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Tips on Safe Garage Door Operations






1-877-883-6337

Almost every home in Canada has a garage door. In many cases
the door is operated with the use of an automatic garage door opener. Because the door opens easily, with the touch of a
button, we often forget that garage doors are extremely
heavy and can be dangerous. 
The best way to ensure the safe running of your garage door is to have the door tested and make sure that both the door and opener are properly installed. Regular maintenance and testing of all equipment is vital to ensure safe operation. Remember, a poorly balanced door could result in injury or even death
Caring about your safety!
Please read the following safety tips and have your door and opener checked regularly in order to avoid injury.  Also ensure that you have read and understand the user 
manuals which came with your door and/or opener.
uIf you do not have a safety manual for your garage door opener, 
  contact the manufacturer and ask them to send you one  right away.  It 
  is a good idea to have the manual close at hand and not to wait until  
  there is a problem to contact the manufacturer.

u
If there is no other entrance into the garage besides your garage door
   and you have an automatic opener installed, please make sure that you
   have an emergency key release installed on the outside of the door at 
   least 6’ from the ground. Keep the key in a safe place with easy access.
   If some one is trapped in the garage or under the door and the opener 
   is malfunctioning or power is cut to the garage, your emergency key 
   release may be the only way to open the door.

u
There should be a push-button installed near the garage. This 
   button should be at least 5 feet from the nearest standing surface.
   It must be out of reach of children. It should not be near any
   moving parts and the door should be clearly visible when operating
   the opener from the push button or transmitter. Do not move
   from the line of vision until the door is fully open or closed.


u
Never allow children to play with or near the garage door. Make
   sure that the transmitters are kept out of reach of children. Do not
   let children or adults walk under a garage door when it is in motion.
uMake sure that everyone is aware of the dangers incurred by irresponsible  
   operation of a garage door. In the same way as you must explain to children 
   not to touch a hot stove, play with electrical outlets or matches, you must
   also explain to them that garage doors can be very dangerous and also
   cause injury or even death. Make sure that everyone is aware
   of the danger of being trapped in the garage or under the garage door.

uNever put your hands between sections or near any moving parts of the 
  garage door. Explain to children that if fingers are caught between
  sections of the garage door or in any moving parts serious injury can 
  occur, even if  you do not have an automatic opener installed on the door.

uMake sure that regular maintenance and inspections are performed on your  
  garage door and opener once per year by a trained professional. Never perform 
  this maintenance yourself. Door springs are under very high pressure, some 
  screws and brackets are attached to the spring system through the cables and 
  if you have not been properly trained you could get seriously injured.

 

In between yearly maintenance you should inspect the door yourself regularly to ensure that:  
uThe safety eyes are working correctly – place a flat piece of wood 2 by 4 
   (1-1/2" thick)
on the floor directly below where the opener is installed. 
   Push the button or transmitter to close the door.  The door should reverse 
   within 1 to 2 seconds of making contact with the object. If your opener 
   was installed prior to 1993 it may not have safety photo eyes installed. 
   It is strongly recommended that you replace the opener with a new model
   which now, by law, come with these safety features installed. 
   There are also some safety options which can be installed
   on your existing opener.   Please contact a qualified professional
   to discuss these options. If the safety eyes are not reversing correctly, 
   call a service repair man immediately.  Disconnect the opener
   and do not use it until a repair man has checked it.  

uThe door is properly balanced – If you have an opener installed on the 
   door, please disconnect it before checking balance. You should be able 
   to lift the door easily with 2 fingers, with a down force weight of no more
   that 3 to 5 KG. Try this simple test to check for correct balance.
   With the opener disconnected and the door on manual, lift the door 
   half way.   Gently remove your hand from the door, making sure
   that your feet are clear of the  opening. A properly balanced door will remain in the 
   half opened position. If the door continues to close there is not enough tension on 
   the spring If the door starts to open, there is too much tension on the springs
   NEVER TRY TO ADJUST THE SPRING TENSION YOURSELF, you could get 
   seriously injured. If your door is not balanced call a repairman immediately.
   An incorrectly balanced door could cause the safety feature on your opener to 
   malfunction, it could also  cause damage to your opener and other garage
   door parts.

uCheck for wearing parts – Prevention is always the best policy, if you see 
   any parts that are starting to wear, have them replaced before they break.  

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Here is a list of garage door parts for you to check. uMake sure that all nuts, bolts and brackets are tight and all parts are 
   securely fastened and not separating. Check all the panels for cracks and 
   signs of wear.  With the door in the down position check the lift cables
   for fraying and examine  the torsion spring and axles for cracks in the axle, 
   signs of slippage where the torsion springs are anchored to their axles
   or broken spring segments.

uCheck the down force/up force on your door opener – Push the button or
  transmitter to close the door. As the door is coming down, grab the bottom of
  the door. If down force is properly set then the door will reverse. Now push the
  button or transmitter to open the door and grab bottom of the door while it is
  opening. If the up force is properly set then the door will stop.
 
Springs Shaft
Rollers Hinges
Cables Brackets
Panel Condition Tracks
Drums Strut
Center Bearing Spring Anchor
End Bearing Plate Bottom Weather Seal

At Doors your safety is our first concern. Garage door accidents can be deadly and most people know that children should not play with matches or that faulty wiring can cause a fire but the dangers of poor garage door maintenance are not as well known. Now that you have educated yourself on the potential dangers, you are half way to protecting yourself and your loved ones. Follow through with regular maintenance visits and together we can prevent tragic accidents through education and prevention.

Garage Doors, Garage Door Openers, Garage Door Installations, and Garage Door Repairs in Toronto 

For Toronto and surrounding areas call: 1-877-883-6337 
 Ontario, Canada
 
mail: contact@garagedoortoronto.com
www.garagedoortoronto.com  

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