Staying on Track: Garage Door Safety Tips from the Experts
– By #South Dakota Overhead Doors
Garage Doors continue to get smarter as time goes by; with new products, features, and innovations rolling out on a yearly basis to make the lives of home and businessowners easier. Boasting greater efficiency and functionality than ever before, it’s hard to imagine that our overhead doors could still be putting us in harm’s way if we aren’t careful.
At South Dakota Overhead Doors, we’re the resident experts of all things garage doors. From installing the safest new products to repairing common garage door issues, we’ve seen it all. As the largest moving object on your home, we’re here to share all of our insider garage door safety tips and tricks to keep you on track and keep you safe.
If something seems wrong, there likely is something wrong:
A garage door is like a family member in a way. You really get to know the way they act, work, and help you in your day-to-day life. In this regard, when you’ve come to be so familiar with the way your garage door works, more times than not you’ll get a gut intuition if something is off. Whether it be a strange sound, longer opening time, or worse, the fact that it won’t open or close at all, it’s important take action the moment your garage door starts giving you trouble.
Oftentimes your garage door woes can be solved with common fixes like changing the battery in your remote garage door opener, but there are simply some things that a person without technical training cannot fix and should not fix. Do not risk serious injury by attempting to fix it yourself. Whether it be a broken spring, snapped cable, broken track or roller out, call on your local garage door professionals to safely take a look at your garage door.
Keep your kids and pets away from your garage door whenever you can:
This tip goes without saying in that you should protect your kids and pets around a garage door the way you we protect them around a moving car, strangers, etc. It’s incredibly important to teach your kids garage door safety and to ensure they recognize they are not a toy.
As a rule of thumb, ensure you have sight of your children and pets at all times when you are operating your garage door. If your children are old enough to use your garage door, please ensure they appropriately understand the importance of proper operation.
Keep your hands and feet AWAY from your garage door – especially when in motion:
Like an amusement park ride, keeping your hands and feet inside the vehicle is the name of the game when it comes to garage doors. Whether your garage door is operating just fine or if it is causing your trouble, your hands and feet should be kept away from the garage track and sections – most importantly when the door is in operation. There are a lot of moving parts on your door that can cause a number of injuries. Following proper safety protocols is essential when it comes to your garage door to avoid unnecessary injury. Should you experience any trouble related to your door or operator, please call a trained professional to come assess any and all damage.
Take care of your garage door:
Take care of your garage door the way you would take care of yourself. Develop a routine or a checklist to ensure your garage door is cleaned, properly cared for, and performing as well as it can. Some items to include on your checklist should include inspecting your motion sensors, checking your remote garage door opener batteries, regularly updating your overhead door passcode, and scheduling yearly maintenance checkups!
By organizing and implementing your garage door care, you’ll get to know your garage door better than ever before. Plus, how nice will it feel to keep your garage door looking squeaky clean and in good working order?
Take garage door security seriously:
Garage doors are meant to keep our precious valuables safe, as well as give us a secure means to enter our homes. As such, it’s necessary to observe the proper precautions to ensure your garage door is not putting you or your loved ones in harm’s way.
Some security precautions that we strongly recommend are:
- Routinely updating your garage door passcode if you have a keypad to open your door: Like any password, it is important to only share your garage door passcode with trusted individuals. To protect you, we encourage updating your passcode once or a twice a year, especially if you’ve just bought a home or business from someone else.
- Routinely remember to ensure your garage door has opened all the way and has shut when you are operating it: In the heat of the moment, this can be difficult to remember, but thankfully we have Bluetooth-enabled products that allow you to open and close your door from your phone. We also offer products with security cameras to keep you safe.
- Remind your kids of the importance of always closing your garage door when you are not in your garage/in sight of your garage.
- Get help from proper authorities anytime you suspect your door has been tampered with, vandalized, or used as a means to break into your home.
For more garage door safety tips and tricks, reach out to your friendly garage door specialists at South Dakota Overhead Doors. Keeping you on track for over 25 years!
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