How SAFE is your Garage Door and Opener?

School is almost out, summer is coming, vacations are being planned……… Do you know where your kids are? Imagine this………children are playing in the garage or driveway and a torsion spring breaks, a very loud noise (sounds like shot gun going off), you hear a loud crash, after running outside you see the garage door has crashed to the ground, your child is underneath the door. What do you do next?

During the coming months while children are out of school, they like to play outside when the weather is nice. The garage door gets opened and closed many times during the summer days. We are involved in a lot of activities such as sporting events, games, picnics, bike riding, playing with friends and the list goes on.

How many of us let our children play in and around our garage door? How many of us play the game of jumping over the infrared safety beams (ISB) to see if we can get the door closed without breaking the beam? How many of us let our children hang from the bottom like a swing on the garage door while it is opening or let them play with the remotes to open or close our garage door? Is this you?

What most parents don't realize is how dangerous our garage doors can be. We use it daily, taking it for granted and don't care about it until…………..it doesn't work (normally when you have a very important function or appointment to get to!)

Your garage door is the largest moving object in your home. We need to be watchful of our children, as we do not want anything to happen to them. They are our pride and joy! (Look for the safety tips included in this newsletter). Most of us don't realize we should have our garage door and opener serviced annually just like you service your car with oil changes every 3,000-5,000 miles. We highly recommend your garage door and opener be maintained on an annual basis to keep it working properly by an experienced garage door professional. By doing this you can prevent most emergencies relating to your door or opener.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us at 972-877-5774.

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 push-button 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, track, 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.

Monthly Maintenance Tips

• Garage Door Opener
• Reverse Test Force Setting
• 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.
• Visual Inspection includes Springs, Rollers, Cables, Hinges and other door hardware.
• Track lubrication and door balance
• Regularly lubricate the moving parts of the door (Springs, Rollers and Hinges).