Advice for Buying a Garage Door Opener | |
If you're choosing a new garage door opener, look for one that's non-contact, and features a beam of infrared light to detect an object in the path of a closing door. This sensor directs a beam of infrared light close to the ground across the garage door threshold. If the beam is interrupted by an object in the doorway, the sensor stops and reverses a closing door or prevents an open door from closing. Garage door accidents are no small matter. According to the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), from March 1982 through December 1990, 46 children were trapped and killed under automatic garage doors that failed to stop and reverse after contact. All automatic garage door openers sold in the United States must comply with ANSI/UL standards, which require that a garage door reverse upon contact with an object and have a quick release device to detach it from the opener. If the door fails to complete its closing cycle in 30 seconds, it must automatically raise. The CPSC urges all homeowners to inspect their garage door openers for safe operation on a regular basis. To check, open the door and place a 2-in. block of wood on the ground under it. Close the door and if it doesn't reverse upon striking the wood, disconnect the opener. It is unsafe. Have the opener serviced or replace it with a new unit that complies with new safety standards. Install a non-contact infrared sensor on a new door for the most protection. These devices are easy to install and are available as an option for Chamberlain, Craftsman, Genie, and Stanley automatic garage door openers. If you have a safely operating door opener that was made after 1982 it probably can retrofitted with a non-contact sensor. Check with the manufacturer. Written by the editors of HouseNet. Copyright HouseNet, Inc. |