– Roy’s Blog –
I’m sure there are some of you out there who would read the title of this post and say, “Roy, there are more than just five things homeowners need to know.” If I gave it more thought, I could probably think of 100 things, but in this article, I’ll only list the five most essential garage door pointers!
When it comes to having garage door mechanical knowledge on a 1 to 10 scale, all homeowners are at most a 1 or 2. Garage doors can be dangerous, and most people who enter or exit through a garage door are naïve when it comes to the dangers associated with them. This lack of basic knowledge has proven to be a problem. However, we professionals can be part of the solution by briefing homeowners during an installation or service call. Educating garage door users of major concerns and areas where attention should be devoted, especially when children are present, can only do good.
Though I understand how gratifying it is when you wrap up a job, and that you may want to go home ASAP, a little demonstration will go a long way to benefit everyone. Plus, this would be a good time to show off your knowledge on things that the homeowners don’t already know. Please, don’t just run out when you’re done. Instead, spend an extra five, ten, or fifteen minutes to brief the door users on the five recommendations I’ve included in this post. Those extra moments benefit everyone and should be prioritized. Home repair knowledge is like gold to a homeowner, and I guarantee it will be appreciated!
Take note and remember these 5 pointers:
- A homeowner’s garage door is the biggest moving appliance in their home, and there are multiple safety and security features built into the door operator that they need to understand. Any misunderstanding can result in an injury!
Don’t be afraid to remind them that accidents have happened that have caused injuries and, in some cases, death! They need to know that there is a safety system built into the operator that can reverse a door when it encounters an obstruction while closing. If children are present, the homeowner should be instructed to test the reverse every 30 days by placing a 2×4 board under the door and checking that it reverses to the open position. This is the most important element a homeowner needs to maintain and test. You also have the option to demonstrate this for them yourself. When it comes down to brass tacks, nothing is more important! - The photo-sensors must remain aligned for the operator to close the garage door. Show them the 2 lit LEDs on both sensors, so they know how to read them when there is a problem. If the sensors are misaligned, NO wireless controls will close the door. However, the hardwired wall button or wall console can override the photo-sensors, and the homeowner can close the door by holding the button until the door touches the floor. Of course, the best way to catch any issues is by visually checking the sensor LEDs. They should both be lit, solid, and not flashing.
Your most important task is to ensure that the sensors are never set more than 6 inches from the floor. If a homeowner attempts to adjust either side, they must also follow the 6-inch rule without exception! Inform them that the sensors are not there to protect their car, but to prevent a human tragedy. The 6-inch rule was written in the UL 325 standard because the size of a small infant crawling along the floor will normally have a cranium of about 6 inches in diameter. I know this for a fact because I was a part of the UL 325 technical panel when this deliberation was in session.
Three years ago, a family lost their beloved pet dog when he tried to slide under the garage door in the last few inches of downward travel. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the sensors were set at 14 inches high and that the down force setting was maxed out, resulting in the dog’s skull being crushed. The horrified family saw this from the outside of their garage as the dog yelped loudly for his life. Though it thankfully was not a child, the dog’s death was still incredibly traumatic to this family. There were two safety systems that, if adjusted correctly, would have prevented this terrible loss, but someone didn’t care enough to get the job done correctly! Everything I write here is to hopefully steer everyone away from this irresponsible behavior. You must care and ensure you provide a safe and secure installation! This is your most important job! - Contrary to common belief, the manual release is not only equipped when there is a power outage. There have been many cases where the homeowners were not aware of a manual or emergency release, and this caused unnecessary deaths. During the California wildfires of 2018, there were multiple accounts where people died in their garages due to the door not opening. A friend of mine who does service in central California was told that people were unaware of the emergency release, which I found unbelievable! Everyone assumed that the power outages were caused by trees falling on power lines and that this was the only reason for the high death toll. The California Senate wrote legislation demanding that only door operators with a battery backup provision could be sold in California. In another 5 years, as batteries die and maintenance is ignored, we will circle back to the original problem.
When I worked in tech support, some of my most popular calls were from homeowners who were having a hard time re-engaging the door to the trolley and needed help. Sometimes a situation would arise, such as a kid jumping up and grabbing the handle just for fun, and the owners have no idea how to fix the problem. This issue could have been prevented with a simple demonstration. When on a job, I insist that the owner release and engage the door two or three times while I watch. This 5-minute simple demonstration can save you from a long, nuisance of a phone call or a free service call.
This sad story serves as another reminder to brief the users on the release mechanism. In 1980, a small boy in Ontario, Canada, was trapped under a 16×8 garage door for quite a while. Another child called for help, and a parent arrived. The parent tried to open the door by using the outside key switch; then tried the inside push button, but the door didn’t move. When the firemen arrived, four men also tried to muscle the door upward without success. They had to use the hydraulic jaws of life to forcefully move the door up high enough to free the boy. Regrettably, the boy had been dead a long time. My investigation determined that the operator went into a hard shutdown within a few minutes after closing on the boy’s neck. At this point, the door was only 1 inch from the floor, which had completely crushed the boy’s throat. Only the boy’s spine kept the door from closing further. Unbelievably, the door arms were completely vertical, meaning the door was secured closed and would be nearly impossible to lift. This is a designed security feature built into every trolley operator. At the Coroner’s inquest, it was suggested that the closed door most likely caused asphyxiation within the first 4-5 minutes. After pushing down the door for twenty minutes or more, the thermal switch in the motor overheated and shut down the operator. This was confirmed later when the motor sufficiently cooled down, and the operator functioned normally again. Normally, the safety reverse would have switched to safety stop in the last inch of downward travel, but again, the sensitivity was set at the maximum setting and didn’t react. Even if the door had stopped, it was still putting pressure on the boy’s windpipe at that point, and sadly, there was nothing to be done.
