Atlanta Georgia / Fulton County Georgia
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Home, Condo, Commercial Inspection Services

Home Inspection Library J C Weise Home Inspector Atlanta, GA www.UpscaleInspections.com

Garages

Garages in Atlanta are complicated and dangerous environments. Think about what you commonly see in the garage:

Because the garage is an inherently dangerous environment, it should never be used as a playground for children. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard parents tell their child, “Go play in the garage.” Please, don’t. Even for adults, the garage is a dangerous environment, so you should also be very cautious when in the garage. Almost anything in the pictures could fall and knock you unconscious. If you find your garage like that shown in the pictures, do what my wise ol’ grandmother always did: “If I haven’t used it in six months, it’s time to have a garage sale.” Get rid of it or get yourself an off-site storage facility.

Garage vehicle doors
Virtually anything that moves is dangerous, particularly for pets and small children. The force exerted by a closing vehicle door can approach 200 pounds per square inch, enough force to seriously injure or kill a child or pet within minutes. Children should never be allowed to play “beat the garage door,” a too-common game where the children push the door opener/closer button and run to try to get outside before the vehicle door closes. And if children are playing hide and seek and “beat the garage door” at the same time, well, all you’ve done is make dangerous conditions worse. Such “games” send many children each year to the emergency room at the local hospital and, in some cases, to the city morgue. Why would someone want to do that a child?

Safety considerations, therefore, make it desirable to have both a photoelectric eye reverse and a force reverse on all vehicle door openers. Photoelectric eyes, when working properly, will help prevent property damage to vehicles that may be partially under the vehicle door because the vehicle breaks the photoelectric beam, preventing the door from closing. They are also the first line of defense if a child or pet is lying on the ground unconscious or injured. In those instances, his little body will break the photoelectric beam, once again

preventing the door from closing. Unfortunately, photoelectric eyes are often out of alignment because they are played with by children or they are accidentally kicked by someone when walking by, a particularly common problem in Atlanta when so many garages look like that shown in the pictures above. That’s why both a photoelectric eye reverse and a force reverse are not only desired, but required in order to protect your family. If the photoelectric eyes are out of alignment, a force reverse, when working properly, will help prevent a child or pet from being crushed by a closing vehicle door. The force reverse should be set so that it reverses upon contact with anything impeding its downward travel.

Safety reverses should be tested and inspected monthly. The force reverse typically is a user operable control. A review of the vehicle door opener instructions may show how to adjust the sensitivity setting properly. If no instructions are available, contact the manufacturer for instructions. If you are not comfortable making this important safety feature adjustment yourself, you should have the adjustment made by a qualified Atlanta garage door professional. Click here for helpful information on garage door openers and safety information.



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