Garage Door Openers: Safety Tips from IDA and DASMA

Posted: Feb 27, 2013
Author: Doors by Nalley of Lake Norman, Inc.

Garages can pose security and safety challenges. In conjunction with IDA (International Door Association) and DASMA (Door and Access Systems Manufacturers Association), the Overhead Door Corporation has compiled a safety list for garage door openers, and garages in general.

• Ensure that control buttons for garage door openers cannot be reached by small children.

• Never allow children to play with garage door remote controls.

• Read your owner’s manual to learn how to use the emergency release feature.

• Every month, visually inspect your garage door. Look at the rollers, cables, pulleys and springs for signs of wear and tear. Never attempt to repair, adjust or remove any of these parts, or anything that’s attached to them, because they are under high tension. A skilled technician who understands garage door openers should be called in.

• Every month, test your garage door opener’s reverse mechanism by placing a roll of paper towels, or a 2 x 4 board, in the door’s path. If it doesn’t reverse after making contact with the object, call in a professional. If your opener hasn’t been replaced since 1993, you should seriously consider replacing it – today’s garage door openers all have auto-reverse as a standard feature.

• If your opener does not include rolling-code technology which changes access codes every time it is used, be sure to alter the manufacturer’s standard access codes on your remote control and the opener. A better option would be to actually invest in a newer model because it will come standard with rolling-code technology.