Keeping Your Pets Safe around Garage Doors

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Automatic garage door openers often come with standard safety features. If you have pets, they could be easily injured. You want to avoid any unexpected vet bills or garage door repairs, as they could be costly. It is important to understand how to keep them safe to avoid any issues from occurring ahead of time.

Automatic Options

*   Auto-Reverse: When the door is closing, it will automatically stop and re-open if it senses any type of obstruction. This will keep it from crushing the obstacle in the way. If it suddenly stops, you may find you need to look into garage door opener repair. You can test the functionality of the auto-reverse using a cardboard box. Place it under the door and watch to see how the door reacts.

*   Motion Detection: The motion detector is designed to sense any disturbance that is in the pathway of the garage door as it closes. If the motion detector is tripped, it will cause the door to re-open. Open the door and push an object in the pathway and you can measure the doors reaction. Be careful not to let the dogs get close to the springs when the door is a closed position. Their fur, legs, or tail could easily get caught in any of the moving parts. In addition to harming your pet, you could be facing the expenditure of garage door repair parts.

Options for Manual Release

Mechanism for Manual Release: The manual release mechanism is designed for emergencies like power outages, stuck doors, or a broken garage door spring. To operate, just pull a handle on the door and manually move the door up or down. It is a good idea to test the manual release handle to ensure it is working properly. This will come in handy of the door should not close all the way and a pet gets trapped between the door and the concrete floor.

If you don’t know if your garage door is pet friendly or not or if you need to make a safety upgrade, contact a professional to help you review your door set up. This will help you keep your pets and family safe all year long.