Garage doors can be extremely dangerous, especially in older homes. Older wood overhead garage doors are extremely heavy and require large springs to assist with lifting them. These springs can break when expanded and cause serious damage and or injury. To prevent injury containment cables should be installed through the length of the springs and attached at both ends. These cables will help prevent injuries or damage to property by preventing the spring from whipping around if broken. The spring shown below is missing a containment cable.
Installing a containment cable is an easy fix and does not cost much. If your not handy we always recommend having a qualified contractor perform all repairs as needed. Below if a picture of a properly installed containment cable.
Another safety item that can sometimes be missing or inoperable is photoelectric sensors. The photoelectric sensor is designed to activate the automatic-reverse at the overhead garage door opener when someone or something passes between the two that are supposed to be installed at the base of the door frame. These sensors were not required on older homes so we often find them not installed when inspecting an older home. The below picture shows a properly installed photoelectric sensor.
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