June is Garage Door Safety Month

June is Garage Door Safety Month and Broten is working to increase awareness of the possible hazards of garage doors and automatic opener systems, as well as the need for periodic inspection and maintenance to keep them in safe working condition.  Your garage door should provide many years of safe operation if installed, operated and maintained properly.

The garage door is a large moving object and can cause serious injury or even death.  If you have children, you should also take some time to teach them that garage doors are not playthings.

Garage doors were made safer in 1993 when the Consumer Product Safety Commission passed a law mandating that all garage door openers installed have an auto-reversing feature and safety sensors that cause the door to reverse if the door meets an obstruction. It is, however, still important to perform regular maintenance checks. Broten recommends these garage door safety tips to ensure garage doors are in proper working order.

Safety Tips:

• Never stand or walk under a moving garage door.  Do not try to enter or exit the garage when the door is moving.
• Keep hands, fingers and, for that matter, your whole body away from the door when it is moving.  You do not want to get pinched.
• Never attempt to repair garage door springs or cables.  They are under extreme tension and can cause serious injury or death.
• Never try to bypass the safety features such as the photocells on a garage door.  They are there to protect you.
• Children should never be allowed to play around a garage door — even one that is closed. They should never climb on it or play with it.  There are many sharp parts that can cause serious injury.

Maintenance Tips:

• Check that the door opens and closes smoothly. If not, the spring system may need to be adjusted or replaced.  Call Broten Garage Door Sales.
• Look for loose brackets on the garage door. Because they are under tension, they can cause serious injury if loosened or removed.  If they are loose, call to have the situation remedied.
• Lubricate your door on a regular basis.  A properly operating door should operate smoothly and quietly.
• Check for any frayed or worn cables.  If you find any, be careful if they are sharp and call Broten to have them replaced.
• Make sure the opener’s automatic reversal is working. To test a garage door opener, place a roll of paper towels under the door, and lower it. When the door hits the towels, it should reverse. If it doesn’t, have it checked.
• Remember that your garage door opener uses electricity, which can shock or kill if mishandled. Service should be performed by a trained service technician.
• If someone has backed into the garage door (Yes, it does happen – all of us are in a hurry at one time or another.), it’s a good idea to have the door inspected and/or repaired by a trained service technician. Even if the door doesn’t appear to be severely damaged, the operating system may have become misaligned and wear prematurely, creating what could be a dangerous environment.
• Place the control switch for the garage door opener at least 5′ above the floor so that small children can’t reach it; remind them that the garage door opener is not a toy.
• Have your door tuned-up on a regular basis. Just like your car it needs to be adjusted over time to ensure that it operates smoothly and safely.

Schedule a Tune-up or Maintenance