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DODDS GARAGE DOORS Safe Garage Door Operation Tips

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Hazard to your health
Hazard to your health
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Lack of safety devices
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Tailgating

 

moving door warning

April/2011

***    SAFETY BULLETIN #2 ***

Apartment/Condominium Garage Doors; Dealership Drive-Thru, Main Shop & Service Overhead Doors; Auto Centre Garage Doors; Carwash Overhead Doors; Storage, Moving and Warehouse Overhead Doors with ramps and driveways for Vehicle and Forklift us

“WHAT LEVEL OF SAFETY PROTECTION DOES YOUR SITE NEED?"

Dodds Garage Door Systems Inc. has again raised the bar for “Safety Standards” at the openings of Overhead Garage Doors because technology is constantly changing.

MONITORED” features have arrived and Manufacturers now recommend more than one (1x) device to enhance the safety of your Garage Door System in order to protect vehicles as well as pedestrians.

Motorized Vehicular Garage Doors are LIKE A MOVING WALL!

THEY CAN BE DANGEROUS & MAY CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY.

The main reason for this recommendation is to provide extra safeties for Vehicular as well as Pedestrian traffic in order to reduce likelihood of vehicles hitting doors and pedestrians being injured..

We believe that this added precaution will provide enhanced safety protection for residents and micro-management safety support plus peace of mind for property managers..

As stated in our previous Safety Bulletin, we quote the CITY OF TORONTO: BY-LAW No. 930-2000 (other Cities have similar By-Laws):

The Property Standards By-Law<br /> 21.3 "All exterior doors, windows, skylights and basement hatchways, including storm and screen doors and storm windows, shall be maintained in good repair and free from defects and missing components."

41. Garage doors; exit doors. A. "If a garage door allows for vehicular ingress or egress from a parking or storage area, and is equipped with an automatic closing mechanism, the garage door shall be equipped with a sensing device that does not allow the door to close when any person, animal or object is crossing it’s path.”

“Safeties” in the industry:

Level 1: Air hose system – not close to the door; will fail if has holes; works intermittently in extreme cold weather & may not function.
Level 1: Bottom Gum Hose Edge – under the door; if holes in the gum hose, will not function.
Level 2: Loop Detector system – not close to the door; detects vehicles but will not protect pedestrians or bicycles. Level 2: Exterior Motion Sensor – not close to the door & may not protect pedestrians; re-sets the timer-to-close.
Level 2: Photo Eye System (emitter/reflective); not monitored which means door may function normally even though safety is not working ie. if safety defective or damaged; if working properly will reverse door when beam is broken with object, vehicle or person.
Level 2: MillerEdge System, 2-wire, electric bottom edge/FeatherEdge System – bottom pneumatic edge, under the door; not monitored which means door may function normally even though safety is not working ie. if safety defective or damaged; if working properly will reverse door when it comes into contact with object, vehicle or person. This safety is in the same plane & pathway of the door.
Level 3.a.: Photo Eye System (emitter/receiver); monitored - which means electric opener will not function at all if “monitored safety” is not working! – will reverse door when beam is broken by object, vehicle or pedestrian.
Level 3.b.: MillerEdge System, 4-wire, electric bottom edge; monitored - which means electric opener will not function at all if “monitored safety” is not working! - to be installed when Photo Eye System cannot be mounted close to the door e.g. Counterweight system; will reverse door when comes into contact with object, vehicle or pedestrian.

Therefore, for all Electric Openers, we are now STRONGLY RECOMMENDING the installation of TWO SAFETY SYSTEMS

A. “MONITORED” New Electric Opener Installations

eg. Electric Openers with latest technology (include one monitored Safety System)

Our “Optimum Safety Package”:

1.a. Double Safety Photo Eye System - one safety installed 6” above the floor (monitored) in case of a person lying at floor level and a second safety installed 24” above the floor (not monitored) in case of high profile vehicles; as close as possible to the door in order to reduce “dead zone” areas.

1.b. MillerEdge System, 4-wire, electric bottom edge; to be installed when Photo Eye System cannot be mounted close to the door e.g. Counterweight system; (monitored) – will reverse door when comes into contact with object, vehicle or pedestrian.

2. FeatherEdge – (if MillerEdge not installed for Counterweight system) bottom pneumatic edge; not monitored which means if defective or damaged may not function; if working properly will reverse door when it comes into contact with object, vehicle or person. This safety is in the same plane & pathway of the door.

B. “NOT-MONITORED” Older Electric Openers that require additional Safety Systems

Eg. Earlier Model Liftmaster, Manaras, Burco, Lynx, Doorlec, etc. Electric Openers

Our Strongly Recommended Package:

1.a. Double Safety Photo Eye System - existing Safety Photo Eye system to be moved to height of 24” (not monitored) and one new Safety Photo Eye system to be installed at height of 6” (not monitored) or if no safety existing, we recommend to install a new Double Safety Photo Eye system.

1.b. If garage door has existing Safety Photo Eye system at height of 7” or higher and a second Safety Photo Eye system is declined, then we recommend to move existing Safety Photo Eye system to height of 6” in order to protect people but may not protect most high profile vehicles.

2. FeatherEdge - bottom pneumatic edge; not monitored which means if defective or damaged may not function; if working properly will reverse door when it comes into contact with object, vehicle or person. This safety is in the same plane & pathway of the door.

