26/10/09 06:07
Door opener safety
Since 1982, all garage door openers manufactured and installed in the USA are required to provide a quick-release mechanism on the trolley. This allows for the garage door to be detached from the opener in case of entrapment. The quick-release handle must be mounted no higher than six feet from the ground, and it is important that homeowners are familiar with it. It is also required to reverse the garage doors if it strikes a solid object. In addition, the wall console/push button must be mounted at least five feet from the floor. Keep the remote control out of hand for children- in general, Children should not be allowed to play with or use the garage door opener remotes or wall pushbuttons, and especially dangerous is the once-popular game "beat the door". Another important precaution is that you keep a moving door in sight until it opens or closes fully. There are two main ways to make automatic garage doors safer. The most obvious one would be installing a modern system and thus meet current standards. Since 1993, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has also required that all garage door openers have an external entrapment protection system. This means- an electric eye (or similar system) aligned with the opening and mounted four to six inches off the floor. If anything in the door's path is detected by the sensors, these will reverse the door before it hits it. Many older systems reverse only after contact, so if your garage door is more than 10 years old, according to CPSC, consider upgrading. Pre-1982 openers that do not reverse should be replaced. This auto-reversing feature has significantly reduced personal injury and property damage. The second basic safeguard is testing your door every once in a while (CPSC recommends once a month, but this is quite rigorous) and of course perform maintenance and repairs when needed. Although these guidelines apply to all automatic openers, it is recommended that you check your owner's manual or even contact the manufacturer about specific procedures. Also, the keypad wall control should be placed at least five feet from the floor and located where users can clearly if the door is moving. Finally, better make sure you know how to use the emergency release. Basically, you just need to pull down on the rope hanging from the operator motor. This feature, also a standard since 1982, disconnects the opener system, so you can lift the door by hand.