Amazing Tips For Garage Door Opener

Did you know that a malfunctioning garage door can be quite dangerous?  The garage door is generally the largest moving object in the home.  An improperly adjusted garage door opener can exert strong and deadly forces.  Here are some basics to keep in mind during operation and maintenance:

Installation Considerations

The garage door nipple springs should be properly adjusted in order for the safety reverse system to function properly. Thus, proper installation and maintenance are extremely important in order for the garage door and garage door openers to operate smoothly and safely.  The header bracket, which attaches the front end of the opener track to the header wall, must be securely attached to the structural members of the garage wall. If not, the opener might not reverse the garage door in an emergency. The rail can also pull away from the wall.


Manual and Backup Systems

A common action by owners is to activate the quick release mechanism in order to operate the door manually, but once the door is disconnected from the motor, the door can start moving downward and injure or even kill a person standing under it at the right place at the wrong time.

All garage door openers manufactured and installed in the United States since 1982 are required to provide a quick-release mechanism on the trolley that allows for the garage door to be disconnected from the garage door opener in the event of entrapment. The quick-release handle should be mounted no higher than six feet from the ground. Homeowners should be familiar with this mechanism, because garage door springs can relax over time, and pulling the release could lead to a free-falling door.  Garage door openers manufactured since 1982 are also required to reverse the garage door if it strikes a solid object.

Child Safety Considerations

The wall console/push button should be mounted at least five feet from the floor and the remote controls should be kept out of the hands of children. Children should never be allowed to play with or use the garage door opener remotes or wall pushbuttons. Homeowners should also keep a moving door in sight until it fully opens or closes. 

Under U.S. federal law (UL 325), garage door openers manufactured for the U.S. since 1993 must include a secondary safety reversing system, such as photoelectric eyes mounted no higher than six inches above the ground, or an electric safety edge mounted on the bottom of the door, which upon contact reverses with about 15 pounds of pressure. Other approved systems, by Martin Door Manufacturing and Wayne Dalton, have a garage door and opener system, UL 325-listed, which reverse on the same 15 pounds of resistance, without photo eyes or the electric safety edge. Other examples of safety reversing systems, allowed within the guideline of UL 325, include electric safety edges, which reverse with approximately 15 pounds of downward pressure, and a garage door and opener system without photo eyes, tested together, which reverses upon approximately 15 pounds of pressure.

Author Bio:
I am Aaron Lerner and my team and I write about the Garage Door Industry! We help expose all the Garage Door Hardware companies to give you the TRUTH! We provide extremely relevant information about all Garage Door Openers, Remotes, Parts, and more through our blog. Our experience of 20 years in the garage doors industry makes us an authority to provide you FREE and IMPORTANT information.