To perform a garage door safety test, here are parts of the test to perform.
Garage door openers offer a lot of convenience to those who have them. What’s more is that they’re so reliable that you often don’t even have to think about them. Even so, you’ll have to check on them every now and then, just to be sure they won’t fail whenever you need them. By taking proactive measures, you can prevent many accidents from happening, which keeps you, and your garage, safer. To perform a garage door safety test, here are parts of the test to perform.
Obstruction Sensor
At the base of your garage door, you’ll find two objects that resemble the look of cameras, and these objects will send one beam of light towards one another. If the beam ever gets broken, then your garage door won’t close. Testing this sensor should be something on your list every time you perform an annual garage door safety test.
When you test your sensor, simply press the button, and then break the beam. In order to keep yourself safe, make sure you’re not too close to the door while it’s closing. A test is successful whenever your door either reverses or comes to a stop whenever the beam is broken. Also, the sensor will only trigger whenever your door closes.
Balance
The tracks of your garage door should help maintain balance at all times. When your tracks are balanced, the door will refrain from sliding shut in the event that the gears fail.
To perform this test, make sure your garage door is in manual mode. Then, try opening and closing it. The goal is to have your door slide up and down smoothly. Also, if you let go of the door while you’re opening or closing it, the door should stay put instead of sliding by itself.
If your balance isn’t properly in place, you should find a garage door repair company to come and help you. It’s a tricky part of garage door maintenance that can easily go wrong without extensive expertise on garage doors.
Automatic Reversal
Your garage door’s opening system works in such a manner so that it will reverse its direction whenever it faces enough resistance. The amount of resistance needed to trigger automatic reversal will depend on your opener.
Fortunately, no matter what opener you have, this is a pretty easy part of your garage door safety test. Just place an obstruction with at least an inch of thickness at the base of your door. Your door should automatically go into reverse once it fails to push through whatever obstruction you placed.
Once that test is successful, you can perform another test. Stand nearby your door, and when your door starts to close, reach out your hand in an attempt to stop it. This helps you determine how sensitive the settings on your opener are.
Lastly, you should test the reversal setting when your door is opening. All you need to do is lean on your door whenever it’s closed, then push the button. Your leaning on the door should be able to cause a reversal to occur.
Let First Choice Garage Doors Find The Right Door For You
Since 2004, First Choice Garage Doors has been providing quality service in Maryland, Delaware, Northern Virginia, and Pennsylvania. We offer services like garage door installation and replacement, as well as maintenance and repair. We specialize in the repair and maintenance of garage doors and their accessories. Here at First Choice Garage Doors, we work with top manufacturers in the industry, including Amar Entrematic, Clopay, Wayne Dalton, and Artisan.