Improper sensitivity settings are my #1 pet peeve, and it is so sad that this occurs so often. It was due to this particular case and many others like it that the industry began to investigate enhanced safety measures such as photo-sensors. This case bothered me for many years. No one, including the first responder firemen, was aware that they only had to pull on the emergency release to free the boy. Regardless, it was probably too late to save this 4-year-old child’s life, but I still insist everyone must be familiar with why there is a red knob or handle! It can truly be a lifesaver. Another important element of the release is the height of the red knob. It shouldn’t ever be installed higher than 6ft from the floor so that it can be reached when needed. There have been cases when the red knob or handle got captured in a car roof rack, and the door disconnected and was pulled down onto the vehicle as they backed up. Ski racks are also a major concern because the release cords can fall between two skis and get snagged. If you suspect this could happen, you may want to reduce and customize the length of the rope. Please ensure that the knob can be easily reached, and be aware that a horizontal handle is more prone to being snagged in a ski roof rack than a round knob. If a warning label was supplied with the release, be sure the people read and understand it! - The push-button position is also incredibly important. It is highly recommended that the wired push-button or wall console be mounted 5ft off the floor and far enough away from the doorway so that no one can reach it while under the door. A height of 5ft will normally prevent children from reaching the push button, but it’s also important to remind children that this button is not a toy. You must also place the warning label next to the push button and tell homeowners not to remove or paint over it. Pre-wired garages can also cause a common problem. The electrical contractors who wire homes are not aware of UL 325 and the appropriate height for the push button. I have personally found dozens of push-button wires exiting the wall at less than 60 inches high, but if I’m lucky, I can make another hole at the correct height, snag the wires, and pull them to the correct height.
- Garage door operator remotes can cause security issues. Homeowners see the garage door remote like any other remote, so forgetting a garage door remote is no different from forgetting a key to the front door. Most people place the remote on their sun visor, but some of them leave their car windows open. In 2015, a guy saw a car with open windows parked in a driveway and reached in and pushed the remote with a stick. The lady inside the adjacent kitchen heard the door begin to open and looked in the garage just as the door was about 4ft high, allowing her to see a pair of legs outside the door. She quickly closed the entry door, locked it, and called 9-1-1, saying she was being burglarized. The Police arrived within minutes and took a man standing near the car into custody. However, during his arraignment, he claimed he never entered the house, which was confirmed by the lady who owned the house, and he was freed. Apparently, there is no law for intent to steal.
You must insist that the owners secure their remotes. There have also been accounts of people who will park at the grocery store, leaving the window down enough for someone to reach in and grab the remote from the sun visor, then they follow the person home, only to return at night and enter the garage. If a person notices their remote is missing, they should switch on the vacation switch to block any RF signal. You may need to inform homeowners that the switch exists for this reason. History proves this is another misunderstood item, and this is why I like keychain remotes. When you park your car, the mini remote and your keys go with you. It is also a good time to upsell a mini-remote or two just for the key chains. It improves a person’s security, and most people will buy into that!
Some final tips:
- Notify the homeowners that they may need to replace the light bulbs and be firm that they only use 60-watt bulbs when burnt-out bulbs need to be replaced. CFL Bulbs have been known to cause RF interference, which can cause reduced range with the remote. If you receive a call about poor range, inquire if CFL bulbs are in use and tell the person to remove them, then try the remotes again. In some cases, even a CFL being used to illuminate the garage has caused a minor interference, thus reducing the range from the remote, which means you must be close to the garage to make it work.
- Another common problem is when people replace their light bulbs with higher 100-watt bulbs, thinking it will provide more light in the garage. They are partially right, and a higher wattage bulb will provide more light, but most manufacturers use GE Lexan to produce the light domes, and the heat generated from a 100-watt light bulb is too hot for Lexan products. I’m sure everyone has seen a burned or melted lamp cover. Sometimes they have been so warped that they can no longer attach to the operator head. This is intentional damage and should never be considered a warranty claim, although some homeowners have tried.
- Instruct everyone to always keep their garage door closed, especially at night. Security must always be a top concern!
- It is always a good idea to warn the owners how easy it is to crush their fingers in the garage door shiplap when you try to pull down the door from the outside. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports there are 10,000 garage door-associated injuries every year in the USA. Many could just be from less serious bruises, from falls, or small cuts. But you could potentially save someone from a severe, disabling hand injury by taking only 5 minutes to point out the dangers associated with manually operated or motorized garage doors!
This material includes my recommendations based on my extensive 55 years of field experience, and some of it could even be considered as tips to keep you out of court! Even if you service a door or operator that you didn’t install, you must check all the items mentioned above. The worst thing you can do is assume that everyone else who visited this door before you performed and checked everything perfectly. Ultimately, you may decide on what you feel is important or not, but know this. Everything I write is true, and you may use this information anyway you see fit!
Contact your Guardian dealer for products that can keep your household safe and secure.