Celebrate Garage Door Safety Month with These 10 Safety Tips

In warmer months, your garage will likely see the most usage out of the year, especially for homes with children. This is the time for rolling up your sleeves and preparing your home, including your garage door, for another year of use. 

Join us in observing Garage Door Safety Month all throughout June. These ten safety and maintenance steps are simple to follow. When followed regularly, these tips comprise a comprehensive safety strategy.

1. Have a working battery backup in case of power outages. A good battery should last at least a dozen uses, in the event of a prolonged outage.
2. Educate kids about garage door safety. Keep the opener out of small children’s reach and be sure bigger kids understand the safety reverse function and the moving door are not safe to play with.
3. Inspect door springs for rust, creaking, or other signs they may break. A snapping spring can fling sharp debris at a person or vehicle and should be replaced at the first sign of degradation.
4. Check hinges and brackets to be sure they are in good working order and show no signs of warping, cracking, etc.
5. Keep safety sensors clear of dust, cobwebs, leaves, or any other obstruction. You can find the sensors inside the door track several inches up from the floor.
6. Test your auto reverse function to verify it works: engage the door closer and trip the motion sensors by placing an object in the door’s path or carefully waving your hand over the threshold. If your door does not have a safety sensor, strongly consider upgrading to a safer system ASAP.
7. Check that your door is balanced and running smoothly up its track by disengaging the opener and lifting it yourself. If you strain, your motor is surely overtaxed, too.
8. Prepare for high wind conditions. Storms and hurricanes will test the integrity of your door. Start garage door safety month by inspecting the panels for dents or other signs of structural problems. If your model includes pins or braces for use during storms, locate them and do a test lockdown before a weather emergency.
9. Lubricate the track and visually inspect it for warping or signs it is coming loose from the frame.
10. Tighten any loose screws or hardware and pick up any screws, etc. that may have fallen on the floor.

These rituals, even laborious ones, remind us that summer is on its way. We hope Garage Door Safety Month will become part of your routine every year.

While reading these 10 tips, have you realized that it's time for a new residential garage door? Download our residential garage door brochure and take a look at all of the different options you can choose from!