A.B.E. Doors & Windows Blog

Your garage door is by far the largest, heaviest object that moves in your home. That’s why it’s so important you maintain it properly and ensure it’s safety with these tips and precautions.

Talk to your children (and their friends) about not playing with the door or the remote control. There are over 40,000 injuries to kids every year caused by the garage door. Keep yours safe by explaining they should never hang on to door when it is moving and always stay a safe distance away when the door is in operation. Keep remotes away from curious little hands and mount the opener button high enough that small children can not reach it.

Looks like the warmer weather is finally here. People are getting their homes ready for another summer, planning vacations and gearing up for fun with family and friends. Since you may see more traffic at your home and on the street, please make sure your garage door and surrounding areas are safe and secure.

Do a General Clean Up

A lot of debris can accumulate in and around your garage over the winter months. Give your drive-way and some of the curb area a good sweep and pick up any trash. Avoid a puncture to your tires! Do the same in your garage, it’s amazing how much can blow inside when the door is open.

Did you know that your garage door is the largest, heaviest moving object in your home? As such, you want to make sure this area is safe for all family members that use it. Watch out for these possible areas of trouble and take steps to correct them today.

Faulty Safety Sensors

These sensors are used to reverse the direction of the door should something cross their beam. Over time the sensors can get moved or debris can block the beam, making the sensors unable to read if an object is in it’s path. You can test them by closing the garage door and using a long handled broom to break the beam. If the door does not stop immediately and reverse it’s direction, it would be wise to call a professional to trouble shoot and fix this problem.

Lights...Camera...Action! Although we associate this phrase within the movie industry, it can be helpful when thinking of ways to keep your home safe. Consider these tips to protect yourself and your belongings.

Lights!

One of the biggest deterrents to burglars is a well-lit home. Make sure walkways, entrances and the outside of your garage are illuminated well. Anyone targeting your home wants to stay incognito, placing motion sensitive light bulbs near the garage and doors prevents a person lurking around.

This month we recognize the importance of garage door safety. Every year over 20,000 people suffer injuries from garage door accidents. We want to lessen that number by mentioning the most common accidents and how to avoid them.

Playing with the doors. Children sometimes view garage doors as a cool “ride”. They cling to the door as it travels up & down the tracks or race to see if they can duck under the door before it closes. Prevent this by explaining the dangers & enforcing it is not a toy. You may also want to include that the button to open or close the door is off limits as well and only to be used by an adult.

Now, I’m not the biggest baseball fan, but there’s one old adage that always comes around from the people in my life who do—‘Play the ball before it plays you.’ Apparently, it stems from the way you’re supposed to play a ground ball. Once the ball is in play, it does all sort of unexpected things once it hits the ground. It might keep rolling, it might change directions, or it might slow down in the grass. What it won’t do it is roll right into an outfielder’s glove, therefore ‘play the ball before it plays you.’ It’s pretty catchy and is actually pretty helpful in day to day life.

June is garage door safety month. Help prevent accidents and injury by taking a few minutes this week to not only look over your garage door, but the surrounding area for any hazards. We have highlighted some key areas to watch out for as you make the rounds.