Make Springtime Garage Door Safety Time

No doubt your springtime ‘to do’ list is overflowing. And, even if it wasn’t, your spring cleaning tasks are usually abandoned before they are completed.

But if there’s one that, if you don’t do it already, you should add to the list: a quick ‘safety inspection’ on your garage door.

If your door seems to work well enough, you might wonder why you need to invest in it. Your garage door is the largest single moving object in your home. It also is used at least a couple times a day. An object that is large enough to cause serious personal harm, or damage to your belongings, that’s used so frequently, should be regularly inspected before something serious happens.

Here’s a quick checklist of things you should inspect on your garage door at least twice a year.

1. Look & Listen

Do a visual inspection of the door, focusing on the parts that manage its operation, like the spring(s), cables, rollers and pulleys. Look for signs of wear or uneven operation that could be early signs of a bigger problem. While you put the door through its motions, listen for anything that doesn’t sound right, like grinding or squeaking, and find the source.

2. Make Sure the Door Reverses if Blocked

Your door opener is designed to automatically reverse a closing door if the door hits anything solid. To test that the system is working properly, place a piece of wood on the garage floor where the door comes down. Close the door and, if it doesn’t automatically back up when it hits the piece of wood, get your door opener inspected.

3. Make Sure the ‘Eyes’ can See Each Other

The electric eyes that are located near the floor on either side of the garage door opening are designed to stop the door if anything blocks the signal that passes between the eyes.

Check to make sure the eyes are working by placing a cardboard box between them and start to close the door. It should stop immediately or soon after it begins to close. If not, check the alignment of the eyes.

In the end, doing a garage door safety inspection should take only a few minutes. It’s well worth the effort to help make sure that you don’t have an unfortunate accident due to a malfunction.