Own an Automatic Garage Door? 2 Safety Tips You Should Consider If You Have Kids

With a garage door being frequently used several times a day, the garage-door opener is a tool that has a high chance of something wrong happening with it. There is not only regular wear and tear that can occur over time, but there are safety concerns to consider if you have kids. Here are some things to do to keep everyone safe in your family.

Place Remotes and Openers Out of the Reach of Children

There will be a couple ways to operate your garage door. Not only do you have a button that is installed on the inside of your garage to close and open it, but you also have a remote opener that lives in your car or that you can remove and take with you. While having these things conveniently located is nice, consider keeping them out of the reach of children so they cannot play with your garage door like a toy.

The button inside the garage should be mounted well out of the reach of children. If a small child can easily reach the garage-door button, it is not high enough. The same can be said of the remote opener. Keep it in the car in a place such as your driver's side sun visor, and if you take the operner outside, don't keep it in an easily accessible location. You do not want your child playing a game to see whether they can hit the button and race under the garage door before it closes.

Test the Electronic Eye and Reversal Sensor

Garage-door safety mechanisms have been mandatory on new garage doors since the 1990s, but that does not mean that the safety mechanisms cannot fail. There are two mechanisms on your garage door that you should test regularly to know they are working.

There is an electronic eye that is designed to stop the garage door from closing if something crosses its path. You can test this on your own by simply closing the door and seeing whether crossing the sensor's infrared beam causes the door to stop. This sensor won't stop the door if it is opening, so you need to test it while the door is closing.

The reversal sensor works by reversing the direction of the garage door if it hits something while closing. You can test this by placing a chair under the garage door and then closing the door with the remote. The door should hit the object and go into reverse. If your home's garage door doesn't do this, then it needs to be repaired by a professional to get the safety mechanisms working again.

Visit sites like http://unifourdoorsystems.com to find professionals near you.

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