Garage Door Safety

It’s unavoidable that your springs will wear out over time, and they’re a potential hazard when they do. Because of the risk of flying metal or a falling door, we highly recommend having your springs inspected and tested by professional technicians. Even if you have just one broken spring, your home and family may still be at risk. You should replace your spring in this event. Regularly maintaining your door will not only keep you safe, but it’ll also keep your garage door working longer.

If you have frayed or worn-out cables, it may mean you’re at risk of a break. That’s why you should check them frequently and contact a trained technician in the event you need a replacement.

Everyday wear and tear can leave your springs noisy. This can be solved with a spray-on lubricant, which will reduce noise and squeaking with your springs. If that doesn’t solve the problem, call your local Overhead Door™️  technician to resolve the problem.

Unless you have professional experience and training, it’s imperative that you DO NOT install or service your own garage door. Installation carries serious risk, and The Door & Access Systems Manufacturers Association (DASMA) suggests that you only use professional technicians. Attempting your own repairs can cause injury and/or damage to your door, home, or car.

If you don’t have extension springs on your door, it’s crucial to install a safety cable and secure it to the wall and/or ceiling at each end. Because most families open and close their doors often, the tension to your garage door springs increases. If these springs break, they can cause serious damage or injury. Call your local Central Missouri garage door installers if you need more information.

You might have several problems occur with a “struggling” door. Most of the time, you’ll need help from a professional technician, as spring systems can be potentially dangerous.

Specifically, please don’t put your fingers in between door panels. This mistake can cause significant injury. If you don’t  have an electric garage door opener, utilize your garage door handles or other safe gripping points.

Your garage door springs are under a large amount of tension when closed, and it can put people around you at serious risk if the springs become broken. Only trained technicians should perform this repair.

It may save you money, but installing old tracks may also put you at significant risk. Old tracks make it likely that your door won’t fit onto the track, which can cause serious damage in the form of collapse or derailment. Repairs like these may cost you more money in the long run as well.

We highly encourage regular check ups and routine maintenance to ensure that your door is running safely and efficiently for the long-term.

To avoid injuries, especially to children and pets, wait until your door is completely shut before leaving the garage or driveway.

If you aren’t attentive, reinforcement brackets can cause damage to your garage door. It’s recommended that you check your installation manual for further instructions.

If your door is operating slower than normal, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your garage door opener is weak. Before wanting something more “powerful”, call a properly trained technician to assess the issue and provide the correct solution.

You should install photo-eyes more than six inches above the garage floor. If your photo-eyes aren’t properly installed, you risk damage or injury from a person or pet not being detected.

Make sure that your garage door opener is placed at least five feet from the floor or higher. This helps prevent accidental button pushes from younger children in the house.

You can perform a routine visual inspection on your door. While we recommend leaving any repairs to qualified technicians, monitoring your door on your own time will help you spot any issues with springs, rollers, cables, pulleys, and other hardware.

There is a test that can be performed to check a door’s balance. When your door is closed, try lifting the door (if you have a remote opener, use the release mechanism to allow you to operate the door by hand). You should be able to lift the door easily, with little resistance. Additionally, your door should be able to stay open about 3 to 4 feet above the floor without being held. If your door doesn’t pass these assessments, it could mean that your door needs adjustment.

According to federal law, every garage door opener needs to include compliant safety features that match the latest standards in UL 325 (Underwriters Laboratories). If you want to test your reversing feature, you can perform an at-home test. First, test the balance (detailed above). If your door passes these tests, you can proceed to the reversal test.

Completely open the door and place a 1-1/2″ thick piece of wood (a 2×4 laid flat) near the center of the door on the floor. Once you’ve done this, press the wall button (or transmitter) to close the door. The door needs to hit the wood in order to reverse. If the door doesn’t reverse, it must be repaired or replaced, and soon. (Note that the bottom of the “one-piece doors” must be rigid enough to reverse when it comes into contact rather than close completely).

If you want to test the force setting of your door, you just need to hold the bottom of the door as it’s closing. If it doesn’t reverse immediately, your force setting is what we call “excessive” and needs to be adjusted.

Safety is our top priority, and that’s especially true for our customers with children and pets. Thankfully, most modern garage door openers come standard with additional safety features. As an example, many door openers include edge sensors (aka “photo eyes”) that are designed to protect against entrapment.

With that being said, adding more safety devices doesn’t necessarily make an old opener compliant with current UL Standards. Proper installation and adjustment is key to a safe and functional garage door. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Overhead Door Company of Central Missouri™️.

• Garage door springs, as well as the brackets, cables, and other hardware attached to the springs, are under an extreme amount of tension and should only be adjusted or repaired by trained professionals. Improper handling can lead to serious damage or injury.
• Adjustments to the springs above your door (also called “torsion springs”) should be handled by a professional garage door serviceman.  To avoid injury, please don’t repair or adjust these springs yourself.
• A safety cable can, and should, be installed on your extension spring. This spring runs along the side of your door and acts as a safety backup in the event of a broken spring.
• Please do not adjust, remove, or loosen any screws on the bottom brackets of the door. These brackets are also under extreme tension as they are connected to the springs.