An Automatic Garage Door Can Cause Serious Injury If It Does Not Have The Required Safety Devices and Maintenance.
A wood or metal garage door is heavy and can cause injury if the door hits an adult, child or pet on its way down. The first safety rule is never travel under an automatic garage door that is either moving to the up position or returning to the down position. Operating controls should be installed above the eye level of children. This will prevent curious children from playing with the garage door.
When I perform your New Jersey Home Inspection I will be inspecting the door, opening mechanisms, wheels, tracks, chains and drives to make sure that all of the door and mechanism hardware is in good working condition. I will open and close the door from the door controls and check the wheels, chains and hardware to make sure the operation of the door and hardware is smooth. As your New Jersey home inspector I may recommend that a loose or damaged component be repaired or replaced.
Do not attempt to service or repair the automatic opener or garage door or door hardware yourself. A qualified garage door specialist should be contracted to make the necessary repairs. The springs, wires and pulleys, and chains are under high tension and can cause injury if they are improperly serviced or damaged.
All motor driven garage doors made after 1993 should have a safety devise that reverses the door if the bottom of the garage door hits an object or an individual. This is a major safety feature that should be tested at least monthly. I will be testing the reversing devises when I perform your New Jersey home Inspection One method of testing the safety system is to place a scrap piece of wood on the garage floor where it will be hit by the operating garage door. If the bottom of the door strikes the wood member and then does not reverse, repairs or replacements are necessary. Have the safety device repaired right away because you want this safety device to be functional at all times.
As a NJ Home Inspector I will recommend that safety wires be installed that extend through the center of the door springs. If the automatic garage door springs fracture they will not become high speed missiles and cause injury or damage to property. Consider installing an electric eyes reversing device that sends a light beam across the lower garage door opening. When the beam is broken by an object, person or pet the garage door will automatically reverse to the up position. This safety devise is highly recommended because the door does not have to hit a person or an object before the door reverses to the up position.
The door and all hardware should be lubricated regularly. Read the owners manual for the location of the lubrication points. Proper lubrication will allow for smooth operation and lower the chance of failures.
Take the time to make sure you keep your mechanized garage door openers and hardware in good working condition, a few simple measures can help avoid serious injuries.