According to information published by the Consumer Products Safety Commission, more than 20,000 people are injured every year in garage door related accidents. In addition, despite the fact that all garage door openers manufactured since 1991 are required to reverse when an obstruction is detected, an average of three children are trapped and killed under an automatic garage door opener every year.
You can protect your family from harm by following a few simple precautions. First, if you have an old non-reversing garage door opener, have it replaced with a new reversing opener. All openers currently being manufactured have some sort of device to detect obstructions and reverse direction to avoid an entrapment.
Make sure the door’s lift springs are working properly by releasing the door from the automatic opener and raising and lowering the door manually. The door should open and close smoothly and easily and the door should stay in place when stopped in any partially opened position. Have the door adjusted if any discrepancies are noted. Warning- never attempt to disconnect or adjust the spring tension. The spring are under a lot of pressure and can cause severe injuries or death if released.
Test the reversing mechanism monthly by placing a block of wood under the door as it closes. The door should either reverse immediately or when the block of wood is encountered. If not, disconnect the door and call an experienced garage door service technician.
A garage door that is out of adjustment can injure or kill someone. Keep your garage door working safely by having your garage door service annually by a reputable local garage door company.
Finally, mount the wall button high on the wall to restrict access to children and be sure to warn your children about the dangers of garage doors.
