Your garage door is one of the largest moving parts in your home, and if you live in Parker, Colorado, you know how much it gets used. This is especially true during those cold winter months when you’d rather stay in your car until the door fully opens.
If you’re looking for the best garage door solutions in Parker by Select Garage Doors, understanding the safety features that protect your family and belongings is a good place to start.
Modern garage doors come with several safety features that help prevent injuries, guard against break-ins, and keep your system running reliably for years. Here are the ones that matter most.
What Is an Auto-Reverse Mechanism and Why Do You Need One?
When something is in the way of a closing garage door, an auto-reverse mechanism senses it and sends it back up by itself. Federal safety rules say that every garage door opener made after 1993 must have this feature.
There are two ways the system works. First, the door goes back if it hits something. Second, it works with photo-eye sensors to find things without touching them. This feature can keep kids and pets who like to hang out in the garage from getting hurt badly.
Put a roll of paper towels in the way of the door once a month to see if it works. Call a technician to fix it if the door doesn’t go back up when it hits the roll.
How Do Photo-Eye Sensors Work?
There are small photo-eye sensors on both sides of your garage door opening, about six inches off the ground. They send an infrared beam across the door that can’t be seen. The system stops and goes back right away if anything crosses that beam while the door is closing.
These sensors work well, but you have to clean them often. They can get messed up by dust, dirt, cobwebs, and even bright sunlight. You might not think that Parker’s dusty summers can coat the lenses faster than you think. Every few weeks, use a soft cloth to wipe them down. Dirty or misaligned sensors are usually to blame if your door starts to go back up for no reason.
What Is the Manual Release Handle For?
The manual release handle is a red cord that hangs from the track of your garage door opener. You can pull it to disconnect the door from the opener, which lets you lift and lower it by hand. This is a lifesaver when the power goes out and the electric opener won’t work.
Parker has its share of power outages, especially when it’s windy or during winter storms. If the manual release doesn’t work, you might be stuck and not be able to move the door. Make sure everyone in your house knows where it is and how to use it.
What Is Rolling Code Technology?
Every time you press the remote, rolling code technology changes the access code for your garage door opener. Thieves could break into older systems because they used a fixed code that thieves with code-grabbing tools could copy and use later.
The code that opened your garage five minutes ago will never work again thanks to rolling code technology. Every time, the system picks a new code at random from billions of choices. This makes it very hard for anyone to take your code and use it. It doesn’t have this feature if your opener is 15 to 20 years old. You should get a new one.
Why Is Motion-Detection Lighting Important?
Many newer garage door openers come with lights that turn on when they detect motion. The lights turn on by themselves when the system detects movement inside or near the garage. This makes it easier for you to see when you’re coming and going, and it keeps intruders away.
Burglars don’t like places that are well-lit. In Parker, where some streets and neighborhoods get pretty dark after the sun goes down, automatic lighting makes things easier and gives you peace of mind. Most systems let you change how sensitive the lights are and how long they stay on.
What Are Pinch-Resistant Panels?
Panels that are resistant to pinching get rid of the spaces between door sections that can catch fingers when the door moves. Older garage doors had joints that made gaps big enough to hurt people when they pinched them. Newer designs have flush or recessed joints that stay closed even when the door goes up and down.
If you have little kids who like to watch the door open and close, this feature is very important. If you can see gaps between the panels of your garage door when it moves, you might want to get one that is built to resist pinching.
Do You Need a Battery Backup for Your Garage Door?
Your garage door opener will still work even if the power goes out if you have a battery backup. The backup turns on by itself and gives you enough power for a few open and close cycles.
People in Parker know that snowstorms and windstorms can knock out the power for hours, so Colorado weather doesn’t always cooperate. With a battery backup, you won’t be stuck just because the power goes out. Most backup systems are small, cheap, and simple to set up. They usually give you between 20 and 50 cycles, which is enough for a normal power outage.
What Should Parker Homeowners Keep in Mind?
Parker is more than 5,800 feet above sea level, and the weather there makes it hard for garage doors to work. Your system may not work as well when the temperature changes a lot between seasons.
In the cold, lubricants get thick and slow, motors have to work harder, and metal parts get smaller. The heat of summer can bend weatherstripping and dry out seals. Checking your garage door twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall, can help you find small problems before they become big ones that cost a lot to fix or are dangerous.
A good inspection checks all the safety features, makes sure the sensors are lined up correctly, lubricates moving parts, and checks the tension of the springs.
Keep Your Parker Home Safe with the Right Garage Door Features
A garage door with strong safety features keeps your home, your family, and your cars safe. These features, like auto-reverse mechanisms and rolling code technology, all work together to keep everything running safely and smoothly.
If your current door doesn’t have any of these, it might be time to get a new one or at least have a professional check to make sure your system meets today’s safety standards.
Select Garage Doors
11479 South Pine Drive, Parker, Colorado 80134
(303)228-0018
