Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, April 3, 1994                   TAG: 9404140125
SECTION: GUIDE TO BETTER HOMWES AND LAWN & GARDEN                    PAGE: 11   EDITION: NEW RIVER 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

HOW TO MAKE SURE GARAGE DOOR OPENER IS SAFE AND SECURE

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act was recently amended to include tough new standards for automatic garage door openers, following an increase in serious and sometimes fatal accidents involving young children. The new law, referred to as US 325, requires power operators to be equipped with the following: a sensing edge called an RA-photo electric device; or any type of sensing device that will detect an obstruction within 1 inch of the floor, causing the door to automatically open.

Additionally, the law states that if this safety device breaks down, the door will still open and remain in the open position. To reclose, the operator would have to have sight of the door to make it function.

How do you know if your door is safe? It's simple, according to Wayne Dalton, the leading manufacturer of garage doors. To test your door's automatic-reverse feature:

Start by opening your garage door.

Place a 1-inch block of wood where the door meets the concrete.

Then push your garage door opener to close.

If, when the door comes in contact with the wood, the door doesn't reverse itself upon impact, it doesn't meet today's standards.

"It's likely that 75 percent of the doors tested today don't meet the new regulations," says Dave Mielke, Wayne-Dalton spokesman. "Garage door openers containing the mandated safety features have been available since 1970 however, since they weren't required, most people didn't bother with them. And many people really believed the other models were safe enough."

Mielke advises homeowners to test their doors if they're not certain of its safety standards - and to test it even if they do know it meets the new standards to make sure they're working.

"We're talking about a powerful mechanism here that certainly provides a great convenience for homeowners, yet like any machine, can be dangerous if not used safely. If everyone would test their doors regularly and keep them up to current safety standards, future accidents involving garage doors would be kept to minimum."

The standards for garage door openers have changed significantly over the years as consumers have become more aware of the possibility of injury. 1983 marked the beginning of important safety standards for garage door openers by requiring the garage door to automatically stop when is comes in contact with an object; but it's the 1993 version that brings the most sweeping changes.

Safety experts recognize that it's not enough to have the garage door stop after making contact with an object-for one thing, the object, or person for that matter, could still be trapped under to door. Thus, the need for a door that reverses itself. And to make certain this device is working properly, or as a backup in case it isn't, the sensing mechanisms become a crucial feature.

Not having an opener that meets regulations can have serious repercussions. In some states, homeowners can't sell their house if their garage door doesn't comply with UL 325.

Homeowners may find that garage door technicians won't fix minor repairs on their door if the opener is not compliant. Instead, they may recommend you get a new power operator. Are you being ripped off? definitely not, says Mielke.

"Professional installers have a responsibility to advise homeowners of possible safety factors (or lack of). You may never have a problem, but the consequences of not having the proper safety equipment is too costly. A technician that doesn't test your door to make sure it complies, isn't doing his/her job."

It's ultimately the homeowner's decision, but if you don't take the recommendation of a professional, you're at risk. Compare the situation to that of a doctor and patient. The doctor can tell you to quit smoking. If you don't, it's your choice, but that doesn't make it any less hazardous to your health.

A garage door opener that doesn't meet current safety standards certainly qualifies as a hazard that can be removed.