Updated Ded 17, 2023
Maintaining a garage door system on a home is important for many reasons. For practical use, having a functioning garage door is important for a home and its inhabitants to protect against inclement or weather extremes. Additionally, a functioning garage door is essential for safety, especially for children.
There are many types of garage doors today, and the conveniences they bring to the average homeowner is important. Over time as with all home appliances, a garage door opener may malfunction, have a worn out track, or get jammed. In these cases getting the garage door repaired is the best solution to add years onto the life of the garage door.
This can be especially important when it comes to safety. Since garage doors can malfunction over time, addressing the issue with proper garage door repairs can help ward off potential accident hazards. A garage door is a particularly heavy object and if it malfunctions it can cause injury quickly. In some cases, garage door malfunctioning can cause injuries that can be life threatening. This can be a cause of great concern for people of all ages. However, children are often the most vulnerable for this type of problem and hazard. Part of this is due to a child’s natural curiosity and their tendencies to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
In addition to a malfunctioning garage door tracks, or jammed doors, other problems can arise that can cause hazards for children. Some of these are simply from playing with the door itself. In fact, children who get caught playing with garage door remote openers can often be found to be the culprit of many injuries that are sustained by children. For this reason it is very important that all garage door remote controls be kept out the reach of children.
A child can easily think that a remote control garage door opener is a fun toy to play with and parents may get caught up in their daily lives and not pay much attention to the situation. Like a TV or stereo remote control, a child may find fascination with what it can potentially do. Because it can make a garage door open and close with the push of a button, it can bring a sense of magic for a child. However, this can often be when accidents and injury can occur. Constantly opening and closing garage doors can put added strain on a garage door opener and cause it to malfunction. This in turn can cause damage to the garage door track, the motor components as well as causing injury.
In order to avoid this potential problem there are a few important safety factors that should be followed when it comes to garage door safety.
First, a garage door and it’s opener, should be checked approximately every 6 months for proper functioning. This process is not complicated and usually means simply taking the extra time to observe the garage door as it opens and closes. Getting up on a chair or small step stool, or short ladder to be close enough to watch the gears as the door moves along the track is important to ensure it is moving correctly on track. If any malfunctions appear, this often would be the first place they would be noticeable. If this occurs, getting a garage door repair would be best addressed at this time before the problem becomes more significant and costly to repair. In addition, all debris from around the track around the ceiling and wall should be removed.
Second, all remotes should be kept in a safe place away from the reach of children, including those that are attached to a set of keys. This will ensure that children do not use the garage door as a toy and continue to push on the door opener causing the gears to wear and possibly malfunction. Children should also always be encouraged to stay away from the garage door when in motion, and they should be told that the door and the opener are not toys and if they malfunction they could get hurt.
Lastly, garage door opener buttons should be installed at a high enough level so children, especially, young children cannot access the opener button. While remotes can often be the culprit of young children playing with the garage door, the wall mounted button can be a hazard as well. Wall opener buttons should be place at adult height levels for the protection of all home inhabitants.
As always, contact your North Atlanta garage doors experts for any questions or concerns you might have about garage door repair or garage doors. Check out our coupons below and call us for a free estimate.