Spot these 5 common garage door dangers

Danger of the garage door opener variety

Similar to any device that features moving parts, your garage door opener is most susceptible to damage through springs, belts, chains and other parts responsible for opening and closing the portal.

As these parts wear down, your garage door ceases to operate according to design. Unfortunately, some garage doors are built with safety and security flaws included as part of the design. Keep your eyes peeled to reveal these five garage door dangers.

Door closes too fast

In order to prevent doors from slamming down quickly on the garage floor, if you operate your door manually, the system is designed with counterweights that slow the descent, especially for heavy doors made of wood or solid steel. There are several hints that reveal the danger of the quick‑closing door. Usually, the most noticeable clue that something’s wrong is a loud thud when the door impacts the garage floor.

Fixing this problem usually involves replacing worn and broken materials, such as counterweights, springs and other parts that govern the normal regulation of a garage door’s speed.

Doesn’t automatically reverse

Since 1993, all modern garage doors that utilize automatic openers are equipped with a safety feature that senses if there’s an object that the door presses upon as it closes. Ideally, the door will reverse if it senses a soft item underneath, like a tennis ball. If the door isn’t able to sense the fact that it’s squeezing a tennis ball, there’s a good chance that it won’t automatically reverse when a person is trapped underneath.

According to the United States Library of Medicine "at least 85 children have had permanent brain injury or have died since 1974 as a result of accidents involving automatic door openers." Tests revealed that about 88% of automatic door openers stopped when pressing down on a block of wood. However only 40% of the doors reversed when falling on a child‑sized CPR dummy, suggesting that the majority of doors still remain a threat to child health and safety.

Coat‑hanger break‑ins

A feature that’s designed to increase the safety of garage doors is also responsible for making it extremely easy to break into garage door installations that don’t properly seal the perimeter. The emergency release lever of a garage door is supposed to force the garage door open from the inside, for example, in situations where an automatic opener no longer works. However, a few YouTube videos have surfaced, showing that all a thief needs to do is snake a coat hanger through the top of the door to trigger the emergency release.

When the emergency release is triggered, all a thief needs to do is open the door by hand, gaining access to your garage. If you have an attached garage, the intruder will have an easy route into the rest of your home.

Incredibly, this method of breaking into a garage requires less than 10 seconds. The best way to prevent this security problem involves creating a solid seal between the door and the frame, preventing anything from being poked through the seal. Alternatively, a garage locking system may be implemented if a tight seal can’t be maintained. If you’re on a budget, using zip‑ties on the track can prevent the emergency release from working. However, altering the way your emergency release works defeats the purpose of this safety mechanism..

Hacking garage door openers

Remote garage door openers that use a fixed‑code system are an ideal target for thieves familiar with key vulnerabilities of garage doors. Using inexpensive technology – a kid’s text messaging toy – security expert Samy Kamkar proved he was able to use the toy to hack the code in less than 10 seconds.

Despite the fact that manufacturers claim they no longer use fixed codes, Samy was able to get his hack to work in newly build condos around the Los Angeles area, giving him access to garages around the city. The only way to prevent this security issue is to avoid fixed code systems in favor of rolling codes, which automatically change whenever the door is remotely activated.

Secure garage, secure home

If you have any questions about the security of your garage door, it’s best to contact Portes de garage JS Bourassa to learn about the best way to prevent health and safety issues caused by poorly-constructed garage doors. Regardless of the type of house your own, we offers a range of safe, secure garage door systems that improve the safety and the curb‑side appeal of your home.

Ayant vendu plus de 1,7 million de portes de garage de qualité depuis 1983, Garaga demeure une référence de l’industrie pour ce qui est de la durabilité et de la fiabilité de ses produits.

Garaga remains the industry standard for durability and reliability, as we have sold over 1.7 million quality garage doors since 1983. You can click here to get a free quote, or click here to start by building your perfect garage door! You can also call us at 1-866-647-6071.