For Exterior Safety:

Exterior Motion Sensor or Exterior Photo Eye System – if your site experiences “tailgaters” (drivers who do not activate their opening devices), we also recommend the installation of either of these additional safety devices which will re-set the timer-to-close.

***SAFETY DEVICES MUST BE CHECKED FREQUENTLY TO VERIFY THAT THEY ARE OPERATING SAFELY AND PROPERLY. ***

Dodds’ Preventive Maintenance Program Check-list includes the checking of Safety Devices.

 


Almost every home in Canada has a garage door. In many cases, the door is operated with the use of an automatic garage door opener. Because the door opens easily, with the touch of a button, we often forget that garage doors are extremely heavy and can be dangerous. The best way to ensure the safe running of your garage door is to have the door tested and make sure that both the door and opener are properly installed. Regular maintenance and testing of all equipment is vital to ensure safe operation. Remember, a poorly balanced door could result in injury or even death.

Dodds Cares about your safety!

Please read the following safety tips and have your door and opener checked regularly in order to avoid injury. Also ensure that you have read and understand the user manuals which came with your door and/or opener.

  • If you do not have a safety manual for your garage door opener, contact the manufacturer and ask them to send you one right away. It is a good idea to have the manual close at hand and not to wait until there is a problem to contact the manufacturer.
  • If there is no other entrance into the garage besides your garage door and you have an automatic opener installed, please make sure that you have an emergency key release installed on the outside of the door at least 6’ from the ground. Keep the key in a safe place with easy access. If some one is trapped in the garage or under the door and the opener is malfunctioning or power is cut to the garage, your emergency key release may be the only way to open the door.
  • There should be a push-button installed near the garage. This button should be at least 5 feet from the nearest standing surface. It must be out of reach of children. It should not be near any moving parts and the door should be clearly visible when operating the opener from the push button or transmitter. Do not move from the line of vision until the door is fully open or closed.
  • Never allow children to play with or near the garage door. Make sure that the transmitters are kept out of reach of children. Do not let children or adults walk under a garage door when it is in motion.
  • Make sure that everyone is aware of the dangers incurred by irresponsible operation of a garage door. In the same way as you must explain to children not to touch a hot stove, play with electrical outlets or matches, you must also explain to them that garage doors can be very dangerous and also cause injury or even death. Make sure that everyone is aware of the danger of being trapped in the garage or under the garage door.
  • Never put your hands between sections or near any moving parts of the garage door. Explain to children that if fingers are caught between sections of the garage door or in any moving parts serious injury can occur, even if you do not have an automatic opener installed on the door.
  • Make sure that regular maintenance and inspections are performed on your garage door and opener once per year by a trained professional. Never perform this maintenance yourself. Door springs are under very high pressure, some screws and brackets are attached to the spring system through the cables and if you have not been properly trained you could get seriously injured.

In between yearly maintenance you should inspect the door yourself regularly to ensure that:

  • The safety eyes are working correctly – place a flat piece of wood 2 by 4 (1-1/2" thick) on the floor directly below where the opener is installed. Push the button or transmitter to close the door. The door should reverse within 1 to 2 seconds of making contact with the object. If your opener was installed prior to 1993 it may not have safety photo eyes installed. It is strongly recommended that you replace the opener with a new model which now, by law, come with these safety features installed. There are also some safety options which can be installed on your existing opener. Please contact a qualified professional to discuss these options. If the safety eyes are not reversing correctly, call a service repair man immediately. Disconnect the opener and do not use it until a repair man has checked it.
  • The door is properly balanced – If you have an opener installed on the door, please disconnect it before checking balance. You should be able to lift the door easily with 2 fingers, with a down force weight of no more that 3 to 5 KG. Try this simple test to check for correct balance. With the opener disconnected and the door on manual, lift the door half way. Gently remove your hand from the door, making sure that your feet are clear of the opening. A properly balanced door will remain in the half opened position. If the door continues to close there is not enough tension on the spring. If the door starts to open, there is too much tension on the springs. NEVER TRY TO ADJUST THE SPRING TENSION YOURSELF, you could get seriously injured. If your door is not balanced call a repairman immediately. An incorrectly balanced door could cause the safety feature on your opener to malfunction, it could also cause damage to your opener and other garage door parts.
  • Check for wearing parts – Prevention is always the best policy, if you see any parts that are starting to wear, have them replaced before they break.

Here is a list of garage door parts for you to check.

Springs Shaft
Rollers Hinges
Cables Brackets
Panel Condition Tracks
Drums Strut
Center Bearing Spring Anchor
End Bearing Plate Seal
Pulleys

Make sure that all nuts, bolts and brackets are tight and all parts are securely fastened and not separating. Check all the panels for cracks and signs of wear. With the door in the down position check the lift cables for fraying and examine the torsion spring and axles for cracks in the axle, signs of slippage where the torsion springs are anchored to their axles or broken spring segments.

  • Check the down force/up force on your door opener – Push the button or transmitter to close the door. As the door is coming down, grab the bottom of the door. If down force is properly set then the door will reverse. Now push the button or transmitter to open the door and grab bottom of the door while it is opening. If the up force is properly set then the door will stop.

At Dodds Doors your safety is our first concern. Garage door accidents can be deadly and most people know that children should not play with matches or that faulty wiring can cause a fire but the dangers of poor garage door maintenance are not as well known. Now that you have educated yourself on the potential dangers, you are half way to protecting yourself and your loved ones. Follow through with regular maintenance visits and together we can prevent tragic accidents through education and prevention.