Garage Door Safety for Wichita Families
A residential garage door is the largest and heaviest moving object in most homes.
The reversal test
Put a solid object - a length of timber, not a body part - flat on the floor under the door and close it. The door must reverse on contact. If it does not, the force setting is wrong and it is a safety fault, not a preference.
The photo-eye test
Close the door and break the beam with an object. It must reverse. Both eyes should show steady lights when aligned.
The 1993 rule
Every residential opener sold in the US since 1993 must have external entrapment protection. If yours has no photo-eyes, it predates that and should be replaced outright.
Springs
Never attempt these. This is the component that regularly puts people in emergency rooms, and a wound torsion spring holds enough energy to break bones.
Free estimate — no charge for the visit
Tell us what the door is doing and we will tell you what it normally means in Wichita. Every job is quoted in person and in writing before any work starts.
Other guides
- The Wichita Garage Door Owner's Guide
- Why Wichita Springs Break in January
- Hail and Storm Damage to Garage Doors
- A Realistic Maintenance Schedule for Kansas
- Wichita Housing Eras and What Door Fits
- Does an Insulated Door Make Sense in Wichita?
- Repair or Replace a Wichita Garage Door
- What to Ask Before Buying a Garage Door in Wichita
- What to Do When the Door Fails and You Need the Car