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Automatic Garage Door Opener and Garage Door Safety &
Maintenance GuideGarage Door
System Safety - An Automatic Decision
A garage door
is the largest moving object in the home. They are often
operated by electric door openers. Proper installation,
operation, and 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.
Safety is
Everyone's Business
A few simple precautions can
protect your family and friends from potential harm. Please
take a few minutes to read the following safety and
maintenance type. Refer to your garage door and opener's
manual for details specific to the model you own. Then check
the operation of your garage door and automatic
opener.
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 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. 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 place and 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.
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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 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, 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.
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Routine Maintenance Can
Prevent Tragedies
Take a few minutes to inspect and
test your complete garage door system. Make monthly inspection
and testing a part of your regular routine. Safety is
everyone's business. Make garage door and garage door opener
safety automatic in your home.
| Monthly Maintenance
Checklist |
Garage Door
Opener
- Reversal Test
- Force Setting Test
- Additional Safety Devices
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Garage
Door
- Visual Inspection - Springs, Rollers, Pulleys,
Cables, and Track
- Lubrication
- Door
Balance
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Consult
owner's manual for additional recommended maintenance for your
models of door and opener.
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 Testing and Maintaining the Garage Door
Opener
There are routine safety and maintenance
steps that you should follow once a month. Review your owner's
manual for the door opener. If you do not have an owners
manual, look for the opener model number on the back of the
power unit and request a manual from the manufacturer.
Reversal Test
Make sure your opener has a
reversing feature. If a reversing feature 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 which comply with the latest U.L. 325
standards: Contact your manufacturer or installer for
additional information.
Test the reversing feature
every month.
- First, test the balance of the door (see "Testing and Maintaining The Garage
Door."). If the door is properly balanced, then proceed.
- With the door fully open, place a 1-1/2" thick piece of
wood (a 2"x4" laid flat) on the floor at the center of the
door.
- Push the transmitter or wall button to close the door.
The door must reverse when it strikes the wood. (Note that
the bottom part of "one piece doors" must be rigid so
that the door will not close without reversing.)
- If the door does not have reverse, have it repaired or
replaced. Have a qualified individual adjust, repair or
replace the opener or door.
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 owners manual for details on how to make
the adjustment. Test the reversing feature after any
adjustment.
Additional 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 against entrapment. 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 photocells or edge sensors,
are properly installed and adjusted (see owner's
manual).
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Testing and Maintaining the Garage
Door
Perform routine maintenance steps once a month. Review your
owner's manual for the garage door. 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.
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.
Warning - Springs are under high tension. Only
qualified persons should adjust them
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 or repaired by a
professional or a mechanically experienced person.
A restraining
cable or other device should be installed on the extension
spring (the spring along the side of the door) to help contain
the spring if it breaks.
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.
Lubrication
Regularly
lubricate the moving parts of the door. However, do not
lubricate plastic parts such as plastic rollers and plastic
idler bearings. Consult the door owner's manual for the
manufacturer's recommendation.
Door
Balance
Periodically test the balance of your
door.
- 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
- 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. Have it adjusted by a qualified service
person.
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Garage Door Opener Safety - An
Automatic Decision
This important information is
provided by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the
National Safety Counsel and the Industry Coalition for
Automatic Garage Door Opener Safety. |
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