With Liftmaster
We love Liftmaster, both for its state-of-the-art garage door openers and for its remote access technology! It grants you access to your garage door’s functions with the push of a button, not to mention lets you know when the machine opens or closes otherwise.
While it’s no substitute for the preventive maintenance that prevents service interruptions, it can come in handy in a pinch if, say, you forget to grant someone access to your home while away on vacation, or if you need to let the kids in when they return home from a late playdate with the neighbors.
Don’t Forget the Keys
Garage doors are amazingly reliable machines when properly cared for, but it’s always a great safety measure to make sure yours isn’t the only access point your family has to your home. If, for example, a surprise winter storm freezes the thing shut, there will need to be other ways to get inside, lest someone get caught out in the cold.
Manual keys are still a great option if your family members can keep track of them. While preventive maintenance will ensure a reliable garage door, these can give you peace of mind in a pinch.
Don’t Overlook Strange Noises
Both commercial and residential garage door installations should run quietly—within a spectrum, of course, as some models outperform others. If you hear a noise, there’s definitely something wrong, and that something could very well lead to a safety problem.
Though in many cases squeaking or grumbling can simply mean your garage door needs lubrication, it can sometimes signal something as dire as a bent track or a garage door spring that’s bent out of shape. Perhaps the most telltale sign of all that there’s an issue is a loud bang that’s hard to ignore. This means your garage door spring has broken and that the machine is no longer safe to operate.
Door Power: Norwood Garage Door Repair Pros
For a healthy garage door and a happy family, you know just the company to call. Reach our Norwood office today at 952-467-3199.