Garage Door Safety Features: What You Need to Know to Protect Your Family
The garage door of your home is an essential element for your home functionality as well as one of the heaviest moving objects you possess. If you do not have a proper set of safety features, then the risk could endanger both your aloneness and those of your family. Even better, modern garage doors include numerous important safety elements that help prevent tragedies and guarantee safe operation. At Affordable Garage Door Repair, your family and home safety are our top priorities. Today, we will talk about what are some of the crucial garage door safety features that keep you and your family safe.
Auto-Reverse Mechanism
The auto-reverse mechanism One of the most important safety features on many modern garage doors is the auto-reverse. This feature will cause the garage door to move in the other direction if it meets an obstacle when closing. Having this is crucial for stopping any injuries or damage if the door touches a person, pet, child, or anything of sorts.
How It Works:
The sensors cause the garage door to immediately stop whenever resistance is noticed as the door closes. If an object is detected, this door will stop and immediately reverse to prevent the automation from crushing your object.
How to Test It:
Put a piece of anything, such as wood or mat in the way of the door. Operate the garage door with a door opener. If the door does not reverse when it comes in contact with the object, then you need to call an expert for repair or adjustment.
Photo-Eye Sensors
Another safety feature to help avoid accidents is pooled photo-eye sensors. Located on the sides of the garage door close to the floor, these sensors shine an invisible ray across the doorway. The garage door will automatically stop and reverse direction if the beam is interrupted by an object, or person in between.
How It Works
Photo-eye sensors are designed to emit a beam between one sensor and the other to blanket the area, then in turn also making it impossible for anything else besides that beam of light to pass through those two sensors. ConclusionIf the beam is cut, the garage door opener will no longer allow the door to close and it will reverse.
What This Means
Having photo-eye sensors is crucial to families having small children or pets walking into the path of the garage door out of nowhere. This way, you prevent pinched fingers and other hand injuries caused by a door slamming shut when it can close because there's an obstruction.
How to Test It
Shut the garage door and move something (such as a broom) in front of your sensors while it is closing. The door should stop and then reverse direction right away.
Manual Release Cord
The manual release cord is part of your garage door — in fact, it allows you to operate the door manually when there is a power outage in your neighborhood or when there are malfunctions with the automatic opener. This red cord is commonly found at the top of your garage door, and if you pull on it, it will disable the opener attachment; so you can either manually unlock or lock the door.
How It Works
When you pull the manual release cord, you are releasing the garage door from the opener, so that it can operate the door manually. Why it matters: In an emergency, such as a power outage, the manual release cord is crucial so you can still open your garage. It is also critical to be able to exit your garage safely if the opener system malfunctions.
Why it matters
In an emergency, such as a power outage, the manual release cord is crucial so you can still open your garage. It is also critical to be able to exit your garage safely if the opener system malfunctions.
How to Use It Safely
Use manual release only when the garage doors are completely shut. When disconnected, with that door open, the opener can cause the door to fall closed a bit abruptly, which could result in injury.
Motion Detectors for the Garage Door
Today’s garage doors have motion sensors that sense activities in the garage. That can then activate the lights to come on when someone enters the garage, increasing visibility and safety.
How It Works
Motion sensors inside the garage pick up movement and lights are automatically turned on each time someone comes in.
Why It Matters
Lights with motion lights improve safety by turning on when you open the door to provide light in shaded entryways and at night. This is highly functional for families who tend to enter and exit through the garage the most.
Pinch-Resistant Panels
When it comes to garage doors, there are also pinch-resistant panels, which offer protection for those household members who like to stick their fingers where they should not be. This can be vital for a home with youngsters, as younger ones would possibly pay attention to the door starting or closing and run for it.
How It Works
A design to be considered is pinch-resistant panels, which pull fingers away from the door and the hinges just as they move.
Why It's Important
Pinching a finger in a garage door is one of the more common accidents, especially when there are young children around. Doors Pinch Resistant doors add an extra level of protection.
Security with Rolling Code Technology
Rolling Code Technology (not a safety feature as you would typically think of, however, enough to help keep your family and home out of reach from intruders). This feature keeps criminals from getting into your garage door opener by continually changing the access code every time you open or close the door.
How It Works
Your garage door remote creates a different code with each use. This prevents someone from using a code-grabbing device to capture the signal and trick it into opening your garage door.
Why It Matters
Rolling code technology protects your dwelling, keeping intruders out of your garage, a popular point of entry for burglars. This lets you rest easy whenever your garage door opener is less vulnerable to attacks by hackers.
Safety through Regular Maintenance
Though modern garage doors often feature built-in safety technology, they must still be maintained correctly to function as intended. As always garage doors are under constant stress every day and the continuous usage may cause problems to them.
Why It Matters
A garage door that is maintained regularly is less likely to malfunction which means that there will be a reduced risk of accidents. It helps in detecting possible problems earlier which is why it does not become a threat to proper safety.
Maintenance Tips
Every six months, lubricate the moving parts of your garage door including the springs, hinges, and rollers.< Photo-Eye Sensors & Auto-Reverse Mechanism – Similar to garage doors, check photo-eye sensors and also auto-reverse mechanism regularly. Keep any loose bolts or screws tightened to keep the door from functioning properly.
Soft Close and Open Features
The Roller which provides a soft opening and closing rather this only stopping in the middle, can be nice for those tailgate parties for easy access. This feature lessens the burden on the garage door parts in addition to decreasing sound.
How It Works
The door opener slowly accelerates and decelerates while the door is opening or closing so that everything can work in a well-mannered way.
The Problem with Opening and Closing Features
The soft open and close features are a critical part of the garage door's perfect working order not only to lengthen the overall life expectancy but more importantly add safety to your everyday life by avoiding unexpected falls or stops that might cause injuries.
Conclusion
The garage door safety features are supposed to make your family safer and protect their home from accidents, and potential intrusion. These features include but are not limited to, the auto-reverse mechanism, photo-eye sensors, and rolling code technology — with the priority on being a safe yet efficient garage door. Maintaining a Working Garage Door with Affordable Garage Door Repair Our team of professionals is qualified to handle a safety feature inspection, repair, or new installation with expertise. Schedule your inspection today and ensure that you and your family are well protected.