Though older homes are endowed with rare charm that is rather hard to find these days, they certainly lack the safety standards expected these days. This is true even in case of houses that were built about 15 years ago. Garage door is the largest moving object in our homes. Despite the mounted keypads and portable remote controls, accidents due to garagedoors are reported often. There are a few ways you can ensure that your garage door is safe, secure and trouble-free.

If you are having an older model garage door, then it is advisable you first install a modern system that can comply with the current safety standards. In 1993, the Consumer Product Safety Commission mandated the manufacturing of garage door openers with a device called as external entrapment protection system otherwise understood as an electric eye. Usually, this system is aligned with the opening and fixed at about four to six inches off the floor. This will reverse the door before it collides on anything that the sensors detect in the door's path. Older systems do not reverse automatically and therefore, you need to upgrade it for the new ones.

Garage doors are quite heavy and large. They move continuously up and down several times in a day. While they feature highly delicate and technical components, it is but natural for most parts to wear and tear or get misaligned. Therefore, it is important you perform a safety check periodically to find out whether your garage needs any repairs. It is very important children are deterred from playing €beat the door€ or meddling with the garagedoor remote controls. It is advisable to mount the keypad in a height not reachable by children.

To check the balance of the door, keep the door in closed position and trip the release mechanism so that you can manually operate the door. If the door is under perfectly balanced condition, then you must be able to lift it smoothly without much effort. Also, it must be able to stay in the open position about three to four feet above the floor level. If you release and the door flies up or down, then the indication is that you need to adjust the balance. You might require the services of a garage repair firm to tune up the balance and set right the issue.

You can test the force setting of the opener by holding the bottom of the door as it closes. If the door does not reverse when you apply moderate resistance, then the setting is towards the upper side. You might consult the manual for the necessary adjustments. To perform the reversing test, place a block of about 2 X 4 on the flat lying in the path of the door. The door should now reverse while hitting the block. If this does not happen, then you might need to repair the opener. If you have an older version, then it is advisable you upgrade it for a newer model.

Some of the regular maintenance tasks you need to perform with your garagedoor include lubricating, cleaning and shooting graphite into the lock. While cleaning the parts, you can apply mild engine oil that is not sticky. You may also use a silicone lubricant or light oil to oil the door rollers, bearings and hinges not less than once in a month for smooth functioning and rouble free operation.