History of Garage Doors: Part 3

History of Garage Doors: Part 3

History of Garage Doors: Part 3 is a series of posts dedicated to educating the public on garage doors.  Garage doors can cause injury and property damage (including expensive damage to the door itself) in many different ways. The most common causes of injury from garage door systems include falling doors. Also pinch points, improperly adjusted opener force settings and safety eyes. Also attempts at do-it-yourself repair without the proper know how or tools, and uncontrolled release of spring tension (on extension spring systems).

A garage door with a broken spring, or the wrong strength spring, can fall. Because the effective mass of the door increases. As the garage door sections transfer from of the door tracks. A falling garage door moves rapidly. A free falling garage door can cause serious injury or death.

The sections and rollers on garage doors represent a major pinch hazard. For this reason garage doors are dangerous for children.

Sensors

Garage door openers can pull or push a garage door with enough force to injure or kill people. All modern openers are equipped with “force settings” that make the door reverse if it encounters too much resistance. Any garage door opener sold in the United States after 1992 requires safety eyes.  sensors that prevent the door from closing if obstructed. Force settings should cause a door to stop or reverse on  more than about 20 lbs of resistance. Safety eyes should be installed no less than 6 inches above the ground. Many garage door injuries, and nearly all garage door related property damage. Above all can be avoided by following these precautions.

Certain parts, especially springs, cables, bottom brackets, and spring anchor plates, are under extreme tension. If parts under tension if removed can cause injury.

Extension springs are a hazard to people when a spring, pulley, or cable breaks under tension.