The large overhead door at your garage serves many purposes. It keeps unwanted creatures out of your property – be it burglars, cats, or insects. It ensures your car is warm enough to start every morning and often increases the energy efficiency of the whole house – should we are talking about insulated aluminum or steel garage doors. So, when something is wrong, the door can hurt you in more ways than you can think about.
It can hurt you by:
- Increasing your energy bills
- Enabling break-ins
- Compromising your daily convenience
- Keeping your car locked in the garage
- Increasing your expenses with constant garage door repairs
So, what do we have here? Your comfort is sacrificed. You end up spending more whether it is on energy or repairs. And the security of your house goes out of the door. All due to garage door problems. The slightest problem with its parts will make the door not to open or close. The door might dangle or jam, keep reversing, or fail to shut down well. And these are the reasons why garage door maintenance is essential. But what makes regular service critical is your safety. This is the one most important reason for servicing garage doors often.
4 ways garage doors can hurt you
1. When the reverse system doesn’t work
There are constant revisions to the UL 325 safety standards.
Manufacturers keep trying to make garage door openers safer and safer. So the newer models integrate many more features, which enhance both safety and security. The most important safety feature is the photoelectric sensors. They should be installed at the right height (approximately 6 inches) over the floor and regularly checked. Due to their position, they can be pushed and so thrown out of alignment. They might malfunction if they are exposed to too much sunlight. They might also break and their wires might get damaged. And when they do, the door won’t reverse when it should.
2. When garage door springs break out of the blue
There will come a time when your torsion or extension springs will break. It’s hardly possible to tell when their lifespan is almost over. But it wouldn’t hurt you to write down when you purchase and install them – it will help you keep track of when it’s time to replace them again. Broken springs can be replaced. But it’s always best to not let it come to that. If you replace them before they snap, you won’t only avoid the hassle of not being able to open the door but also accidents. If the springs snap while you are in the garage, chances are that you’ll get hurt. If you have extension springs, install safety cables to avoid injuries.
3. When kids are allowed to play with or around the door
Don’t let your children play with the garage door clicker or around the door. If for any reason the door collapses, they might get fatally injured. Children like playing with the moving door. They like racing under it when it’s closing down or climbing and riding on a door. It’s best to keep them out of the garage and teach them about the dangers.
4. When you attempt to fix the door yourself
Always fix problems quickly and not alone. It’s best to contact a local 
garage door company to avoid taking risks. Many accidents occur when people try to replace springs or cables. Such parts are tensed but they are also connected to other parts. So if you try to fix the tracks, for example, you might still get hurt. If you don’t repair the door right, the problem will continue and the door won’t be safe.
