How Can You Keep Your Family Safe Around Your Automatic Garage Door?
The garage door could pose a threat to the safety of your loved ones, but there is no need to worry if you perform monthly maintenance, keep fingers away from moving parts, and don’t let kids play with the garage door opener. These five tips can help you keep your family safe around your automatic garage door.
Monthly Maintenance
Keep the Garage Door Opener Away from Kids
Open the Door Prior to Starting the Car
Keep Your Fingers Away from Garage Door Parts
Keep It Locked
1) Monthly Maintenance
One of the top (and easiest) ways to keep your loved ones safe when dealing with an automatic garage door is to perform monthly check-ups on your garage. You can easily do this yourself by opening and closing the door while inspecting gears, cables, and garage door springs to make sure nothing has broken, and nothing is blocking the track.
2) Keep the Garage Door Opener Away from Kids
The garage door opener is not a toy and it is important to keep it away from your children. Be sure to discuss with them the dangers of a garage door and how it can cause serious injury if they play with the garage door and opener.
3) Open the Door Prior to Starting the Car
Never start your vehicle while the garage door is closed. Vehicles emit exhaust when running and sitting in a closed garage with the car running can be dangerous and even deadly.
4) Keep Your Fingers Away from Garage Door Parts
When opening and closing your garage door, make sure no one’s fingers are anywhere near the door and the moving parts. They could get stuck between the door sections, causing injury and pain.
ProTip: To keep kids safe around your automatic garage door, teach them to never touch or be too close to the door while it is opening or closing.
5) Keep It Locked
Unfortunately, there has been a rise in home invasions over the past few years and if you keep your garage door unlocked, it can be an easy way for intruders to make their way into your home. Always keep your garage door closed and locked to help keep the whole house and family safe.
Staying Safe Around Automatic Garage Doors
Garages are great for many reasons—storage, home projects, play—but, they can also pose safety and security challenges. By following the above safety tips you can help ensure that everyone stays safe around your automatic garage door.
Sometimes when your garage door won’t close, it isn’t anything serious. It could be a blocked track, a disrupted power source, or you need new batteries in your remote control. Check out these five reasons that can sometimes cause a garage door not to close.
Sensor Issues
Blocked Track
Disrupted Power Source
Broken Torsion Springs
Remote Control Malfunction
1) Senor Issues
Garage doors have safety sensors to help protect your family from an unfortunate accident. These sensors send a beam of light across the bottom of your garage door. If your garage door safety sensors are not lined up correctly or if something is blocking the sensor lights, they could be the culprit. First, check to make sure nothing is obstructing the beam. If there is nothing in the beam’s way, contact your local garage door professional to assist you in realigning the sensors.
2) Blocked Track
Another reason your garage door won’t close could be a blocked track. If the track has been knocked out of position or the track is clogged or blocked by an object, it could cause issues and prevent the door from opening or closing.
3) Disrupted Power Source
It may seem simple, but sometimes another person in the family might have turned off the power source to the garage door opener. Double check and make sure all wire connections are plugged in.
4) Broken Torsion Springs
Garage doors move by torsion springs and cables, and sometimes a torsion spring can snap, causing your cables to break and your garage door to malfunction. In fact, broken garage door springs tend to be the number one reason people call to have a professional come out. Never try to replace these on your own. Always contact a local garage door repair company.
5) Remote Control Malfunction
If you have gone through the above list and your garage door still won’t close, the issue might be coming from your garage door remote control. Check the batteries first and see if they need replacing.
ProTip: If your garage door won’t close, try running the garage door from the wall button first. If that works, it is most likely your garage door remote control causing your issue.
Keep Your Garage Door Functioning Properly
There could be several causes if you find your garage door won’t close. By going through and checking all the above reasons, you can help eliminate any issues. However, if these tips don’t help solve your problem, or if you need a cable, sensor, or spring repair, never attempt to do this yourself–always enlist the help of a professional.
It’s important to keep your garage door working in tip-top order. Getting a yearly service check is highly recommended and be sure to follow preventative measures to make sure you don’t end up with a garage door that won’t open or any other issues.
Regular Service Checks
To help keep from having issues with your garage door, it is important to have your garage door serviced by a garage door professional once a year. Getting regular service can help prolong the life of your garage door by ensuring it has proper lubrication, tightened bolts and springs, and the right spring tension.
ProTip: Even if your garage door seems to be working well, getting a yearly check is the best way to help prevent issues from arising.
Preventative Measures
In addition to having regular, yearly service checks, it’s important that you take preventative measures and do a monthly check on your garage door, too. Here are four things to pay attention to keep your garage door running like a pro.
Look & Listen — One of the most important things to do is pay attention to how your garage door is working. Each time you use it, notice how it moves. Is it jerking or making a weird noise? Do the pulleys and cables look symmetrical? If you notice anything strange about how your garage door is operating, you need to give your garage door professional a call.
Lubricate Moving Parts — Keeping the moving parts of your garage door lubricated will help keep everything moving smoothly and keep your garage door running smoothly. Ask your local garage door service company about the best types of lubricants to use.
While you should never tinker with your garage door cables, it is a good idea to check them and make sure they are not damaged or broken. If they are, contact a professional immediately.
Clear the Tracks — Sometimes things can get caught up or block your garage door tracks, so do a visual check to make sure there is nothing in their way.
Keep Your Garage Door Serviced
Your garage door is an important part of your home and it needs to be regularly serviced and maintained in order to work properly. By following the above guide, your garage door will keep working for years without issue.
Contact us for more information about when you should get your garage door serviced.
What Should You Take Into Consideration With Custom Designs for Garage Doors?
If you’ve decided to make your home gorgeous by adding a custom garage door you need to take into consideration your door size, what type of style, materials, and whether you want windows. Here is more information about what to think about before you create your custom garage door:
Door Size
Door Style
Windows
Panel Details
Materials
1) Door Size
Knowing the size of your garage door is an important first step in buying a custom garage door. Custom doors are made to order, so be sure to tell them whether you have a single or double garage door. Be sure to measure the width and height so you can have the perfect fit.
2) Door Style
There are so many garage doorstyles to choose from these days! Go with the popular carriage style door, or a swing, tri-fold, or contemporary style door. It’s a good idea to take into consideration the style of your home’s architecture and choose a door that compliments your homes existing architectural style.
3) Windows
Once you decide on a style, you can decide whether you want to add windows to your custom garage door. You can also decide how many windows you want, if any. Choose from having them run all the way across, or only a few to accent your door. There are also different glass options available, too, such as frosted glass, clear glass, and insulated glass.
4) Panel Details
Another thing to take into account is how many panels you have on your garage door. There are flat panels, raised panels, raised and recessed panels, and others to choose from.
ProTip: The number of panels will depend on your garage door style, so make sure to talk to your garage door professional about your options.
5) Materials
Standard garage doors are typically made from aluminum, but there are numerous other options to select when you have a custom garage door made for your home. Some options are custom wood, metal, higher quality aluminum, and other custom materials.
Custom Garage Door Designs
Custom garage doors allow you to create a home look that is unique to your home. Don’t get stuck with a plain and boring garage door–let your home stand out from the rest of the neighborhood when you design your custom garage door. Call your local garage door professional to start the design process today!
Contact us to learn more great custom design options for your garage door!
