How to Childproof Your Garage Door: Safety Tips for Families
From a usable standpoint, the garage can become cluttered with tools and outdoor equipment, even cars might be parked there for some of us who have no large parking area. That convenience is great on paper, but it also makes for a potentially hazardous area–especially for little ones. The most vital things that parents should pay attention to are safety and childproofing the garage door. Your garage door is the heaviest part of your home and can cause life-threatening accidents if it falls when not properly secured.
We always put your family first at Affordable Garage Door Repair. As such we will provide here, useful safety tips that you can use to childproof your garage door, safely keep it in operation, and significantly bring down the chances of injury.
Test the Auto-Reverse Mechanism Often
Many recently made garage doors also have an auto-reverse feature in the occasion of your garage door striking anything that does not let it to shut. Is one of the most important security functions, designed to keep children and pets safe from getting stuck under the door.
Auto-Reverse Feature Test
- Step 1: Insert an object in those, a wooden block will perform better
- Close the garage door with your opener. Step 2 — Close The Garage Door Using Your Opener When it does so, the door should reverse automatically.
- Step 3: If the door fails to go back, it is time to get professional help for repair or adjustment.
- Why It's Important: Checking the auto-reverse operation is one of the easiest, and most effective, ways to childproof your garage door. If a child or pet is lurking under the door it will stop before causing major injuries.
Install Photo-Eye Sensors
Some Common Childproofing Elements For Your Garage Door Are Photo-Eye Sensors. They are installed near the ground on each side of the garage door and generate an undetectable beam across the opening of your door. When the door is closing if anything crosses the beam, it will send a signal to the door to stop and reverse.
Checking Your Photo-Eye Sensors are Functioning
- Test alignment: fund perfect calibration of sensors. If the sensors are misaligned, this will not occur and your garage door continue to move downward despite an object being beneath it.
- Check the sensors: shut the garage door and wager a device, closet pole, or something like that before them. The door will stop and reverse at once.
- Why It's Essential: A stop that prevents the garage door from closing when a child or pet, or object for that matter, is somewhere it shouldn't be makes perfect sense.
Shut Away the Garage Door Opener
Garage door opener remotes are one of those things that children are naturally curious about and can easily take for a toy not knowing the danger. To avoid any accidental operation of the garage door remote(handheld or Wall Mount Controls), keep them out of children otherwise.
Opener Transmitters Safety Tips
- Motorize the Wall Switch: Make sure to put that overhead garage door opener wall switch up high — at least five feet above the floor, so little ones can't grab it.
- Put Remotes Up High: Handheld garage door openers should be stored safely, so maybe consider having them in a drawer at home or on a high shelf somewhere. Do not leave them in plain sight (on the car dash)
- Why It Is Important: Restricting the reach of children to the controller of the garage door opener, prevents unscheduled operations protecting your child from unlikely accidents.
Check and Keep the Garage Door Updated
If you want to make your garage door work safely, there is a need for regular maintenance. A door imbalance can be a major safety threat when it comes to old hardware or improperly aligned mechanisms. You should check on the door from time to time and have it fixed if needed.
Things to Know Before Inspecting
Examine for damages
Check the cables, springs as well as rollers for indications of wear and also tear. Because of them being under extreme tension, those parts are prime for breakage without good maintenance practice.
Test the balance
Release the opener and then manually lift the door roughly halfway. If it moves, it suggests that the door is out of balance and must be adjusted accordingly by a professional.
Lube the moving parts
Lubricate the hinges, springs, and rollers to keep them working properly and reduce friction.
Why It Is Important
Properly maintained garage doors operate safer and more efficiently, preventing potential accidents due to malfunctioning parts.
Teach your Child safety when it comes to Garage Door
The best childproof idea is to familiarize them with the risks of dealing with your garage door. Teach your children to understand when the door is up and down, and why they should never touch controls or be near the door while it’s moving.
Five Basic Garage Door Safety Rules for Kids
- Never play with the garage door: Make sure your children know that they should never touch or play with any of the mechanical parts of the garage door.
- Stay away when the door is moving: Let them know they must always stand back when the door is operating.
- Never Run Under a Door: Make sure it is crystal clear that running under a closing overhead door, is blackout time.
- Why It Matters: Garage door safety rules educate your children about risks and can encourage responsible behavior when around the garage.
Things like Manual Locking Systems
Modern garage doors are typically equipped with automatic locking devices, but a manually operated lock can add a level of security. A manual lock will ensure that it will not operate the garage door by accident or by unauthorized users.
Manual Lock Options
- However, side-mounted locks will often be installed on the inside of the garage door itself and can help you manually ensure the door stays in place securely.
- Padlock — options for adding an extra layer of security, a padlock can be used to lock the door to ensure it is not opened without your involvement.
- Why It Helps: A manual lock is an added feature that allows you to decide when the garage door is operated and how to reduce the possibility that it can be opened by accident or used by children mischievously.
Smart Garage Door Openers
A smart garage door opener is an advanced way to childproof your garage. Pretty much every garage door opener on the market has an accompanying smartphone app, meaning you can use your phone to control and monitor your garage door that no other top items for home purchase even offer.
Here are a few reasons why smart garage door openers help
- Remote access—you can control when your garage door opens from anywhere via an app on your smartphone to prevent accidental opening.
- Activity monitoring: A few smart openers include activity alerts, telling you who used the garage door and when.
- Auto Close: Some smart openers also come complete with the ability to close your garage automatically after some time, never leaving your door unattended.
- Why It Matters: Smart openers offer greater control and visibility with your garage door, helping to safeguard your kids as well.
Conclusion
Garage door safety as it relates to children From verifying the auto-reverse function to fitting photo-eye sensors and securing remotes, these 3 easy steps can help prevent accidents and injuries. You should perform regular servicing and teach your kids to be safe about the garage doors.
Here at Affordable Garage Door Repair, we are truly devoted to supporting families in keeping their homes safe and protected! If you require help with garage door servicing, having protection components installed, or just adding those elements to a smart garage door opener, then seek advice from us now for suggestions and support.
