Mechanical Monsters
Virtually everyone I know has a misconception about garage doors. They fail
to realize how big and heavy these doors really are. This is due to the fact
that almost every overhead door is counterbalanced by some form of springs.
These springs make the door feel lighter than it actually is.
Overhead garage doors are almost always the largest mechanical device in a
residential home. Two car garage doors which usually measure 16 feet wide by
seven feet tall can weigh close to 400 pounds! Think of that when you walk
beneath the open door as you walk across your garage on your way to get the lawn
mower or as you watch your son or daughter run for their bicycle. Garage doors
require a healthy respect.
Automatic Openers
A large majority of overhead garage doors are equipped with automatic garage door openers. I myself have two of these wonderful machines. I believe these machines
are responsible for much of the complacency we have about garage door
maintenance.
Before automatic openers were popular, you would have to lift the door
yourself to open it. If the springs were out of adjustment or the door needed
lubrication, you (or your back) would know about it right away. Openers have
changed all of that. They have literally put us 'out of touch' with our garage
doors.
For this reason, it is important to periodically disengage the automatic
opener and open and close the door manually. Overhead garage doors that are
functioning properly are easy to open and move along the tracks smoothly. No
matter how big your door is, it should take very little effort to lift the door
from the closed position. Remember, the springs are the things that should do
virtually all of the work in opening the door. They simply need a little help
from you to get the job started.
Safety Issues
Automatic openers are very convenient items. However this convenience comes
with a very high safety price tag. When automatic openers were first developed,
they rarely had any safety features. If something was in the path of a closing
door, it would simply get crushed.
It didn't take too long for the manufacturers of these devices to realize
that they should equip the doors with an automatic function that reverses the
door should it strike an object while closing. However, this safety feature
requires periodic adjustment. The sensor, which makes the door reverse, has
different levels of sensitivity. Over time, the sensor can get out of
adjustment. Small children and animals have been crushed to death, even though
the automatic opener was equipped with this safety feature!
Within the past few years, the automatic openers have added another safety
feature. Virtually every new automatic opener is now sold with an infrared beam
transmitter and receiver. These devices are installed near the floor of your
garage. A transmitting unit is attached to the bottom of one of the garage door
tracks, while the receiving unit is attached to the bottom of the other track.
An invisible infrared beam is projected across the floor between these two
units. If anything breaks this beam, even for a moment, while the door is
closing, the door will reverse and go back to the open position. These are
wonderful devices. However, if you have an automatic opener manufactured prior
to 1993, there is a good chance that you can not have these safety devices added
to your existing opener. You will have to buy a new opener to get this extra
level of protection.
Remember, overhead garage doors and automatic openers are great things to
have around the house, but they require periodic inspections and maintenance to
keep them in tip-top shape. Failure to maintain a garage door can lead to
serious injury or damage to cars and property. Don't hesitate, after reading
this Bulletin completely, to check your overhead garage door and automatic
opener for safe and smooth operation. Good luck on your next job!
